Introducing guest blogger, Megan Walsh: Megan is the writer of The Thread Affect, her personal blog documenting all the fun quirks that inspire her life and adventures! She is a twenty-six year old living it up in downtown Chicago with her husband and two amazingly adorable pups and loving all things related to personal style, decorating, travel, and entertaining.
Megan will be blogging about home decor, style tips, DIY projects and more! Check back every Wednesday for new ideas! Follow Megan on Twitter
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Design: (DIY) “Do it Yourself” Headboard
By Megan Welsh
I have always wanted a headboard. For what reason I have no idea? Maybe because HGTV talks about them like they are the crown gold to any bedroom or maybe because I am tired of trying to read in bed while leaning on a rock solid wall. Whatever the reason, I decided we would have a headboard in our new apartment someway somehow. Ever since we decided to move, I have been pining over these headboards from West Elm and Crate & Barrel.
Unfortunately, these three headboards run anywhere from $499 to $1200 for a queen bed. Um…not happening in this lifetime. EVER. So on to plan B. We decided it was the perfect project to DIO (Do It Ourselves). This time we enlisted the help of my trusty dad and his array of power tools back in Iowa. Here’s what we did!
1. Measured the height from the floor to the top of the mattress (26″) and the width of the bed frame and mattress (62″).
2. Went shopping for supplies. This was my favorite part, I’m really good at spending money as Justin will confirm. I am notorious for starting multiple sentences with “Guess how much I saved?” or “It was only $20!”
What we bought for less than $120:
- Piece of 3/4″ Wood From Home Depot, cut down to 64″ W
***We added an extra inch to each side so it wasn’t smaller than the frame
- 3 Pieces of 1×4′s for the legs and support
- 3M Spray Glue Adhesive
- Stain Wood Finish
- PL 400 SubFloor and Deck Glue
- 2″ Thick Foam
- Batting and Fabric
***Add at least 12″ to L and W so you can pull it tautly over the edge)
What we had at home:
- Jigsaw
- Staple Gun
- Sander
- Scissors
- Sharpie
3. (OPTIONAL STEP!) Decided the shape of the headboard: square, curvy, scrolled, or any shape you desire. Due to my complete obsession with the West Elm scrolled headboard, we decided to test our luck and go for a semi-simpler version. Using a random piece of bendable wood from Dad’s garage collection, we traced a curved line from the left edge to the top center and cut it with the jigsaw. To achieve the same curve on the right side, we simply turned over the cut out piece of wood, traced, and cut. After both sides were cut we used an electric sander to soften up those newly created rough edges.
4. Cut the foam to size. First, I placed the foam on the ground with the wood on top. Second, I traced the shape of the headboard onto the foam using a black sharpie. Third, I used scissors (a knife didn’t work well for me) to cut the foam to the exact size of the headboard. As you can see, I had lots of puppies on hand offering a paw!
Cut the foam to size
5. Spray glue adhesive to the foam and attach to the plywood.
6. Attach the legs. Using 3 1×4 pieces of wood we attached two legs and a horizontal support piece using wood glue and screws.
7. Attach a layer of batting. Again we laid the batting on the ground and the headboard + foam on top, pulled the batting taut over the headboard and stapled to the backside. We continued to work our way around the shape of the headboard remembering to pull the batting tight and staple.
8. Iron your fabric! We chose a light tan linen that would go with everything.
9. Attach the fabric. Lay the fabric down with the headboard + foam + batting on top. Make sure to line your fabric up straight! Starting with the top center, pull the fabric taut and staple. Do the same thing with the left center, right center and bottom center. Continue to pull the fabric taut and staple to the backside until you get your finished headboard!
Finished Headboard!
Headboard in Bedroom
For about $120 and 4 hours of our time (and my Dad’s) we created a headboard that we love and can be proud to say we made! Plus, the fabric is totally easy to change if we decide we want something different in the future, which I’m sure I will!
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