Create faux tufts with a stapler and glue a button over each one.
A headboard anchors a bed, turning it from a simple mattress on a frame into a substantial piece of furniture. However, headboards can cost a great deal of money. Custom upholstered headboards are very popular but, unfortunately, are one of the most expensive styles that you can choose. If a simple square or rectangular headboard is what you're after, construct one yourself from inexpensive plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Once you have determined how big you want your headboard to be, many hardware stores will cut your plywood to those dimensions for you on-site. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Spread newspaper or a tarp out on a large flat work surface. Lay the plywood on top of the protective material. Measure the width of the wood; divide it into fourths and mark each section with a pencil.
2. Apply spray-on adhesive evenly to the first section of the wood, spraying in long, straight lines. Top the adhesive with a piece of foam batting, cut to size, with a utility knife so that all of the edges line up. Repeat this for the remaining three sections of the plywood.
3. Spray adhesive over the top of the foam batting. Set a sheet of quilt batting over the top with all the edges aligned then press down to secure it in place. If you can feel the divisions of the foam batting through the quilt batting, add a second layer.
4. Lay out a section of upholstery fabric that is 1 foot wider and 1 foot longer than the plywood with the patterned side down. Smooth the fabric and make sure there are no wrinkles. Lift the plywood and place it in the center of the fabric with the batting facing downward.
5. Fold the top and the bottom edges of the fabric in toward the center of the back of the board. Staple the fabric into place, keeping it taut.
6. Pull the sides of the fabric inward toward the center of the back and staple them into place. Make sure the fabric is still fairly tight so that the front of the headboard remains smooth. Tuck in each corner at a 90-degree angle, as if you are wrapping a package, and staple them into place against the back of the plywood.
7. Decide where you want to hang your headboard. Use a level to draw a guideline to show where the top edge of the headboard should sit. Attach one part of a flush-mount bracket to the back of the headboard with the included screws.
8. Measure the distance between the top of the bracket and the top edge of the headboard and mark this same distance down from your guideline on the wall. Attach the second part of the bracket to the wall at the mark. Hang the headboard by sliding the parts of the bracket together.
Tags: foam batting, into place, center back, edge headboard, quilt batting, staple them
