DIY Lattice Headboard

Measure the width of your bed with the measuring tape. Then measure a section of lattice the same length as the width of the bed. Lattice is sold in 8-foot panels that are 2 feet or 4 feet wide. For this headboard, you will be using a length of 2-foot wide lattice turned on its side. So, with protective goggles in place, use the saw to cut a length of lattice so that, when turned on its side, it is as long as your bed is wide.

Cut a piece of cap molding 1 inch longer than the long edge of the lattice panel. Lattice cap molding is a 1-inch wide strip of wood with a groove cut from it's underside so that it's shaped like a "U." It slips over the exposed edges of the lattice, giving them a finished look. On your headboard, slide the cap molding over the long edge of your lattice. Adjust it so that the molding hangs over each edge of the lattice by 1/2 inch. Repeat for other long edge.

Measure the distance between the top and bottom moldings where they hang over. Cut a piece of cap molding to that length and slip it over the short edge of the lattice, so that it fits between the overhanging moldings. Repeat for other short edge.

Glue the cap moldings in place with the hot glue gun. Let the glue dry thoroughly.

Stain or paint the headboard at this point, if that's what you've chosen to do. Let it dry thoroughly.

Use the stud finder to locate two adjacent studs in the wall behind your bed. Make a light pencil mark on the wall 4 feet from the floor along each stud. Use the straightedge and draw a faint line connecting the two marks. Use the level and adjust the line until it is perfectly horizontal.

Line up the top (long edge) of the headboard with the line you've drawn and center it over the two studs. Make two pencil marks on the top horizontal molding strip and two marks on the bottom one, on each end of the strips, over the studs, indicating where the screws will be used. Fasten the headboard to the wall using one screw at each mark, two in the top molding and two in the bottom.