This was definitely a project. Super fun, but had we known what we know now, things could have gone so much smoother! Ya live and learn I guess right?
The lighting in that first picture was super yellow due to those lamps being turned on. When I fixed it, it changed the color of the material. The photo below is the actual color of the material. Much better!
Alright, what you need:
- (1) White Peg Board - $17.48 at Home Depot. Cut to size- 84 x 48
- (3) 1 x 2 x 8 - $2.61
- (4) 1 x 3 x 8 - $6.72
- 1 pack of 1-inch dry wall screws- $6.50 at Home Depot
- 3-inch foam- We got ours in the camping section at Home Depot. They were having a crazy good deal. We bought 2 twin sized mattress pads for $19.99. Foam is EXPENSIVE. Before we found the mattress pads I was going to buy 2-inch foam for $12.00 a yard at a fabric store. That was with a 40% off coupon too. RIDICULOUS. So before you start this project make sure you can afford the foam in your budget!
- 1 large thing of Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent adhesive. I think it cost $10
- 1 King size package of thick batting. I can't remember how much this cost, I'm gonna go with $10 bucks. Total guess though. It wasn't expensive like the foam though and you can always find it on sale.
- 2 2/3 yards of 54" fabric. I bought mine at Calico Corners for $11 something a yard. Spent $32
- A jig saw, a compound mitre saw and some saw horses. Borrow from a neighbor. Neighbors have everything!
Take some scrap fabric and figure out the shape of headboard you want. I folded white fabric in half and kept drawing lines until it was what I wanted.
I then took the middle of the sheet, lined it up with the middle of the headboard and used the holes in the board to help me get it perfectly straight and even on both sides. See my little numbers on the fabric?
Next trace the fabric line with a marker. You don't want to cut the board with the fabric taped to it!
Jig saw baby
Now use that saw and cut out your 1 x 2 x 8's and your 1 x 3 x 8's to fit the back of the board. The peg board just isn't strong enough. If you want to start out with a strong board, by all means. I was going to tuft a headboard, decided it would be too pricey with all the fabric you needed. So I know nothing about using a different board! Sorry folks.
This is what ours looked like. Our mistake was that top part. If we had to do it again we would take the 1 x 3 x 8's all the way up to the top of the headboard and then shave them down with the jigsaw. The way we did it just made upholstering the headboard really hard.
Add your foam! Use that fabri-tac glue and just start gluing it on. Make sure you don't waste the foam. Remember, it's expensive!
This is how we managed our mistake. We added foam into the crevices of wood. Am I making sense?
This way worked but the fabric doesn't lay completely flat on the top of the board and... it kind of bugs me. Not a big deal though.
Next I sewed more of that white fabric onto the ends of my fabric. I was worried that my 54" wide fabric wouldn't be wide enough to wrap around the top and bottom of the board.
While I was sewing, Brian and my mom were stapling the batting over the foam. We got a king size and doubled it over, it was plenty thick.
Here's how you do the corners.
Next we laid out our fabric, found the center and stapled it to the center of our board
This next part was tricky. I chose a geometrical pattern. It needed to be level horizontally and vertically which made this part so hard! You just tug and tug, staple, pull out staples, staple again until you finally have it right!
This is how we did the corners.
And it's finished!!!
Like my new lamps. Home Goods. I'm kind of in love with them!
Bad picture, bad lighting. I don't even have pillows or a comforter yet! Those are my next projects!
Do you love it?!
I would strongly recommend making a headboard to save money. This project ended up costing us around $130.00. That stupid foam! Plus if I fall out of love with the material in the next few years, all I have to do is reupholster it. The board is finished and made! If you're thinking of making your own and have any questions, feel free to ask! I'd love to help where I can!
