Making your own headboard doesn't have to be difficult.
In today's tutorial based on a YouTube video by Better Homes and Gardens, we'll break down the steps of how you can make a simple, yet elegant upholstered headboard that will both fit your bed and your style.
Let's get started!
What You'll Need
- 1/2 Inch MDF sheet, cut to fit
- Fabric of your choice
- 1 inch Foam
- Pencil
- Tape Measure
- Roller
- Scissors
- Staple gun with 1/2 in staples
- Quilt batting
- Spray Adhesive
1. Cut Foam to Fit
Using a 1 inch foam is technically optional (you could do a thinner foam) but using that thicker material will give your headboard a more substantial look.
Using scissors, cut your foam to exactly match the width and height of your MDF board.
According to the Better Homes and Gardens' video, you should have someone helping you out with this job (but it's not impossible to do it yourself).
2. Spray Adhesive and Attach Foam
Next, set your foam aside and use your spray adhesive to completely coat your MDF board.
Then, pick up your foam and put it back into place on top of the adhesive.
3. Use Roller To Press Down Foam
Just to make sure the foam is firmly attached, use your roller to cover the entire foam board and press it down to completely flatten and even it out.
4. Staple Batting On Top Of Foam
First, lay your head board face down (foam side down) onto your batting.
Then, trim that batting all the way around the perimeter leaving enough so you are able to pull the batting up and staple it onto the back of your headboard.
Having too much batting is better than having too little - you can always trim more if needed.
Once you've trimmed the batting, wrap it around and staple it to the back side of your headboard.
Handy Tip:
When stapling your batting, be sure to alternate between sides with every staple. In other words, do one staple on the top of the headboard and then one on the opposite side before doing your second staple on the top. Alternating sides and pulling the batting firmly before each staple will let you keep the batting even through out the process.
Make sure you save the corners for last, so you can notch out a square with your scissors and fold over each side to make a clean, tight corner as shown below:
5. Prepare and Attach Fabric
Since you'll be using a linen fabric, it's a good idea to iron the fabric before attaching it to the board to make sure it is crisp and wrinkle-free.
Like you did with the batting, lay out the fabric face down and then lay your headboard on top of it.
You're going to be wrapping the fabric around the edges just like with the batting, so make sure you trim your fabric but leave enough to comfortably wrap around all sides.
Just like with the batting, pull your fabric firmly and begin stapling it to the back side of the headboard.
It will again be important to alternate sides, so when you pull the fabric firmly you are able to keep it tight and even.
For the corners, you'll again need to cut a square notch out so you can easily fold over one edge and staple, then fold the other edge tightly and staple again so you are left with a clean looking corner.
6. Attach Headboard To Wall
Once you've completely stapled the fabric, you're done!
Now all that is left is to put the headboard in place, which generally means attaching it to your wall. Here are some tips for attaching it which basically involves attaching d-rings to the back of your headboard, then hanging it on the wall via screws or nails.
Your finished product will look something like this (although the fabric design is totally up to you):
To check out the full video from Better Homes and Gardens, see below:
