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the DIY files: upholstered headboard how-to

After our labour-intensive bathroom renovation (see the final reveal of that here), I was in the mood for a a quick and easy, high-impact project. A “quick win” in project management speak. I have had make a headboard on the to-do list ever since we moved into our pad in 2009, so I figured the time had come. See how our pillows had nothing to rest on?

After humming and hawing for way too long about what the accent colour in our gray bedroom should be, I have finally decided on yellow. Such a happy colour that pairs nicely with gray.

I knew I wanted to do a basic upholstered headboard, so I waited for a sale day at my local fabric store, and went on the hunt for some yellow fabric. Sometimes I have no luck, and then other times I hit the jackpot. This was one of those jackpot moments. I came across this oh-so-pretty gray and yellow ikat fabric by Richloom. The original price tag was just over $25/meter, but sale day meant 40% off. Sa-weet. I thought I had seen it somewhere before, and realized when I got home that it had been a fabric that Sherry and John posted about on Young House Love quite a while ago:

At the same time, I grabbed some hypo-allergic extra thick batting. I didn’t want to shell out for foam AND batting (some people use both for upholstery projects), so I made sure to grab the really thick double-ply stuff.

For the actual headboard, I went to Home Depot and got some 1/4 inch plywood. They are able to cut it to size in the shop, so we brought our measurements with us and walked away with a piece ready to go.

First step was to lay the batting out. Our dining room was off-limits during this project, as I used the table as my workspace.

Then I put my sheet of plywood on top and started stapling. Make sure to check the depth of your staples before you start. You don’t want to use ones that are too deep and stick out the other side of the headboard. Might not make for the most comfortable headboard, unless you like the whole piercing your skin on the back of your head thing.

Once the batting was all secured, I laid out the fabric. I gave it a quick ironing to get out any wrinkles before starting.

Now it was time to start stapling the fabric. I started off by doing the two long sides. I made sure to pull it tightly as I was going so that it wouldn’t be too loosey-goosey in the front.

The corners are the part you want to be careful with. My technique (and I’m not sure if this is the “right” way or not) is to approach it like I was wrapping a present. I get one side stapled, and then fold it in to the un-stapled side. Then I bring that piece up and pull it really tightly and staple along the seam. It takes a bit of practice, but I would just do it a few times until I got the perfect seam and then staple ‘er down.

Here she was all stapled and ready to go.

Now came the tricky part of actually hanging it. We wanted to attach it directly to the wall rather than to our bed, so we went through a few different options. We could have hung it using heavy-duty picture hangers, but we worried about it being wobbly and un-level. So we searched around and finally came across this french cleat (we found it at Canadian Tire, but I’m sure lots of other stores carry them too).

You attach one piece onto the back of the headboard, and one piece onto the wall. Then you slide them in together – they have grooves that fit into each other and snap in firmly.

And then you’ve got the finished product! Level and snug on the wall, that baby isn’t going anywhere.

We’re really happy with how it turned out. The colours are just right and it’s nice to bring another textile into the room. Now I’m on the hunt for some zippy yellow throw pillows to tie it all together!

I haven’t put the three black frames back up on that wall because I think I might DIY some other piece of artwork for that spot. I’ll keep you posted on any developments!

You may also notice that we upgraded our nightstand lighting. The small guys we had there before were never our permanent solution, so when I spotted these gooseneck beauties at HomeSense for $35 a pop, I was sold. They are perfect for reading and don’t take up too much space on our nightstands.

And the budget breakdown? Not a super cheap project, but considering upholstered headboards usually run a couple hundred dollars, this DIY version definitely saves a bundle of moola by coming in at under 100 bones.

  • 3 meters of fabric + batting: $70
  • plywood: $15
  • staple gun, staples: $0 already owned
  • French cleat for hanging: $13

Grand Total: $98

What about you guys? Any DIY headboards under your belt? Or any other upholstery projects? I think the best part is picking out the fabric. I’m like a kid in a candy store at the fabric shop. 

Oh, and don’t forget to vote for my design in the EQ3 Pinterest Contest! All you have to do is leave a comment on my moodboard before Thursday. I have a chance to win the couch in the design!! Eeek I would be soooo grateful. If I win, I promise a nice big giveaway of some sort here on the sweetest digs to thank all of you lovely folks!! :)

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 9:34 am and is filed under bedrooms, DIY projects. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

31 comments on “the DIY files: upholstered headboard how-to”

  1. Courtney on said:

    That looks GREAT! Wonderful job – I hope you’re pleased!!!

    Reply ↓
  2. Jackie on said:

    Me WANT! Awesome, I want that fabric. I’m a sucker for grey and pastel fabric, but I never know what to do with it. The french cleat thing is smart too, who knew!?

    Reply ↓
  3. RealtyqueenTO on said:

    Love the fabric, great choice! Bed looks so much better!

    Reply ↓
  4. Melanie on said:

    Cute! It looks awesome! I’m in Ottawa too..wondering what fabric store you visited?

    Reply ↓
    • gemma on said:

      Hi Melanie! Great to connect with fellow Ottawa folks. I always go to Fabricland (the one on Merivale). Not always amazing selection, but sometimes I get lucky. I also find the prices there a whole lot better than some of the other fabric stores in the city. I wish we had more options though!!

      xo,
      gemma

      Reply ↓
  5. Ginny Gonneau on said:

    Wow, looks great!

    Reply ↓
  6. Lauren M on said:

    I love it! Way to go Gemma, you’ve got an amazing eye. And, I think you probably wrap presents better than I do.

    Reply ↓
  7. Gwendy on said:

    It looks absolutely fabulous Gemma and I think you were modest in estimating the amount you are saving. I’m keen to do ours!

    Reply ↓

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  9. AnaMB on said:

    nice job! i looove it!

    Reply ↓
  10. Maria on said:

    What a LOVELY headboard!!!!! I love the fabric you chose too, it’s beautiful! I’ve been wanting to do this project too, I’m just a little intimidated by it! I love what you did!

    Reply ↓
    • gemma on said:

      Thanks!! It’s so much easier than it seems… definitely give it a go! It is such a high impact project.

      Good luck :)

      xo,
      gemma

      Reply ↓
  11. carey on said:

    Looks great! Two questions: Is that a queen size bed? What are the dimensions on your headboard?

    Thanks, Carey

    Reply ↓
    • gemma on said:

      Thanks Carey! The bed is actually King size, so the headboard is about 78 inches wide. I can’t remember the height, as we had sort of just eyeballed it. We didn’t want anything too tall, so kept it pretty low profile. The other nice thing is that the way we mounted it (with a french cleat bracket), meant we could adjust the placement right before mounting. So if we had made it a bit too tall, we could have just mounted it a little lower so some of it was hidden behind the bed.

      Hope that helps!

      xo,
      gemma

      Reply ↓

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  13. Falu on said:

    Gemma, you did a wonderful job. What staple gun did you use?

    Reply ↓
  14. Lori Seifert on said:

    Beautiful! What color paint is on the walls?

    Reply ↓

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  16. Michelle on said:

    What size would you use for a Queen?

    Reply ↓
    • gemma on said:

      Hi Michelle – I don’t know the dimensions of a Queen bed offhand, so what you would want to do is measure the width of your bed (ie. the part that sits along the wall). Make the headboard the same width and choose the height you like (remembering that some of the headboard will be hidden behind the bed).

      Hope that helps!

      xo,
      gem

      Reply ↓
  17. Victoria on said:

    Hey Gemma! I love this fabric and have been searching for it everywhere! Where can I get it? Any identification information would be awesome.

    Thanks!
    V

    Reply ↓
    • gemma on said:

      Hi Victoria – unfortunately I don’t have the name for it, but I know it was by Richloom. I would google around for it. I came across it at my local Fabricland.

      Good luck!

      xo,
      gem

      Reply ↓
    • Carey on said:

      I think it may be Richloom Modesto Citrine. (Modesto being the name of the fabric and Citrine the color) hope that helps!

      Reply ↓

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