How to Build My Own Headboard to Mount on My Bed
- 1). Match the width of your headboard to your mattress size, plus at least 2 inches on either side. Determine the height you want for your headboard -- just high enough to sit back against for reading, or tall and dramatic. Have your plywood cut to measure.
- 2). Lay your foam batting out on the floor. It should cover an area similar to the headboard wood, though a few inches larger on all sides so you can wrap it around the edges. Layer the batting until your headboard has a thick, soft layer of padding
- 3). Lay the plywood down on top of your batting so the batting sticks out on every side. Wrap the batting around the edges and staple it to the back of the sheet of wood with a staple gun.
- 4). Lay your fabric on the floor face-down. Lay the plywood down on top of it, batting side down, so the fabric sticks out several inches on every side. Wrap it around the edges of the wood and staple it to the back in the same manner as the batting, folding the corners in like you are wrapping a gift, and pulling the fabric taut as you go.
- 5). Cut the 2-by-4 into two legs that are tall enough to extend from the floor to 1 foot into the headboard with a saw. The length below the bottom edge of the headboard should be tall enough to hold the headboard to an inch or two below the top edge of the mattress. Press each leg against the bed frame where they will attach -- the metal bed frame should have holes cut out for you to slip bolts through. Mark the holes on the legs with a pencil. Drill 1/2-inch holes through the legs at these markings so that bolts can pass through. Measure the distance between the legs as they are pressed against the bed frame and note the measurement.
- 6). Use the measurement to mark your headboard where the legs must attach. If the distance is inaccurate, your final product will not line up with the bed frame. Line up each leg on the back of the headboard, making sure that at least 1 foot overlaps for sufficient support.
- 7). Attach the legs to the headboard using wood screws -- at least two for each leg.
- 8). Take your headboard -- legs attached -- to the bed area and line it up with your bed frame. Attaching the headboard is easier with the mattress and box frame removed from the bed. Thread your 1/2-inch bolts through the holes you drilled, which line up with the holes in the bed frame. Thread them through the bed frame holes as well, and use washers and nuts to secure the headboard to the bed frame.
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