DIY’ing My Own Home. Inspired. See this DIY Headboard
Great Morning All!
I have been neglecting my own blog lately! So many changes have been taking place in our lives it has left even me, uninspired. But I am back!
I often call myself the shoe maker with no shoes! My home is so lacking in design it makes me cringe! I am deciding to take back my home – room by room, dollar by dollar. My plan is to start with what I already own, re-purposing almost everything! -
I am going to start my own total home makeover in my own bedroom.
Since I am on a very tight budget, I am looking to go 70% re-purposed & DIY with second hand items that I find that I can re-invent. Surfing the web this morning I found this project on centsationalgirl.com that I am going to try I am going to have hubby try! LOL
DIY HEADBOARD From Centsational Girl:
You savvy readers and DIYers know there are quite a few tutorials online for this project. Here (finally!) is my own version, and how I made this headboard with nailhead trim for my master bedroom earlier this year.
1) How do you know how wide/tall to have the plywood cut?
Before you begin, make sure you have the proper supplies for your DIY project. For me, that’s a piece of plywood (½” to 1” plywood cut to size, see below), 2-3 layers of batting, a staple gun and staples, needle nose pliers, a mallet, ‘D’ ring hangers or interlocking brackets, and a nailhead trim kit.
My favorite source for nailhead trim kits is Beacon Fabric, and you can buy either the French Natural or Pewter color for $20.
When it comes to measuring a specific width, there is no magic formula in my book. I simply measured the width of my mattress and added an inch to both sides. Keep in mind your fabric and batting will add maybe ½ inch, but not much more. If you want the simple rectangle shape, have your plywood cut at your local home improvement store.
If you want to add a curve or notch out the sides, that can be done with a jigsaw. The height of your plywood for a rectangular headboard should be at least 36” inches so you allow for room to lay your pillow shams up against your frame, but also have it attached to your wall below the top of your mattress. For curved or detailed headboards, allow for 40 to 48” in height depending on your design.
To create my own shape for my ‘new and improved’ bedroom headboard, I created a template for the curve with a simple piece of paper, then traced it directly onto my plywood. Out came my jiggity jigsaw to make the cuts to form the new shape.
Once you cut your first side you can flip your notched plywood to form the design for the other, just to keep things perfectly balanced. The reason you see staples is because I’m reusing my plywood from the original headboard !
2) What texture will hold up and look the most expensive? I like the natural fiber look but I also want it to be comfy!
Many fabrics run 54” in width, so you can choose any fabric that you love as long as the pattern repeat will work when you lay it horizontally on your frame. If you seek the West Elm look, choose a good quality jute fabric available at a fabric store. Personally, I prefer an upholstery grade fabric for thickness, softness, and durability. For my own headboard, I ordered two yards of a Textured Weave fabric by Robert Allen in the color ‘Snow’ (on sale) because of the neutral color and subtle woven pattern.
For added softness, I layered my plywood with three layers of batting but no foam. Several layers of batting allows for that slight ‘pouf’ surrounding the nailhead trim, and also softens the solid wood frame. Skipping the foam allows for your nailhead to secure to your plywood, but a 1/2” layer of foam would work too. I just didn’t want to spend the extra $$ since my plywood was already 1” thick.
With your staple gun, attach your layers of batting and fabric to your plywood. Start at the top in the middle, and work your way around to the sides, smoothing the fabric as you go.
3) Did you mark where the nailheads go before starting them, or did you just follow a straight line as you went along?”