Guest Room: DIY Headboard

This weekend my parents are coming to visit us, and we are really looking forward to showing them around Louisville, the church where Jady works, and our adorable new neighborhood.  As always, whenever an event with guests approaches, I find it's the perfect motivation for wrapping up a few projects around the house in preparation.  This week will be busy as I try to cram in as much painting, sawing, gluing and nailing as possible before it's time to put the power tools away and welcome our guests.

Before my parents arrive, I really wanted the guest room to have a headboard to help make it feel a bit more finished.  The wall color and carpet are both pretty neutral in there, so an upholstered headboard gave me the perfect easy way to add a little color. This bedroom kept popping into my mind as inspiration.

Rather than buying an upholstered headboard, I decided just to make our own this time around, saving us money and giving me an excuse to use my new pneumatic staple gun.  Since I'm pressed for time this week, I decided to go with a simple rectangular shape rather than cutting out a more ornate curvy look.  With a homemade headboard like this, you can always go back and cut a new shape into your plywood.  

At Home Depot I had them cut a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood for me to a 3' x 5' panel.  I also picked up two 1 1/2" wide braces for the sides of the headboard and one 1/2" x 1/2" hardwood post, which I cut down to make two 18" legs for support.  Straight metal brackets and plenty of screws hold it all together.  

Next I cut down 2" foam (which is sold at most craft stores) to fit the shape of my headboard, piecing together the bottom sections using some extra foam I had leftover from another project.  I wasn't worried about the lower third looking lumpy, since that part will be covered by the mattress and out of sight anyway.  I used spray adhesive to secure the foam to the plywood and was ready to start stapling.

The first layer on top of the foam should be batting, which provides a smooth, cushiony base for your fabric.  

 After the batting was secure, I began stapling my fabric (which I found on sale here) into the back of the plywood, checking periodically to ensure that the pattern remained straight and that the fabric wasn't buckling anywhere.  With a rectangular headboard it's very straightforward, so the whole thing took hardly any time at all to make.  An instant makeover!

Happy Monday!

Liza