Making upholstered headboard an easy do- it- yourself project
Q Have you ever made your own headboard? I’d really like to do something for our cottage and maybe even our home that doesn’t cost too much.
I’m overwhelmed by the DIY videos online; just not sure which is the best. One video did small squares nailed to a wall with their corner joins covered by buttons. This seemed easy, but I didn’t love the look. I’m not interested in a hard surface like a door or fence. I’ve seen people do this; I think it looks nice but it’s not comfortable.
A The simplest way to make a headboard is with a piece of MDF, upholstery foam, batting, fabric and an upholsterer’s staple gun.
Get a piece of MDF cut to be three inches ( 8 cm) wider than the width of your bed. For height, sit up in bed, and use a pencil to mark where the top of your head lands. The headboard should be at least one foot ( 30 cm) higher than that. Or, a good standard height is 54 inches ( 140 cm) from the floor to the top of the headboard.
You can have the headboard extend to the floor, or you can have the MDF cut two to three inches ( 5 to 8 cm) below the top of the mattress.
The easiest way to assemble your headboard is upside down on the floor. I build the headboard face down on the floor or a table like a sandwich, starting with fabric on the bottom ( if you’ve chosen a fabric with a pattern, centre it carefully), followed by batting, foam and MDF. The foam is cut at the same size as the MDF; the batting and the fabric should be cut at least five inches ( 13 cm) larger. Centre the MDF on the pile, pull the batting taut, and staple the batting to the back of the headboard to secure the foam into place.
Next, pull the fabric taut and staple it at the midpoint of all four sides of the headboard. Staple your way around the perimeter of the headboard, pulling the fabric as you staple it into place. The tighter you staple the fabric, the more professional the end result will be. Check that your fabric is smooth on the front side as you go
along. If you make a mistake, just remove the staple, pull the fabric into place and staple again.
Think hospital corners when it comes to folding the corners of the fabric. You may need to cut and remove some of the fabric at the corners to get a neat and tidy look.
Keep in mind that most fabric comes in a width of 54 inches ( 138 cm), meaning you may need
to choose a pattern that can be turned sideways so you won’t need to sew any seams. A solid is much easier to work with than a pattern.
As far as costs go, fancier fabrics will of course raise the cost of your headboard. Fabric aside, the whole project should cost you about $ 100.
Once it’s done, use cabinet hangers to secure it to the wall.