Making Some Headway

Our bed has always been bare bones—metal frame, box spring, mattress.  No trendy headboard for us.  But we finally finished our DIY headboard, and we’re spilling all the details, along with the ups and downs we faced along the way…

I’ve been itching to cover a headboard ever since seeing our friends take on the project, telling us that they wished they had attempted it sooner, since it was super easy.  Considering that headboards can pack a big punch, we were excited at the prospect of giving our master bedroom a more complete look without breaking the bank.  Endless tutorials on covering headboards exist online, so we thought we would follow the typical route of covering a rectangular piece of plywood with foam, batting, and fabric using a staple gun.

Before buying plywood, we decided to check out the price of foam and batting.  Thanks to a 30% off sale at Hobby Lobby, we found ourselves mulling over whether to piece squares of foam together or just buy a huge length of it.  Then there was the question of two-inch vs. one-inch foam (I really liked the idea of two-inch foam, since it would create a chunkier headboard—alas, it’s more expensive).  And soft cotton batting vs. scritchy scratchy batting… In the end, we bought tons of foam and batting, paid way more than I thought was necessary (and we hadn’t even looked at fabric yet!), and left the store feeling a little disappointed (that’s what happens when you go over budget).

Then, on a whim, I popped into the Restore and found this curvy headboard hanging out for only $15!  Apparently the lovely Cheyenne Mountain Resort donated all their old headboards to the Restore.

That’s when we hit the proverbial fork in the road.  I ended up returning all the other supplies—adios expensive foam and batting—and decided to start back at square one.  Since spray paint has been on my radar recently, I decided that I was going to let go of my dream of a covered headboard and just paint this wooden beauty to match our room.

Sadly, the lovely blue/grey that I used to paint our dresser hardware was a little overwhelming on a headboard—and it just felt like too many blues going on.  Plus I couldn’t get the sheen to look even, despite using primer and a spray gun.  Half of the paint looked shiny, while the other half looked matte.

Sigh.  Back to square one—only now I had a curvy headboard on my hands.  What’s a girl to do?  My options were:  1.) Use a regular brush and paint on a better color.  2.) Try to sell the curvy headboard on Craigslist and buy a regular old piece of plywood for another go at a covered board.  3.) Attempt covering the curved headboard.  4.) Give up on having a headboard altogether and just toss a picture above our bed.

After consulting with the boyfriend, I tucked my tail between my legs and decided to cover the curvy headboard.  Since it was already thick, we wouldn’t need to buy expensive foam, and we liked the unique, soft edges.  And then I remembered The Mill Outlet, which is an off-the-beaten-path fabric store that carries tons of great fabric at discount prices.  Bingo!

As it turns out, they have an amazing upholstery section in the back of the store and I found the perfect nubby linen upholstery to use on our headboard (Note: I first picked up regular linen fabric, but after speaking with a Mill employee, she informed me that regular linen would wrinkle like crazy.  If you prefer the linen/natural look, your best bet is to find it in the upholstery section.).

The best part?  They stock huge rolls of batting, which they were able to cut to size to fit our headboard.

Oh, and they cover buttons for cheap.  I still haven’t decided if I’m going to add buttons or not, but you know I like having options, so I’m tucking that info away for a rainy day.

Here’s the rundown:

1.)    Place the batting underneath the headboard.  The headboard should be face down.

2.)    Pull the batting tight over the edges of the headboard and staple.

3.)    I chose to use two layers of batting.  The bottom was thicker batting, and I went over it with soft cotton batting, just in case we might feel it poke through the fabric.  I simply placed the headboard (now covered in one layer of batting) over the soft batting, pulled the batting tight, and stapled.  I worried that having so many layers of batting, plus fabric, would make it difficult to staple, but I had no problems.

4.)    Finally, I ironed the upholstery and then laid it underneath the headboard, pulling it tight around the edges, and stapled.  I decided not to pull the batting and fabric tight over the curves; I simply rounded the edges softly.

5.)    Matt then screwed a metal plate to the headboard and a metal plate to the wall, which made it easy to hang the headboard.  And when you have plaster walls, that’s saying something!

6.)    Lean back and enjoy!

When it came time to commit to the first staples, I’ll admit I was a little nervous.  But once I started, the project just seemed to unfold naturally, and it was really fun!  I borrowed the staple gun, but ended up loving it so much that I really want to own one!

How have you dealt with that strange space above your bed?  We’d love to hear your creative ideas!

P.S. Go Butler!!  We’re officially rooting for the underdogs.  Gotta love March Madness upsets!

P.P.S. We’ve been enjoying spring break, but we’re ready to get back into the swing of things with regular posts.  Never fear—we have lots more to share!