Do-It-Yourself Headboard Construction

Purchase a canvas frame the size you want your headboard to be. Generally headboards should be a couple of inches wider than the width of the bed and as high as you like. Cut a sheet of 1/2-inch plywood to the size of the canvas frame.

Position the plywood over the frame and secure it in place with 1-inch nails around the edges, using a hammer. At this point, you can cover the plywood and frame edges with cotton batting and fabric for an upholstered look, paint a design over the plywood, or use paneling for a sophisticated wood headboard. Or make an Asian-inspired bamboo headboard. For this style, continue to Step 3.

Place bamboo reeds across the plywood. You can orient them horizontally or vertically. Glue the reeds in place close together. Use the saw to trim the ends of the bamboo so they don't jut over the edge of the plywood.

Cut two pieces of molding to the length of the frame and two to the height, then cut the ends at 45 degree angles. Form the molding pieces into a frame, the angled ends meeting to make the corners. Glue the ends together and let them dry.

Position the molding frame over the bamboo after the glue has dried. Secure the molding frame in place by angling the nails from the plywood into the back of the molding so that the front of the molding is not marred by nail holes. Paint or varnish the headboard as desired, then let them dry before hanging.