DIY Headboard Tutorial with Heidi Smith of Budget Wise Home

Aren't many topics more fun than budget-friendly home decor, right? We're thrilled to have Heidi Smith of Budget Wise Home at Bloom today, sharing a DIY Headboard tutorial. Heidi believes that it's possible to have a beautiful home on a very tight budget and she proves that time and time again on her lovely blog. So happy she agreed to share a headboard how-to with us today, be sure to check out her blog for more inspiration...

I'm so excited to be guest posting here today! I've been working on our master bedroom so I thought I would share a headboard tutorial with you guys. I've had my eye on a few beautiful nailhead trim headboards from West Elm and Crate & Barrel, but the price tags are a little ridiculous for my budget. So I decided to make one myself and it was so easy.

Anyone can do this if you have the right tools.

Here is what you'll need:

• Piece of 3/4 inch plywood (have the store cut it to size for you)


• 1/2 inch foam (Use a 50% off coupon! This stuff is not cheap.)


• Batting


• Nailhead Trim Kit (I got mine from perfectfit.com)


• Rubber Mallet


• Spray Adhesive


• Staple Gun & Staples


• D-Ring Picture hanging hooks

Start by laying out your foam on the plywood and cutting it down to fit your board.

Working in small sections, spray the adhesive on the board and press your foam into place.

I then transferred the whole thing from my garage into my bedroom.

Lay out your batting and fabric over the board and cut it to size. Make sure you have at least 3 inches extra length around each side.

Layer your materials starting with the fabric (right side facing down), batting, and then the board (foam side down).

You'll want to cut the corners out a bit to make it easier to work with. I started with cutting out just a small section and then cut more as I went along to minimize the bulk in the back. If it's too bulky, it won't sit flat on the wall.

Secure everything to the back of the board with your staple gun. Make sure to pull the fabric and batting very tight as you go. I started by securing all sides with a few staples in the center. This helps to make sure the fabric is stretched evenly and there are no bunched parts. Then continue around the board until everything is secure.

Here is a look at the corners. There is no exact way to do it. Just pull your fabric tight, cut out what excess bulk you can, and go to town.

Time for the nailhead trim. This part took me a little practice and I did have to pull out a whole row and start over. Once I got the hang of it, it went pretty quick. So don't get discouraged if you are having a hard time at first. The hard part was getting it straight. With a trim kit, you only have to nail in every 5th nail, so it's much easier to get it straight as opposed to nailing each one in separately. I found that it works best to nail in about 3 holes and then stand back to make sure it looks straight from a distance. This is much easier than realizing your row isn't straight after you've finished. It is not fun to pull these out.

Make sure you use a rubber mallet to hammer in the nails. A regular hammer will scratch the nails and take off the finish. My cute little boy helped me hold everything in place so I could take this picture--It's impossible to take a picture and hammer in a nail at the same time.

I didn't take a picture of the hooks, but it's really simple. Use D-ring picture hanging hooks and attach them to the back of the headboard. Secure screws into studs in the wall and hang the hooks on the nails.

Here is it is all finished:

My total cost for all supplies and fabric was $100.00 for a King size bed. The West Elm one would have cost me $509.00 for that size. I'm so happy with the results. Our bed finally has some presence and I love the finished look it gives the room.