DIY upholstered headboard

On Sunday I shared a little teaser of all the projects I worked on over spring break. One of the easier projects (and the one I was looking forward to completing the most) was making a headboard for our new bed. 

The new bed was our Christmas present to each other this year. For our entire marriage we'd been sleeping on a bed-frame that my great-grandmother used, and only a slightly newer mattress. In the 18 months we've been in our house, I've focused on furnishing and decorating the public areas. Finally we've turned our attention to the master and it was time for a new bed!

Knowing I was going to be leaving my full-time job to go back to school we decided that we would invest in good mattresses and leave the headboard to DIY. It was unbelievably easy to make, and here's how I did it.

Supplies:

Hank wanted to learn how to make a headboard too

• Tape measure
• OSB board 78"H x 48"W x 1/2"D
• Batting (2.5 yards)
• Upholstery fabric (2.5 yards)
• Heavy-duty stapler
• Roll of nail-head trim
• Hammer or mallet
• Pencil

Step 1: Determine the size you want your headboard to be. Our final size for a king bed is  78"W x 48"H. The width was determined by the bed size, but the height was dictated by two things. First, the fabric I purchased came in a width of 54" and I knew I'd need to wrap it around the board. Second, 48" was the width that fit in the back of our car :)

Step 2: Wrap the board in the batting. I laid the batting down first and then stapled it to the back of the OSB board. Wrap the corners the same way you would with giftwrap. 

Step 3: Wrap the board in the fabric. Pay particular attention to the corners so they're nice and neat. 

Step 4: Add the nailhead trim for a finishing touch. I used a pencil to mark a line 3" from each edge and followed that line. Did you know you can purchase nailhead trim on a roll? It's basically a long strip of nailheads and every fifth one has a hole in the center. You hammer in a real nail into the holes. It saves time and helps with accuracy of a straight line. For the corners, just overlap two of the ends and drive the nail through both.

I do have to say this designer-in-training was embarrassed to share pictures of our bedroom because until now, it hadn't been touched. I'll share the progress as we go - hopefully refinishing the dressers, getting a statement piece for above the bed, styling the nightstands and some accessories for the walls. Stay tuned!