Let me tell you, for a DIY project, this was seriously one of the easiest things I've ever done! Seriously.
My inspiration/guides were this...
and this...
Source: casasugar.com via Emily on Pinterest
A little background...The reason I went ahead and decided to do a DIY headboard was mainly because I couldn't find a pre-made one that was low enough to go under the window in our master bedroom. Not wanting to spend a minimum of around $300 was also some serious motivation. Our window is only 46" from the floor and the lowest headboard I could find was 51". I guess we could have gone above the window, but then our bed would be another ~4" from the wall. There already isn't that big of a walking space, so decreasing it by another 4" wasn't ideal.
So anyways, I'd been debating doing this for a while, but they only thing holding me back was obtaining the piece of plywood, CUT to the right size. I hadn't been successful in convincing the husband to cut a piece, so what did I do, ask the nice gentleman at Lowes to do it for me... and he did, with a smile on his face. We barely got it into the car though... didn't really think about that one. Let's just say, it wouldn't have worked if C had been in his car seat.
So, this is how seriously easy it was...
Supplies Needed:
1. 1/2" sheeting plywood. I went with this versus particle board. This is real wood, but not quite as fancy as the expensive plywood. A sheet of this was about $12. (Lowes)
2. Painters canvas (6'x9' for a queen) - About $10 (Lowes)
3. Spray adhesive - About $4-$10 (Lowes) I went with the medium hold just in case, but easily could have gone with the lighter hold.
4. Quilt batting - I got enough for a queen quilt and then a crib size just in case. I'm glad I got both. I forgot how much this was...not expensive though. (Walmart or any fabric/craft store)
5. Staple gun - already had
6. 3/4" upholstery nail heads - I went with the bigger ones (at the advice of Wanda...good advice, Wanda!)... Hammered Oxford A/B LARGE Upholstery Nails 100pc. Most are 1/2" inch. (Ebay Seller upholsterystuff_com... great prices and fast shipping). I had to do a little algebra to figure out how many I needed. Measure the total length you will be putting them (top & sides) then divide by the nail head diameter. In my case, 60" + 24" + 24" = 108" divided by .75" = 144 nail heads. Then get a few extra just in case you mess some up. I messed up 3-5. This should be a good estimate.
7. Mallet and/or hammer for nail heads
8. Saw horses - way easier than trying to put the headboard on the ground and flip it over.
Okay, here we go...
1. Lay plywood on saw horses
2. Unroll the batting and cut so that there are a several inches hanging over each edge. You'll need enough to pull under and staple in place. I think my queen batting was enough to make two layers and then the crib batting made the third.
Once I got everything cut and made sure it all fit right, I used the spray adhesive to hold everything in place. I sprayed a light layer on the board and then put the crib batting down first since it was a little smaller.
I then sprayed another layer of adhesive and then put the next piece down. Repeat for the third layer. You could certainly do another layer of batting, or I've also seen a layer of thin foam first. You don't want to go too thick though that your nail heads can't reach the wood. Just check the length on the nails. I'm happy with how the three layers turned out.
Now that the batting is in place, you'll need to staple it down. I started with the center of one of the long sides then did the center of the other long side. Then I stapled the centers of the shorter sides, being sure to pull the batting tight as I was stapling. After I got the centers done, I can't remember if I worked to the corners or did them next. I think as long as you keep the batting pulled tight, it doesn't really matter too much. I didn't have any issues. When I did do the corners, I just folded it into a triangle so it looked neat and the part of the corner that would show looked neat as well (see below).
Trim any excess batting so that there isn't much hanging past the staples (see below).
The next step was adding the canvas (or your choice of material). The only negative to the painters canvas was that it was pretty wrinkled right out of the package. I had to iron it. It ironed easily, but was a little tricky because I didn't cut the size piece I needed first. That would have eliminated quite a bit of excess material. Again, you'll want several inches extra on each side when you cut it. Anyways, once you have a pretty, wrinkle-free piece of canvas or other material, follow the same process for stapling like you did for the batting.
I trimmed up any excess canvas and/or batting so that it was pretty uniform all the way around.
There you have it!
If you don't want to add a nail head trim, you're done. If you do, it's easy, it just is a little more tedious and time consuming. It was probably the part I enjoyed the least, but it makes SUCH a difference!
When I added the nails, I mostly just eyeballed it, but I did keep a ruler handy and was constantly checking to make sure I was the same distance from the edge. The good thing about these nail heads was that they were so easy to adjust. Just tap a little here, tap a little there to get them in the right place. Once I was done and had it behind the bed, I went along and tweaked a few more to get it just right.
Finished project!
I'm SO happy with how this turned out and how seriously EASY it was. Non-crafty people, do not be scared! You can do it!
That looks AWESOME!!!!
ReplyDeletelooks great!!
ReplyDeleteThat's is gorgeous!!! Seriously impressed!!!
ReplyDelete