A DIY Canopy Headboard

Measure one long board to the width of your bed, and make a mark with a pencil. Twin beds are 39 inches wide. Full, queen, king and California king are 54, 60, 76 and 72 inches wide, respectively. Place a carpenter's square on the side of the board at the mark, and trace its edge across the surface with a pencil. Cut the board at the line with a circular saw. Place the shorter board on your work surface. Measure and cut it in half, making two 12-inch boards.

Set the long, cut board flat on your work surface. Butt one 12-inch board upright against one end of the long board, forming an L. Join the two pieces along the corner edge with finishing nails. Repeat at the opposite end with the other 12-inch board.

Turn the frame on edge so the long board faces you, and the two short boards point away. Measure the width of the frame. Apply the width measurement to the remaining uncut board. Mark and cut it. Set the board on top of the frame. Secure it to the frame with finishing nails.

Measure the wall behind your bed from the floor to the height that you want the headboard frame. Make a mark. Center a long level horizontally on the mark. Trace its edge to make a level line on the wall. Continue on the left and right until you have a level line as wide as your bed.

Tap the line with a hammer to locate studs, which sound denser and louder than hollows, according to "This Old House" magazine. Mark the line at each stud. Attach an L-bracket at each stud mark, with one bracket leg pointing down and the other pointing out. Insert drywall screws through the bracket holes with a power drill.

Measure the dowel rod 1 inch shorter than the width of the headboard frame, and cut it. Cut open both ends of the wide sheet hems. Slip the sheets onto the dowel.

Attach curtain rod brackets with the enclosed hardware, 1 inch below the L-brackets. Rod brackets are usually placed at each end and at the center. This rod is hidden; it is more important to install them on studs.

Set the cornice on the L-brackets with a long board facing you and another on top. Insert wood screws through the bracket, into the underside of the cornice top. Set the dowel rod onto the curtain rod brackets.