My husband and I aren’t especially handy, so we’re extra proud of the fabric-covered headboard we made for our bed. If we, a writer and a computer programmer, can do it, so can you. This is a cost-effective and relatively quick project; we spent around $100 for all the necessary materials, and we assembled it on a Sunday afternoon.
These instructions are for a California king-sized bed (72″ wide), but the measurements can be adjusted to fit beds of other widths. Please measure the width of your bed before you begin your project and cut the main headboard piece accordingly. Also, we have an extra-thick pillow-top mattress, so if you have a thinner mattress or don’t want such a tall headboard, you may want to adjust the measurements.
The design of this headboard is a simple rectangular shape that attaches to a metal bed frame with bolts. All of the necessary wood comes from one piece of plywood. Prices listed below are approximate.
First, here’s a list of everything you’ll need:
Materials
3/4″ thick regular ol’ plywood (4′ x 8′) – $25
3 yards beautiful fabric – $50
Twin-size high-loft quilting batting – $10
4 each of carriage bolts, washers, and nuts (The size of these should match the holes in the bed frame where you’ll be attaching the finished headboard.) – $2
Box of nails (1 1/2″ long) – $5
Tools
Hammer
A sturdy staple-gun and staples (not your lightweight crafting one)
Fabric scissors
Power sander and course-grit sandpaper
Power drill
Power saw (You can have most of the cuts made at your local home improvement store, but our local Home Depot would not make lengthwise cuts to a width under 12″.)
Safety glasses, mask, and ear protection
Saw horses
A blanket or sheet (This is handy for draping over the saw horses or on the ground to keep your beautiful fabric clean.)
Instructions
1. Cut the plywood into the following pieces (see diagram):
- A Main headboard piece: 6′ x 42″
- B Backing piece: 6′ x 5 3/4″
- C Gap Filler: Two 6″ x 4 1/4″ pieces (May vary depending on how high you want the top of the headboard. The width should match the width of D. The height should be whatever necessary to fill the gap between B and D.)
- D Legs: Two 6″ x 4′ pieces
The following diagrams show how the pieces will eventually fit together (But don’t start pounding nails just yet. You’ll need to drill some holes and work on the legs first.)
2. Drill two bolt holes in each leg piece (D). You’ll need to measure the height of openings in your metal bed frame where you’ll be attaching the legs and mark the corresponding places on the leg pieces. Use a drill bit 1/16″ larger than the bolts. Mark which side of each leg piece is the front/back so that you’ll know how it should attach to the headboard later on. (Otherwise, your bolt holes may not match your bed frame.)
3. Nail the backing piece (B) to back of main headboard piece (A). Put the nails in from the front, i.e., from the front of the headboard into the backing piece (A to B).
4. Nail the gap filler pieces (C) to the back of the main headboard piece (A). Again, put the nails in from the front. These gap filler pieces (C) should be snug against the backing piece (B).
5. Sand at an angle along the top and side edges of the headboard to round the corners slightly.
6. Cover the bottom 21″ of the leg pieces (D) with fabric (no batting) and staple the fabric in place. The seam should be on the back (the side that will be against the wall when finished). Don’t worry about the raw edge of the fabric. It will eventually be hidden.
7. Lay your batting over your headboard piece and trim it so that you have enough to cover the entire main headboard piece (A) and to also wrap around on all sides. (Make sure you have at least a few inches extra on all sides). Wrap batting around the bottom edge on the back of the main headboard piece (A) and staple in place. Do not attach the sides or top yet.
8. Repeat the trimming and stapling of the previous step, but with the fabric. Leave even more surplus fabric on all sides. You’ll want the fabric to cover all the batting.
9. Nail the leg pieces (D) to the main headboard piece (A), again from the front, making sure the pieces are snug. (Refer to the “Back View” and “Front View” diagrams if necessary.) Before nailing, make sure to check the marks you made in step 2, which indicate the front/back of the leg pieces.
10. Lay the batting over the entire face of the main headboard piece (A), making sure that it lies flat. Wrap surplus batting to the back of the main headboard piece (A) and staple along the top and then the sides.
11. Repeat the previous step, but with the fabric. Make sure the fabric lies flat, but don’t stretch it excessively. This step is best done with a helper who can hold the fabric in place while you staple. You can trim excess fabric and batting from the back if necessary. When you’re done with this step, you should have a finished-looking headboard that looks like this from the back:
And like this from the front:
12. Find the holes you drilled into the leg pieces (D) in step 2. With fabric scissors, cut a small piece of fabric around each hole and both on the front and back.
13. Bolt the headboard legs to the bed frame. That’s it! Congratulations! Hopefully you’ll enjoy your headboard as much as we love ours.
IMpressive!! Looks great, good directions, very cool. 😉
Julia,
Thank you!! We’re so happy that it all worked out without any major mishaps–which is how DIY projects usually go….
Great post! I’ll probably blog something similar later. Fabric Scissors
[…] Make a customized headboard. […]
I googled “fabric covered headboard” and your blog came up. I am planning on making this for a king pillowtop mattress so I couldn’t be happier I found your directions. It looks awesome!!
Mary, I hope your headboard turns out beautifully! I’d love to know.
If you attached the legs before the fabric is wrapped around entire board, then how do you work the fabric around the legs….thanks
CeCe,
Thanks for the question. Basically, the headboard fabric is wrapped around the entire board in TWO separate steps. Hopefully the following will clarify what you need to do:
In steps 7 and 8, you attach the fabric to the BOTTOM of the headboard, but NOT the sides or top. This allows you to attach the legs in the next step.
In step 9, you attach the legs. (Remember, at this point, you’ll see the bare wood of the top part of the legs against the headboard.)
In steps 10 and 11, you wrap and attach the headboard fabric around the sides and top of the headboard, covering the bare wood of the legs at the same time. Thus, when you’re done with these steps, it’ll look like the photo shown in step 11.
I hope this makes sense! Let me know if you have any further questions.
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Thank you for your posting. I will be bolting my headboard to the wall, because I live in an apartment and wouldn’t want to wake the neighbor with a headboard banging against the wall during sex.
I made a similar headboard out of an old wood door from the Rebuilding Center here in Portland. I am going to use your blog to help me figure out what boards and how to attach it to my bed frame.
Thanks for the blog post!
-Kori in Portland
Your headboard looks beautiful! Excellent directions. I plan on making one for my mom.
thank you for this one we are moveing into a new house and do not have a lot of money so I will be makeing a a headboard for us something sexy and cool that we will love to live with for a long time thank you agin
Thank you! Found your post on a google search for our weekend project today… we took a different twist, but loved the way it turned out.
And now, you have another blog-reader. Beautiful words, thank you for sharing all of them.
Liso,
Thanks for your comment! I’m glad your project worked out well. And thank you for your kind words about my blog. I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Well, I am the most uncrafty person, you will meet. However, after reading your directions I feel that I must give it a shot. We can’t afford a new headboard and it is for my son so I don’t want to put a lot of money into it. Wish me luck. I will let you know the outcome.
Cindi
I’ll be making a headboard for my son!!! These instructions are great!!! Wish me luck
The directions were great. I just made my own fabric covered headboard and it looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing your instructions.
I came across your blog and love the step by step directions and pictures! Now Im confident that I can pull this off.
I have one question, Did you use any foam with the batting? What was the thickness of the batting and / or foam?
I want to make a headboard for my Queen bed, but with a taller headboard, so can you tell me the thickness I should use? What about adding buttons? How do you do that?
Thanks!!!!
Peach: Sorry it took me so long to respond! I hope you’ve had success with your headboard if you’ve already attempted it. To answer your questions….
– I did NOT use any foam with the batting. I used high-loft quilting batting (the really thick stuff), and that has been sufficient. It’s comfortable to lean against while sitting up in bed reading a great book.
– Without having tried it myself, my best guess for adding buttons would be to 1.) measure carefully and mark on the fabric the outside edges of where the finished headboard would be, 2.) mark the location of each button based, 3.) hand-sew the buttons onto the fabric BEFORE you start attaching the fabric to the board.
Let me know how it turns out!
The easiest way to add buttons is to first measure them out like Blissful said, then to actualy use a small staple gun to attach the spot where you want the button. Then you can sew the button onto the staple….saves TONS of time!
Do you know what the measurements would be to do this for a queen bed? I’m really not handy at all
I dont have a metal frame on my bed will this still work for me putting it up against the wall?
@Jennifer: For a queen bed, you would need to change the width measurements accordingly. The height measurements in these instructions should still work.
@Lena: For safety purposes, I wouldn’t recommend just standing the headboard up against the wall. It is quite heavy, and although the weight of the bed *should* hold it in place, you wouldn’t want to risk it falling on you. I’m not sure what to suggest for attaching it to the wall though…. I’ll give it some thought and post another reply if I think of something.
I’ve seen a lot of sites in this niche, but I must say that his is one of the best. I’ll definitely be checking back for more good posts. Thanks
Great article – the directions are clear and the pictures certainly help illustrate the point. Thanks!
One suggestion for securing the headboard to the wall would be to use a french cleat. You’d probably want to add this as an option to be completed before step 5.
You could use a piece of the 3/4″ thick plywood sheet to make the cleat. I’d probably opt for one long cleat, say 4-5 feet long and at least 4″ wide.
Basicaly for those who may not be familiar with a french cleat, you take the piece of wood and cut it at an angle, say 30 – 45 degress, the length of the board. You’d want to make the cut approximately in the middle of the board (so you’d have 2″ or so on either side of the cut). You then attach one piece of the cleat to the upper portion of the headboard parallel to the long edge. You attach the mating piece to the wall (a level comes in handy for securing the wall cleat, but you could also get by in a pinch by measuring off of the floor or the ceiling). I’d probably use some 1-1/4 drywall screws or wood screws and also some wood glue (Elmer’s white glue works in a pinch) to attach the cleat to the back of the headboard. I’d recommend at least 2-1/2″ long drywall or wood screws to attach the wall cleat to wood studs in the wall to make sure that it is secure. You don’t need to use any glue for the wall cleat, and that way if you decide to move the headboard it’s a simple matter of unscewing the wall cleat and installing it in the new location.
You can do a search on the web for french cleats and get some pictures, which helps since you have to make sure that you have the cleat oriented the right way on the headboard and the wall for it to work.
One other thought for mounting the head board to the wall is to use panel clips, but I think the french cleat is simpler and easier to mount…
Rich, thank you for these excellent directions for French cleats! Much appreciated. My apologies for the late response.
Thank you for the headboard inspiration! I was looking for instructions to build a headboard and found your website. The instructions and pictures were very easy to follow. Also easy to customize to our height and width. Thank you so much! We love our new headboard. It took us about three hours and it turned out perfect! It was just the jump start we needed to get it together.
Valerie, I’m so glad to hear your headboard turned out well! Thank you for your compliments on the directions. I would love to see a picture of your headboard if you feel like sharing. 🙂
Thank you for the tips,which I am going to use in a modified manner. I am going to use artist canvas and thick foam which I am going to glue onto the canvas, I might use two different size canvas’ and cover the back canvas just with material and then the top canvas with the foam. I am going to attach the smaller canvas to the larger one by either gluing or sew it on with along with some sort of thick braid like upholsterers use. I am going to attach the kind of eyehooks or heavy hooks like they use on back of pictures or mirrors and use picture wire and hang it on the wall behind the bed like you would a picture. Oh! I am going to put buttons on too, probably covered with the same material that will be on the larger canvas, the upholstery material I use on the smaller canvas will differ from the larger canvas fabric. I am going to sew the buttons on which is part of the reason for using soft materials like the canvas and the foam. I am going to use my embroidery needle to get through the canvas,foam and material. We’ll see how it goes.
Tina, sorry I haven’t responded until now, but I would LOVE to see how your project turned out!
These are great directions! Unfortunately though, the fabric I was hoping to use is directional (can’t turn it sideways) and is only 54″ wide. Do you have any thoughts for how to use this print without having a seam somewhere on the headboard? I have a queen-sized bed and probably need to make the headboard about 60″ wide… Thanks for your help!
Molly, so sorry for the late response–just noticed your comment. As to your question, one idea would be to make the fabric wide enough by sewing two pieces together and then covering the seam with a coordinating, decorative ribbon. The same could be achieved by using a strip of coordinating fabric in the center. This may not be the look you’re going for, but that’s my best idea so far. Hope it’s helpful. I’d love to hear how it goes if you have a chance to report back.
I’ve been searching the web for directions on how to make a covered headboard. Yours is the best one I have found so far. Ive found many that are to attach directly to the wall. But I couldnt do that because my bed is going on a soft wall- where I will have curtains floor to ceiling and the whole width of the wall. So thanks again for such great directions.
I do have a question.
If the headboard is 6′ wide or 72″, and I have a standard king size bed, should I make it wider to 76″? Was your king bed a california king which is a little narrower than a standard king?
Or will it work out okay once you add the batting and the fabric to it?
Laura, thank you for your kind words. I hope your headboard turns out beautifully. To answer your question, yes, ours is a California king bed, so you should adjust the width to match your bed. Even with the batting and fabric, the width on our headboard is just about flush with the bed. Plus the bedding adds some width too. Good luck! Hope it turns out just how you want. 🙂
If Im going to make my headboard 80″ wide, do I need to make part d- the legs wider also?
Laura,
The width of the leg pieces themselves shouldn’t make a difference (unless you feel the leg pieces need to be wider to support the weight of the headboard). When you attach the legs to the main board, just make sure they’re attached at the outer edge of the main board piece, like the diagram shows. Hope this helps!
MAKE SURE YOU MEASURE YOUR BED BEFORE YOU FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS. We made this last night, and just trusted that this king bed and our king bed were the same size. We were very wrong. Its about 12 inches shorter than our standard king bed. Now we have to try to fix it 😦 Lesson learned, always measure, don’t just trust the instructions.
AUAMom,
I’m very sorry to hear about what happened and hope you’re able to fix your headboard. I realized that I did not specify that our is a California King size bed and will make sure to amend the instructions to say so. The regular King bed is apparently four inches wider than the California King:
King–76 x 80 inches (or 198 x 203 cm)
California King–72 x 84 inches (or 182 x 213 cm)
I’m curious as to understand how your King size bed is 12 inches wider, but evidently, it is a foot wider than ours?! In any case, I will also make sure to amend the instructions to remind people to measure their beds to make sure they’re making the headboard the correct width. Thank you for sharing your experience.
bed frames that are based on steel would give you a more durable bed and a bed that last longer –~
I think this is such a great and unique project idea. Headboards can be so costly and I feel most people purchase a headboard and then decorate their room accordingly. Making your own is simple and you can use whatever fabric to match your room perfectly. Thank you so much for sharing your project! I featured your project on my blog!
To visit my blog: thriftythinking.wordpress.com
Sincerely,
Halley
[…] bed size, matting, and a matching fabric pattern for the room, you can create a stylish headboard. Blissful Begonia has a tutorial on how to make this interesting and fun piece. I also love the picket fence […]
[…] how to make a fabric headboard. Inspiration comes from Pottery Barn, implementation comes from a blog with a very similar post. We I finished this in about 5 hours of solid […]
*We* have a California King bed and LOVE it – minus never being able to find sheets without ordering them online. With my husband being over 6′ tall it was a great solution. (Minus NEVER being able to “just” buy sheets at The Target.) I’m excited to have found your directions. Yes, there are other directions for headboards that could be altered to fit my needs, but you’ve done all the work for me :). Thanks! And your headboard looks fantastic!
I made the headboard and it turned out great! I used simple fabric and made it a little more fancy with some nail head trim. So pleased with how it turned out. I made it on my own (I’m a lunatic, I know), and my husband was so impressed when he came home. Thanks for the great instructions
Here’s a great tutorial on headboards and shows a nice way of adding buttons: http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-fabric-headboard/index.html
I also made a fabric covered headboard for my bed. I’m not handy with a saw so I bought a hollow core door from Home Depot for $30.00 and it fit exactly. It also gave my headboard a thicker look. I love it.
I’m going to make this for our king bed soon. One question – do the legs actually touch the ground, or do they stop where they are bolted on to the bedframe? Seems like it wouldn’t be enough to keep it stable (just bolting) but all the reviews are great so it probably is. 🙂
Thanks!
Julie,
Yes, the legs do actually touch the ground. The headboard is quite heavy, especially at the top, so it needs to be supported. In addition, the legs of the headboard are securely bolted to the bed frame so that the top-heavy headboard isn’t simply leaning against the wall. That way, one can sleep soundly without worrying that the headboard will topple in the night. 🙂 Good luck! I hope your projects turns out wonderfully.
Thank you for this awesome idea!! My husband and I tackled it this weekend! Love Love LOVE it!
here is my finished product
http://minnismoments.blogspot.com/2012/03/master-bedroom-makeover.html
Love this headboard and the instructions are great! Sounds so simple to make. I do have a question though. we won’t be able to make one that attaches to the frame so I am thinking about mounting it on the wall. To do so, would i make 2 “B” pieces. ( one on top and one on bottom) and then create two pieces that go on the right and left side that fit snug up to the “B” pieces? Then i thought about mounting it with a mirror hanging kit for a heavy duty mirror. Does this sound like it would work? I have never made anything like this before.
Lor: Thank you for your comment and question. I’m not sure what to suggest as far as mounting the frame to the wall, as I’ve never attempted that. I’m sure there are safe ways to do it though. In fact, a blog reader named Rich wrote about this (Feb 3, 2010) and made some suggestions.
He said: “One suggestion for securing the headboard to the wall would be to use a french cleat. You’d probably want to add this as an option to be completed before step 5. You could use a piece of the 3/4″ thick plywood sheet to make the cleat. I’d probably opt for one long cleat, say 4-5 feet long and at least 4″ wide. Basicaly for those who may not be familiar with a french cleat, you take the piece of wood and cut it at an angle, say 30 – 45 degress, the length of the board. You’d want to make the cut approximately in the middle of the board (so you’d have 2″ or so on either side of the cut). You then attach one piece of the cleat to the upper portion of the headboard parallel to the long edge. You attach the mating piece to the wall (a level comes in handy for securing the wall cleat, but you could also get by in a pinch by measuring off of the floor or the ceiling). I’d probably use some 1-1/4 drywall screws or wood screws and also some wood glue (Elmer’s white glue works in a pinch) to attach the cleat to the back of the headboard. I’d recommend at least 2-1/2″ long drywall or wood screws to attach the wall cleat to wood studs in the wall to make sure that it is secure. You don’t need to use any glue for the wall cleat, and that way if you decide to move the headboard it’s a simple matter of unscewing the wall cleat and installing it in the new location. You can do a search on the web for french cleats and get some pictures, which helps since you have to make sure that you have the cleat oriented the right way on the headboard and the wall for it to work. One other thought for mounting the head board to the wall is to use panel clips, but I think the french cleat is simpler and easier to mount…”
Another reader said she was going to make the headboard from a large artist’s canvas and hang it on the wall like a canvas.
Hope this is somewhat helpful and that your headboard turns out lovely!
Like everyone else – my husband found your directions online and showed them to me. I am fllying to LA in a couple of days and my daughter Kelsey and I are going to make the fabric covered headboard for her queen size bed. I’ll let you know how we do – can’t wait!
Your headboard turned out beautiful and thank you for the tutorial.
Adding my two cents as to how to secure the headboard to a wall; you could always use what is called “The Hangman” most often used for mounting ‘framed’ artwork or mirrors to a wall which is extremely easy to use and reasonably priced. They come in varying sizes which will hold varying weights. (Some sizes up to 500 lbs. Do a websearch: picture hanger called The Hangman) -Brenda-
Footnote: Some stores that carry them in the U.S. and Canada are:
Lowes, Lee Valley Tools and Amazon.com.
Thank you so much! I have been wanting to make a fabric-covered headboard, but all the tutorials I have found showed how to make a wall-mountable one. Our bed has to sit in front of our window, so I can’t hang one!
I finally bought the stuff today. $76 and four hours later, and it’s finished!
That’s wonderful! Wish I could see pictures of how it turned out! 🙂