how to make a headboard

i would like to introduce you to my dream bed:

Source: westelm.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 everything about it is lovely, with the exception of it's price tag.

somehow, bub-hub allowed me to convince him that we could do this ourselves. for way less.

after i convinced him, and gave myself a pep talk

we headed off to lowes for our supplies.

 

 a level

measuring tape

wood stain

(we used 2 cans of spray-stain)

3 1in x 6 in x 6 ft boards

4 1 in x 8 in x 6 ft boards

(precut from your local hardware store)

14 2 inch dry wall screws

electric screwdriver

 

a few tips:

tip #1 - measure the width of the boards yourself.

for example, the 6 inch wide boards were actually 5.25 inches wide and the 8 inch wide boards were actually 7.4 inches across.

tip #2 - you can have boards cut for you at the store.  if you only want your boards to be 5 feet long, or if you need a 10 foot board cut down to 7 feet, they can do it for you! all you have to do is ask.
tip #3 - make sure your electric screwdriver is charged. :)

 

before you head to the store, measure how wide and how tall you want your head board to be.  we have a queen sized bed and so a 6 foot long headboard was perfect.

i also knew i wanted it to be be around 48 inches tall, so we used a combination of boards that was close to it.  the final height was 50 inches.

 

[step 1]

pick out your stain. 

you can go the traditional route and paint it on, or you can spray paint it on.  we chose the spraypaint.

 

[step 2]

prepare your work area.

we laid our boards on packing paper to protect our patio.

 

[step 3]

follow the directions on the stain and apply carefully.

i could hear my dad's voice in my head the entire time...

go with the grain!

i guess you never know which life lessons are going to stick.

whatever you do...go with the grain.

 

[step 4]

let everything dry!

 for me, waiting is the hardest part.

i love seeing the end product.

i knew that i wanted this to be a success and not a disaster,

so i waited 5 hours for everything to dry before moving on to the next step.

 

[step 5]

lay out your boards in the order you want them to hang, and mark place on the wall.

we alternated 6 inch boards and 8 inch boards.

 

[step 6]

initially, we decied to try using 3m velcro strips.

it was working just great, and the boards were holding just fine, but i just couldn't get the vision of boards falling down on me in the middle of the night out of my head.

we inserted 2 dry wall screws, 1 inch from the outside edge in the center of each board. i am definitely sleeping better and am nightmare free.

and easy and simple solution. 

 [step 7]

step back and admire your work.

you did it! :)

 the lamps and yellow pillow are from the always lovely target. i believe the bedding is from target as well. i've had it since high school.the nightstands are simply crates that previously served as wedding props, and were found at a flea market. easy peasey.

 

what i love most about this project is how easy it is to personalize. you can change the stain, the number of boards, the space between the boards, the width of the boards, anything and everything can be adjusted. such a simple project that can make such a big difference in your room.

 

[here is the original pin and tutorial that inspired me.]