DIY Wall-Mounted Padded Headboard

Get ready, folks. It’s about to get REAL in here. Back in the “olden days” before Pinterest, I read an article in a magazine about making your own padded headboard. The fancy magazine version was more than I could handle or even want, but I figured out a way to make it cheap, easy and fit my style. It was lovely and perfect. But after a five years, it looked like this:
So, obviously you can see where our heads and arms rub up against the bottom of the headboard. Ick. I tried cleaning it with many different concoctions, but I just couldn’t get rid of those dark stains. So, I headed to the store for some new fabric and figured I would share the SUPER easy steps to making this DIY padded headboard!
What you’ll need:


Sheet of plywood (I had mine cut to 6’x3′ at the store)


1 twin-sized egg crate mattress pad


Batting


Fabric of your choice, 2 1/2 yards


Staple gun and staples


What to do:


1. Lay your plywood out on a flat surface and cover with the egg crate (ridges down.) I almost passed out when I saw how ridiculously expensive foam padding is at the fabric store! WHY?!? Instead of spending $70 on a piece of foam we weren’t even going to be sitting on, I bought a $10 egg crate foam topper and it was the exact size that I needed!


2. Take the batting and cover the foam with it, overlapping several inches all the way around.


3. Stretch out your fabric over the batting and foam and then fold it over and around the edges. Flip the board over (this is a job for two people) and staple down the fabric with a staple gun.
Once you're done, the only thing left to do is hang it on the wall! It’s surprisingly light, so you don’t need major hardware to hang it. My husband found these in the hardware section at the store and they are perfect. We used one set on each end of the board.
Here’s what the mate looks like hung on the wall. It comes with a handy leveling bubble so you know it will be hanging straight when you’re done.
Our weather has been less than cooperative and the designer of our floor plan apparently was a vampire, so the lighting isn’t the best but you get the idea. :) I’ll do my best to get a better shot someday when we have some good morning light in the room. For now, you can use your imagination.
Nicole Burkholder
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Michele Michele on Nov 11, 2015
    That is pretty. I made one very similar with a stain resistant fabric table cloth. It is very light colored and so far it still looks good. I have had it for several years. I wonder if a scotch guard spray would help?
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  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Nov 26, 2015
    When we made our headboard, I actually used sheet material (a twin flat sheet worked for a queen size headboard) over the padding (I used the same method you did), thinking I would make a slipcover or recover it when I got tired of it. However, I still love it, years later and it has held up beautifully. We didn't mount ours on the wall, however, but, made a frame with legs and attached it to our bed frame.
  • Sonia Burrows Sonia Burrows on Nov 28, 2015
    Nicole, I had found some beautiful material but was concerned about "how do I clean it?" I found some faux leather on sale and grabbed it. I figured I could wipe it clean and I love how it turned out. My only problem is that I can't update it like you can. The wood around the perimeter actually covers the faux leather. Like your idea better of being able to change it.
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    • Sonia Burrows Sonia Burrows on Nov 29, 2015
      Thanks B. Enne. I never thought of a slipcover; that's a great idea.
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