Filed under Decorating on November 19th, 2008:
Thrifty Decorating Bedroom Project
Looking for some thrifty decorating ideas for your bedrooms? A great do it yourself project is to make your own custom upholstered headboard. Decorating bedrooms with upholstered headboards can be fun and add personality to your rooms. You may choose from a variety of fabrics, such as cotton, linen, velvet, or even fake fur and denim! You’ll be surprised how easy and fun an upholstered headboard is to do. So…let’s get started.
Assembly Tools and Materials:
- Tools
- Jigsaw
- Drill
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Staple gun and ¼ inch staples
- Tape measure
- Utility knife
- Screws
- Flush mount brackets (2)
- Black marker
Supplies
- ¼ inch plywood (you may use ½ inch for extra stability)
- Sandpaper
- 2-inch foam
- Batting (also known as “fiberfill”)
- Upholstery fabric (the thicker the better)
- Large piece of paper to create a template
Plan Your Project
What material will you use as the base of your headboard
- Use a headboard your currently have.
- Go to a thrift store or yard sale, etc. and find a headboard.
- Build your own headboard from scratch with a piece of plywood and a jigsaw.
To get started you need to determine a few things:
- Width of your bed: The headboard should be slightly wider than your mattress.
- Height of the headboard: You will need to determine how high you want this headboard. Is it purely for looks or are you going to want to rest against it when you are reading in bed?
Shopping
- Lumber – Here you will need to buy the plywood if you are building your own headboard. You should have already determined what size you need. Check your list, do you have a staple gun (electric is great!), staples, jigsaw, tape measure, screws and utility knife?
- Foam – Check out the thrifty decoarting stores in your area. You need 2-inch foam, batting and upholstery fabric. The foam should be the exact size of your headboard.
- Batting – Be sure to add at least 12 inches of batting to the length and width of the size of your headboard to wrap around the foam and board.
- Fabric – Next pick out the fabric your want for decorating your bedroom. Remember thicker is better and again you will need at least 12 inches more that the length and width of your headboard.
Creating your Own Shape
If you are going to create your own shape for your upholstered headboard here are a few steps to help you:
- Make a template: Draw the shape that you want on paper such as brown Kraft paper first, cut it out and trace the template on the plywood using your pencil.
- Cut the plywood: For straight cuts use a circular saw or a handsaw and for curves use a portable jigsaw. Leave the bottom straight.
- Sand the edges: After you have cut the wood, sand the edges to remove splinters and round over the edges.
Getting Foam and Fiberfill Ready
Lay the foam on the ground and place the cut plywood or your headboard you are using on top of it. Trace the shape using a black marker, and cut the shape out using a utility knife. You may also use an electric carving knife if the foam is thick. Now you need to place the plywood or headboard on top of the batting, trace the shape and remember to cut it out 5 to 6 inches larger than the area you have traced. Next you need to cut out your fabric, and it needs to be slightly larger than the batting that you just cut out.
Put It All Together
You will need a large, clean, flat area like the floor to put your new upholstered headboard together. Here are the steps:
- Iron the fabric first and then place it face down on your work area.
- Place the batting on top of the fabric, then place the foam on top of the batting, and finally the headboard on top of the foam. You should see the batting and the fabric 5 to 6 inches around the headboard.
- Begin stapling the fabric and batting over the back of the plywood using a staple gun. Staple every 2 inches around the edge. It is best if you use a couple of staples on the top and bottom then the middle and sides the same way. Flip it over and see if it looks centered and smooth, and then continue stapling on alternating sides. You want it to be tight and smooth but not too tight where it distorts the design or puckers. Next, trim any excess fabric and batting, and you may staple a plain lining fabric onto the back of the headboard to cover the raw edges.
Putting Your New Upholstered Headboard in Place
If you have used a headboard that you already have, then just attach it to the bed frame. If you created your own headboard, then flush mounts are the best hardware to use to secure your headboard to the wall. Install these mounts to the wall and headboard using your drill and screws. Now you are ready to attach your headboard to the wall, just lift and slide down as the flush mounts hook together.
Stand back and admire your “do it yourself” creation! Aren’t you proud! Whether you wanted a new thrifty look, to add some color or just create a mood, creating your own upholstered headboard has accomplished that in your Louisville apartment.