How to Make a Picket Fence Headboard for a Girl

Saw a 1-inch-by-6-inch board to 60 inches, using the circular saw. Saw two 1-by-6 boards to 56 inches, two more to 52 inches and the remaining two boards to 48 inches long.

Cut the 1-inch-by-4-inch boards to 54 inches long and set them aside; they will be used as support boards.

Lay all the 1-by-6 boards on the ground or on a large, flat work surface. Isolate your longest board and at the top of the board draw two diagonal lines that meet in a point, creating a triangle shape at the top of the board.

Place the next two longest boards on each side of the drawn-on board, and continue the diagonal lines you drew on that pointed board, creating sloped tops on the two boards.

Set the remaining boards on either side of these three boards, continuing the pattern of decreasing size from the center board. Continue the diagonal lines down the tops of these boards, creating a large triangle shape that comes to a point at the center board.

Round out the diagonal lines on each board to give each a more picket-fence-post appearance; you should be able to see the rough shape of the picket fence gate.

Using your jigsaw and scroll blade, cut along the lines you drew. Sand down any rough edges created by the cuts.

Dilute your paint with a small amount of water. Dip your rag in the paint and rub the rag up and down the pickets and the two 1-by-4 support boards, using a painting style called washing. Let that dry, then seal your work with the polyurethane.

Turn all your pickets so that they face down. Line up the bottoms of the pickets using the large level. Create about 1 ¼ inch of space between each picket, checking the spaces between the tops and bottoms of the boards to ensure uniformity.

Measure 4 inches below the top of the shortest picket; draw a straight, horizontal line across all the pickets at this point. Measure 12 inches up from the bottom of the pickets, and then draw another straight horizontal line across all the pickets from this point, too.

Place your two support boards directly below these lines; be sure the painted side is facing down. Check the lines, the bottoms of the pickets and the spaces between the pickets for evenness and levelness one more time. Screw the support boards to the pickets with the drywall screws--one screw to each picket through each support board.

Attach the headboard to the bed frame in the specific manner required for your bed frame.