Queen headboard
August 8, 2015 in Projects by Reta Reed
Note: I did this a while ago and didn’t post it, but, dammit, I’m proud of the headboard so here it is. Pardon the goofy layout of this post!
So, I down-sized from the humongous king headboard and footboard to a queen-size bed. I knew right away I wanted to make my headboard. I found this tutorial and knew it would be easy. I surveyed my materials:
- Big piece of plywood, OSB, or particle board – CHECK! I’ve been bumping the car door into it for years as it has been leaning against the wall in the garage.
- Fabric – CHECK! The mile-long window scarf will be perfect. (A la Carol Burnett’s Scarlett O’Hara “Ah saw it in the winduh and Ah just couldn’t resist it.”)
- Staple gun – CHECK! What self-respecting DIY-er doesn’t have a staple gun?
- Circular saw – DUH! Of course I have a circular saw.
- Jigsaw – Double DUH!
I had a thin twin mattress pad but I wanted the headboard to be really cushy so I ordered another 3″-thick twin mattress pad from Wally World for $25. It was convoluted, but I figured I’d just put the bumpy side toward the wood or to the thinner twin pad.
I bought a set of decorator needles ($2.97) that are super long for pushing through lots of foam, wax thread (because she said so) ($3.47), and three packages of make-your-own fabric-covered buttons ($1.77 ea).
To hang the headboard easily, I discovered French cleats. If you’ve never heard of them, you’ll be glad you’re discovering them now. They make hanging large, heavy items so freakin’ easy! I bought two of them at Big Orange for $7.97 ea.
I also discovered I needed something better than boxes of tile to serve as support for cutting the wood to size, so I bought a two-pack of sawhorses at the Big Orange store. (I don’t count those in the cost of the headboard.)
A grand total of $52.69, plus a little tax that I didn’t feel like calculating.
THE DETAILS
Safety first! I donned my reading glasses (nerd alert!) so that a) I can see what I’m doing and b) flying crap doesn’t get in my eyes.
I love my fancy sawhorses. They extend up and out too.
Cuts done. I cut the big piece of OSB down to 61″ long and 34″ wide, then used a paint can lid to trace the curve on one corner. I cut the curve with the jigsaw then used the scrap wood to trace the curve on the other corner.
Holes for buttons. Even I can’t see the holes in this picture.
I again used the scrap wood to trace the curve to cut the foam.
Foam sammich
The fun part! I brought everything inside to add the fabric. Since the window scarf is a light color and since it is a mile long, I doubled it so there wouldn’t be show-through of wood or whatever.
I used a spongy sandpaper block to soften the corners so it’s easier on the fabric. I didn’t cover the wood with batting like others have done.
I don’t care what the back looks like! You just pull and staple the heck outta everything. Again, I sat on top of the whole thing to compress it a bit as I stapled.
It’s already gorgeous!
The buttons are stupid easy to make.
This extra long needle was essential!
Be sure to cut enough thread that you don’t lose it in the foam.
Feeding the needle back through and finding the hole was a bit tricky. Just try to keep the needle horizontal to the floor and perpendicular (Google it) to the wood.
Once I had the needle to the back of the wood, I put one of Travis’s Play-doh containers on the floor, centered under the button I was attaching, so that as I pressed on the wood, the foam would be compressed and allow me to pull the button tight. Staple the thread ends to the wood. Pound those staples in good and tight and knot the thread to keep them from relaxing.
Ta-da!
Fancy hangers. (French cleats.)
I found the horizontal center of the wall where the headboard would hang and marked off with tape the general outline of the headboard. I then measured down from the top of the imaginary headboard to place the wall piece of the cleat.
It even has a handy-dandy level bubble that slides into a groove.
Place the other piece of the cleat on the back of the headboard and then slide it into place. So easy!
Endeavor to persevere.
It was very nice to meet Greg. I could tell he really cares about you. And his choice of firearms to keep you and your kids safe. It might have seemed over-kill. But, he just wanted to make sure y’all made it back save from Montana to him. He is a good man. If I can ever help, don’t hesitate to call. Your crazy strange friend.
As the summer fades and turns to winter, it will always remind me of Jeff. The deer hunting, the prepping to go. All the fun crazy shit we done when we got to the hunting camps. Opening day of dove season was Sept 1st. And I sure missed him. I got 2 dove. But time moves on. Things change. Time doesn’t wait.
The glasses do look nerdy. But, safety first.
That is really cool. You have a great gift for taking the raw and making beautiful things out of them.
You are so funny in describing how this was done but I love it!!!