The DIY Headboard Idea You Need to Try This Spring

Spring is the perfect time for new beginnings, and your home should be no exception to that rule! This year, instead of buying new, why not craft something you can be proud of? We wanted to roll up our sleeves and do just that, so we partnered with budget home renovator Janelle Payne (aka Nailgun_nelly) to show you how to create a functional and stylish wall mounted headboard.

Meet Janelle

Wife and mom of 2 Janelle has been tackling budget-friendly home projects ever since she can remember. From closets to campers and everything in between, over the years she has learned along the way how to turn shabby into chic, and old into new again! She tells us that “I truly feel that sculpting a space that is both aesthetically pleasing and an extension of yourself makes for a better day to day.”

Using our endlessly versatile Wen Platform Bed Frame, she chose to create a headboard to go with it that could be used in her son’s bedroom. "I chose to incorporate bookshelves into my design. This space allows him to organize what's important to him. Furthermore, the bookshelves freed up space on the wall where all of my son's baby books were, but also kept them near the bed, easily accessible for the convenience of bedtime stories!” 

The end result is a design that could be practical in just about any bedroom (not just your child’s!).

Janelle’s Tufted Shelf Headboard

• 2 sheets of 1/4" plywood, cut to your desired headboard size
• 4 2x8 boards, cut to the same width of your plywood
• 8 - 12 foam pool noodles
• Fabric of your choice
• Stain or paint of your choice for the plywood and 2x8’s

Tools:

• Drill
• 2” screws
• Staple gun and staples
• Scissors
• Elmer’s glue spray adhesive or similar glue

Directions:

1. Stain and/or paint your plywood and 2x8’s. Bear in mind that the 2x8’s will create the shelves and the plywood will form the front and back of the headboard. Optional: round out the top corners of the plywood that will form the front of the headboard for a softer look (like Janelle did).
2. Attach one piece of plywood and 2x8’s together by evenly spacing the 2x8’s horizontally across the plywood. Secure them using the screws and drill. This will form the shelves and back of your headboard.
3. Cut the pool noodles in half – enough to cover the width of your headboard when laid down vertically with the flat sides down. Cut them to your desired length, long enough to span from the top of the headboard to the top of your platform bed.
4. Glue the halved noodles across the width of the remaining (front) piece of plywood.
5. Glue the fabric to the secured pool noodles, stapling the excess around the back and sides of the plywood.
6. Secure the plywood with attached shelves to the wall first. Then secure the front tufted piece to the top and bottom 2x8’s.
7. Fill up your shelves with books and décor, make the bed, and enjoy!