Make Your Own Headboard!

OK, so we bought a new bed a couple years ago and it didn't really come with a headboard or foot board. For 2 years we have pretty much had a mattress on the platform and that is what we called a bedroom. I was tired of a room that looked like something you would find in a dorm so I decided to take matters into my own hands and build a headboard. After all, Ty Pennington can do it so why can't I? (words that have gotten me into some serious renovation trouble in the past but this time it was true)

Here is what I did:

First measure your bed and decide how much board you want as an overhang on each side and how tall you want it to rise above your bead.

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy a cheap piece of plywood the size you need or cut it to the size you need. Also buy some "furring strips" (sp?) for the back. These are the little strips of wood used to hang drywall. I only paid $.77 for each board so they are really cheap.

Next, start collecting the 50% off coupons from the Sunday paper from Jo Ann Fabrics. You are going to need one for foam and one for fabric. When you collect your coupons go and buy a piece of foam (whatever size you want, I opted for the 1 inch thick) and for the fabric you are wanting. Now, I didn't buy foam that covered the whole piece of wood. I left about 8 inches of wood uncovered by foam to tuck behind my mattress as extra support.

OK, now for the making part of the process. You will need a staple gun and nails with hammer. Cut your strips of wood so that you can create a rectangle on the back of your plywood. You use two pieces the length of the wood and two or three the width of the wood. Nail these into place with about 2 inches from the edge of the wood. These will act as support for the plywood as well as the place where you will staple your foam and fabric and support hangers.

Once you have these pieces nailed to the plywood, place the foam on and lay face down. Fold the foam over and staple to the furring strips then repeat with the fabric. When doing the fabric, be sure you are pulling very taught so that there are no wrinkles or bumps. Staple down and you are almost done!

Lastly, attach hanging strips. These can be purchased when you buy the wood and my best suggestion is to find someone and ask them what to use. I have no idea what area my dad found these strips but you nail two to the wall and two to the board then they interlock into each other.

That's it! Super easy and makes a huge difference. I used it to lean against last night while working on the computer and it was super comfortable.:-) Good luck!!!!