Making An Upholstered Headboard

If you’ve looked around, the costs of an upholstered headboard for a king sized bed start at several hundred dollars. I built this beautiful faux suede upholstered headboard for under a hundred. 

The frame is plywood.  The big warehouse building supply stores will cut these for you which removes the need to have a truck to transport a 4x8 ft board home. I could get a 3 ft wide section into the back of a car (with some of it hanging out, but driveable) so I had the store make some of the cuts for me.

Plywood comes in multiple grades. I chose a mid-grade. It’s possible to cut the pieces for supporting the frame from the remainder of the 4x8 plywood, but I choose to purchase lumber. Again, not the premium grade, but I looked for pieces that were not warped.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 – 3 ft x 6 ft  plywood 
• 2 – 1 x 6, 6 ft long
• 2 – 2 x 2, 6 ft long
• 2 – 1 x 4, 5 ft long
• 2 – casters with a 1.5” faceplate. I used swivel hooded ball casters.
• 1.25” wood screws
• Wood glue
• Fabric 45” wide by 2.5 yards, this will provide a little extra for covering buttons
• 3’ x 6’ piece of foam (available in most fabric stores)
• 2 pkgs quilting batting – for additional padding and to wrap along the edges.
• Coverable buttons – I used  eight 1.5 inch diameter buttons.
• Spray adhesive (or an all-purpose glue)
• Very heavy upholstery thread
• Washers or pegs to anchor the buttons.
• Bolts and nuts for attaching the headboard to the bedframe.

Tools:

• Measuring tape
• Drill
• Screw driver attachment for drill or screwdriver.
• Staple gun
• Very long upholstery needle to attach buttons. (12” worked well. I had trouble with the smaller size)

1. Mark locations for the holes for upholstered buttons in the mid section of the 3x6 plywood. I opted for 3 rows in a diamond patter, 8 holes total. You can see the black marker markings in the photo. I centered the middle row (2 holes) vertically, separating them by 18 inches or 9 inches from the center.

2. Position the 1x4’s centered along the top and bottom edges. This provides support and makes the whole thing rigid.

3. Attach the 1x4’s using wood glue and wood screws.

4. Drill holes (I used a 3/8 inch bit) as marked.

5. Construct the legs.

5.1 Use wood glue and screws to attach a 2x2 to each of the 1x6’s, positioning the 2x2 along the edge.

5.2 Attach the wheels using wood screws.

6. Mark mounting holes in the 1x6 supports. The location of these will depend on your bed frame. You’ll want the casters to rest on the floor and roll. Measure by placing the support (legs) behind the bed and marking the holes using a pen or pencil through the holes in the frame. Determine how far from the edge by measuring the bedframe between the holes in the bedframe headboard mount and assuming the edges of the 1x6 will be 5 ft 10 inches apart. 

7. Drill the mounting holes as marked.

8. Upholster the headboard:

8.1 Attach the foam to the front of the headboard using spray adhesive or all-purpose glue.

8.2 Wrap the top and side edges of the headboard generously with quilt batting. Use glue or staple to hold in place temporarily. The fabric will hold this down tightly. 

8.3 Layer quilt batting over the foam to completely covering it.

8.4 Cut fabric to fit, leaving a generous amount to pull behind around the edges.

8.5 Start in the center: staple on top and then pull tightly at the bottom and staple taut. Staple on one side and the pull tightly and staple taut on the opposite side.

Staple about 2” from the top and pull tightly at the bottom, opposite and staple taut.

Continue working your way around, moving from the centers and toward the corners alternating the horizontal and the vertical edges. 

9. Attach the support legs to the headboard using wood glue and wood screws 1” from each edge. These will cover the edges of the fabric.

10. Use the scrap fabric to upholster the buttons, following the manufacturers instructions.

11. Attach the upholstered buttons.

            11.1 Stand the headboard up and brace it or lean it on something so you can walk around it.

11.2 Double the upholstery thread and thread the very long upholstery needle.

11.3 Working from the back of the headboard, pass the needle through the hole in the board through to the front, trying to stay a straight as possible. Pass the needle through the loop on the back of the button and then through the headboard again coming out the hole at the back. I tried with a 5” needle and missed the hole so frequently that I went back out in search of a longer one. The 12” was awesome. It is not necessary to come back and forth as you would when sewing on a button. If your thread is not heavy enough, use 4 or more strands at once.

11.4 On the back of the headboard, tie the two ends together and tie them around a washer or a wooden peg to keep the button from popping out.

Repeat for all your buttons.

12. Use heavy bolts to attach the headboard to the bedframe.

Make your bed. Sit back. read a book. Enjoy!