Headboard Woodworking Project

Choosing the Wood

• One of the first steps in creating a headboard is choosing the proper wood. Use anything from expensive woods, such as oak or mahogany hardwood, to inexpensive high-grade plywood. Avoid the cheapest low-grade plywood or particle boards, though, which tend to crumble when you make cuts on the board's surface. Low-quality boards also often have blemishes and spots that are hard to hide.

Basic Proportions and Trims

• A headboard is usually only as wide as the mattress and box spring. The height of the headboard, however, depends on your desires. It can show a mere 20 inches above the top of the mattress to add just a hint of personality, or be several feet tall and serve as a wall decoration as well. Depending on your stylistic preference and the cost of your materials, decide whether your headboard should be just a single large rectangle, or a shorter "floating" rectangle with two wooden legs for support -- the latter option could save you a lot in the cost of materials per square foot. Once the basic headboard shape is cut out, add molding or wooden trim to the perimeter of the headboard to add an architectural look. Leave some space, about 10 inches, unadorned at the bottom of the headboard, where you need to attach it to the bed's frame.

Creating Decorative Designs

• Remember that headboards do not have to be solid wooden panels -- create a custom design using a jigsaw. For example, carve all the way through the board to create a single motif or repeated figurative design from the wood as a cut-out shape so the wall color shows through from behind. This type of feature requires you to plan and draw your design on the headboard with a pencil. Keep it simple with a few moon and stars, or take the time to create an elaborate scheme based on a Moroccan screen. Either gives you a totally unique, custom-made piece.

Creative Finishes

• Use a wood stain to retain the traditional and classic appearance of wood grain, or if you wish to darken it to match other existing wooden furniture. Use paint if you are going for a modern approach, and think about fun, unexpected ways to use it -- beyond painting the headboard just one color -- combine bright hues as stripes, for example, to bring all of the colors in the bedroom together in a cohesive manner. For a soft feel, create an upholstered headboard by adding a layer of high-density foam over the front of the headboard and topping it with decorative fabric. Secure the fabric with staples.

Mounting the Headboard

• You have two basic options when it comes to mounting the headboard in your bedroom. The first is to mount the headboard directly on your bed frame using 1-inch-long screws for headboards up to 1/2-inch thick. Thicker boards require longer screws. Drill the screws through the headboard so they align with pre-drilled mounting holes on the bed frame. Or mount the headboard directly to the wall using long screws and a wall stud finder, then simply push the bed up against the headboard. The latter method is better for large or heavy headboards that require a lot of mounting support.