Tufted Headboards are Modern & Beautiful
October 1, 2009Update: I’m realizing that this post is getting to be quite popular over at Pinterest and while I still love the directions offered here for creating your own DIY tufted headboard, I more recently did create my own (below are directions from Apartment Therapy) and you can read all about it (especially for tips and suggestions for trying this out) here.
Tufted headboards are chic and lovely, and would look great in any bedroom. They are that perfect balance: soft and comfy but equally classy and modern; somewhere between masculine and feminine without leaning this way or that; you can go bold with your color choice or keep it sleek and simple in a bright white and it remains perfectly appealing.
I would love even more to make one of these by hand – and after reading this great tutorial at Apartment Therapy on homemade headboards, I’m considering that even my basic sewing skills might be up to par. Follow the link for more great tufted headboard inspiration and the complete How-To.
Find these beautiful pre-made headboards: {top two pictures} teal by Laura Ashley, tangerine red headboard found at The Nest, {four picture block} white headboard from Katy Elliot, Home Shopping Network features this satin gold (and many other colors at a very budget friendly $299), Decor Pad shares the grey headboard with us, and the beautiful brown is by Brocade Home.
The top, top picture is from the featured How-To article today:
{DIY Tufted Headboard}
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From: Apartment Therapy
Cost: $110
TOOLS & SUPPLIES:
1/2″ Plywood
1×4″ Lumber
Foam (at least 2″ thick)
Polyester Batting Upholstery
Fabric
Upholstery Thread
Upholstery Needle
Button Kit and Buttons
Scissors
Spray Adhesive
Wood screws
Bolts
Staple Gun and 1/2″ Staples
Tape measure
Drill Hammer
Optional but helpful: Rubber Mallet Electric Knife
STEPS:
Step 1: Take Measurements Width: Measure the width of your bed frame. The headboard should be about 1″ or 2″ larger in width than your mattress. Height: This is up to you. If you are planning on leaning against it while in bed make sure it is tall enough. Measure from the top of the mattress to the height you want the headboard to be. The legs should be about 2″ above the floor and within 5″ of the top of the headboard.
Step 2: Buy Your Supplies: You can buy plywood in large sheets. Have the hardware store cut it to size. (Most stores will do this for free.) The sheet probably won’t lay exactly flat, but it isn’t a big deal. Buy your 1×4′s and have them cut as well. You may know of a better source for foam but I bought mine at JoAnn fabrics for 50% off. I had to buy two pieces because their foam only comes in one width and this accounted for about half the money spent on the project. When buying your batting and fabric, make sure you have enough to wrap around the front and secure to the back. (I wouldn’t recommend a patterned fabric for your first try.)
Step 3: Put It All Together:
1. Find a clean, well-ventilated work area.
2. Determine how many buttons you will use and where you want them to go. (Just a heads up the tufting was by far the most time consuming part.) Mark the board and drill small holes. (Just small enough for the upholstery needle to pass through, this will help keep the buttons lined up.)
3. Lay the plywood down and spray one side with adhesive and adhere the foam. Cut off any excess foam so that it is exactly flush with the plywood. There should be no overlap. (This is where that electric knife comes in handy.)
4. Spray the foam with adhesive and hold one side of the batting while your friend holds the other side and pull taut. Place on top of foam. Make sure there is no puckering because it will show through the fabric.
5. Flip the plywood, foam and batting over and lay it flat on the ground. Wrap the batting around to the backside and staple in place.
6. Lay fabric on the floor wrong side facing up. Place plywood, batting side down, on top of fabric. Wrap fabric around to the back of the headboard, pull tightly and start stapling, working from the middle of each side outward. Trim any excess with scissors.
7. Use the button covering kit to cover your buttons. (Look online for tutorials.) This part is a pain. The smaller the button, the more difficult it is to cover them. (A rubber mallet will be helpful. I ruined my button maker with a hammer.)
8. Double thread your upholstery needle with upholstery thread and poke through one of your pre-drilled holes from the back to the front. Don’t pull all the way through! Make sure to leave some thread hanging out of the back. Slide the button onto the thread and poke the needle back through the same hole. Push the button on the front of your headboard into the foam while your friend tightly secures the thread on the back with a bunch of staples. You will need a hammer to bang in the staples, so that the thread will stay secure. (There is probably a better way to secure the thread but this is how I did it.)
9. Continue along and tuft each of your holes, smoothing the fabric as you go.
10. Measure and attach 1×4′s to the back of the headboard with screws. Place the headboard against the bed frame and bolt 1×4′s (one on each side) to pre-existing holes in the bed frame.
11. Step back and admire your work.
RESOURCES:
If you have a Joann Fabrics in the area, this is the place to buy most of your supplies. I was able to get my fabric, foam, and batting for 50% off. Most of the other supplies can be bought with one of their 40% off coupons.
Thank you Charissa for sharing this fantastic idea! Be sure to check out the full post here!
Tags: Accessories, Bedroom, Crafty Solutions, Decorating, DIY, Fabric, Home, Patterns & Color
Posted in Crafty Solutions, Home | 37 Comments »
i have a question i have concrete walls how are what could i do to attach headboard to wall without messing the wall up i live in goverment housing thanks
Hi Jennifer, I didn’t actually attach my headboard to the wall, I just set it between the wall and my bedframe (which is holding the mattress so it’s plenty heavy enough to support the headboard).
I hope that helps!
Morgan
Hi
I love this and in my house this could be just what I need as my house is a story & half and my bedroom walls are slanted …leaving lettle room for a head board. But a home made one like this would work~ Thanks
One question?? After putting on the foam on the plywood…why do you need batting besides over that? Could you not just cover with the fabric after the foam? If not…why not?
Thanks
Heather
Hi Heather! I think batting is a nice second layer because it helps to round out the square edging of the foam underneath, creating a smooth and soft cushion. It’s not absolutely necessary though and you could forego that step if you wanted to, but my first choice is always 1.foam 2. batting for a softly rounded headboard.
Great tutorial!
For those asking about ways to attach the headboard, try a French cleat.
Cut a piece of lumber(the length of your headboard), cut it on a 45 degree angle. Attach one to the wall and the other onto your headboard.
Super easy when the hardware store will make the cut for you
Great suggestion! Thanks Cyndi
.
You can also buy a metal version of this at home depot (about $14) that will hold up to 200 lbs as its made for heavy art pieces…perfect for this project. Also to lighten the load I used pegboard instead of plywood for the backing. Its strong and has pre drilled holes that are already perfectly spaced, just count the holes and you have exact measurements for your buttons! I have done two of my own headboards and used these tips with great success, good luck!
Great tips!!
You had said in the beginning you wouldn’t recommend a pattern, why is that?
Hi Kelly!
If you find an awesome patterned fabric that you love I say go for it. I’ve found that patterned fabric tends to show flaws a bit more over solid fabric, but if you’re aware of the issues and are careful to watch out for bunching, patterned lines that begin to distort, etc then you might have a lot of fun with a patterned style. I’ve found that patterned fabric works best with headboards that are not tufted and that are perfectly rectangular rather than curved.
One common issue I ran into is that a solid fabric hides flaws that result from pulling and stapling the fabric to the back of your headboard. Because you’ll be securing your fabric every 4-5″ or so (and not every 1/2″), there will be obvious signs of give and tautness in the fabric on the front. A solid color will hide these, a pattern will be more obvious because the pattern might be out of line in a few areas.
Good luck!
I dont understand exactly what you mean by foam? could you elaborate for me, i am getting a new mattress soon and i think this would be wonderful.
Hi Emma, Here’s a helpful link to a fabric headboard that I actually made myself with images of the layers of foam that are wrapped around the original wood frame: http://www.pepperdesignblog.com/2010/08/09/diy-fabric-headboard-for-the-master-bedroom/. The foam portion is that off white/yellow 4″ material that helps to cushion and pad the headboard and it can be found at fabric stores such as Joanns. Let me know if you have any other questions that I can help with
Hi, I fasten the buttons at the back with another button and ty the end of the thread together! Simpel and tight as you want it!
That’s a great solution as well, Anne!
When I saw this, I immediately imagined that I would just cover the plywood with the foam and fabric, then staple-gun or nail it where the tufts go and then glue a button over the staple/nail. I didn’t realize there was so much involved in doing real tufts! Has anyone ever tried it the cheater way?
Hi Eileen, here’s a link to my most recent tufted headboard: http://www.pepperdesignblog.com/2012/03/28/office-makeover-a-new-tufted-linen-headboard/, I made tufts with a staple gun and glued on fabric buttons!
Oh, awesome! It looks great!
Approximately how much yardage of fabric did you use?
Hi Melissa! Usually about 2 yards for the front and edges, and another 1.5 ish for the back (sometimes in the same fabric and sometimes in a contrasting solid).
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I just went and bought our supplies – the plywood (already have it), grand total was 177.00…..the foam was 30.99 a yard!!!!!
OUCH! Fabric was 21.00 a yard….
I know! I feel your pain. The 40% off coupons at Joanns are a life saver for that expensive foam! $31/yard seems especially high.
I did one of these and used a combo of cotton batting sheets and a thinner foam. It may not have been quite a cushy but it looks great and has served me well for less $
Thanks, Lorna! I did this shortcut too for our guestroom
.
I would love to try and make one, thanks for a wonderfful tutorial.
What if I don’t have a bed frame? I want to attach the headboard directly to the wall since our bed sits on a low platform. Any suggestions?
I did something similar to this by placing the headboard between wall and low platform. I just smooshed it between and I’m definitely not worried about it falling over. If you don’t have plaster walls you might be able to use a bracket to attach to wall, though I’d be worried about finding a perfectly placed stud
. See reply to Jan for a link to the headboard I made.
~ Morgan
you can buy a metal “french cleat” (which i learned that’s what it’s called on this site)thats normally made for hanging heavy art pieces. Its got several holes and about a foot and a half of length to accommodate wherever your studs are in the wall. Relatively inexpensive too at about $14 at home depot in the hardware section, I use these for my headboards simply because I don’t want to deal with the lumber. I buy a set of 4 tiny nuts and bolts for about $1 to attach the piece that goes on the back of the headboard (need to attach before you put the foam on) because the normal mounting hardware is just regular screws.
Morgan,
I’m getting ready to tackle this project.
I’m needing to ask you about the 1 x 4 pieces of wood that will attach to the matress frame. I’m just not sure about that part, how to fit it onto the frame, etc.
Could you explin that part to me and, if possible post a photo showing it the best you can.
Tht would be lots of help for me.
Thanks so much!
Hi Jan, I’ll answer this question here and then email you as well to make sure that you see my comment
. When I made a fabric headboard for our guestroom (read more about that here: http://www.pepperdesignblog.com/?p=6749) I made the headboard out of an older wooden headboard and slid the legs of the old headboard behind our basic platform bed (which has no headboard). You can see the overlap of the slightly larger new headboard in pictures here: http://www.pepperdesignblog.com/?p=10610. This meant that we didn’t have to actually attach the wood to the existing mattress frame, the headboard was essentially being held up by being placed between the bed and the wall behind it. I did play with the idea of actually rebuilding the frame to support the new headboard and used a tutorial on Ana White’s website (http://ana-white.com/) to start to build a bed frame. I abandoned the idea when I realized how much easier it will be to switch out the fabric with our current solution for future changes!
I hope that helps
.
~Morgan
Making a headboard is fairly straightforward. One piece of advice I can add that I found to be not only helpful, but also gives a smoother look to the end result is to use an old sheet (light color) prior to putting on the actual fabric.
Basically doing step 6 in this tutorial twice.
I know it seems like extra work, but it makes the actual upholstery fabric go on easier and you don’t fight the fabric sticking to the foam and batting.
I’ve done this a few times, and it makes my fabric lay smoother and look richer!
Thanks, Jan! That’s a wonderful suggestion!
~Morgan
Just wanted to let you know that I have learned a little more about upholstery since making the above headboard and adjusted my tutorial accordingly. You can find the updated steps here:
http://orange-sugar.blogspot.com/2009/02/make-your-own-headboard.html
Thank you for the update! Beautiful job.
Thank you for a great post
I would love to make my own tufted headboard! Let’s find a Saturday morning and do it!!
Let me know if you decide to make one. I’ve wanted one for a long time, but always cringed at the price tag. I’ve considered DIY-ing it but terrified to do it alone!