How to Make an Upholstered Headboard With Nailheads

Nailhead trim on an upholstered headboard gives a bedroom a real sense of elegance, especially if it's combined with plush fabric like velvet or even faux leather. Thankfully, using nailhead trim is much easier than using the single upholstery nails, as there's actually only one nail for every five or six nailheads. Making your own upholstered headboard is easy with a pre-made artist’s frame, which is usually used for canvas painting. Artist’s frames can be ordered to size or found in many sized from art and craft stores.

Artist’s frame, headboard size
1/2-inch plywood, headboard size
Drill
3/4-inch screws
1-inch foam piece, headboard size
Spray adhesive
Iron
Upholstery fabric
Pins
Staple gun
Scissors
Nailhead trim
Rubber mallet
French cleat
Screws
Stud finder
Level
3-inch screws

Instructions

- 1
  Lay an artist's frame on your work surface, and place a piece of 1/2-inch plywood cut to your desired headboard size – the same size as the frame – over the top.
- 2
  Secure the plywood in place with 3/4-inch screws driven every 5 to 6 inches around the edge into the frame.
- 3
  Spray the plywood and a piece of 1-inch foam – again sized for the headboard – with spray adhesive, and then glue the foam on top of the plywood. Follow the specific application instructions of your adhesive.
- 4
  Iron your chosen upholstery fabric to remove any creases, and then lay it wrong-side-up on a work surface. Center the frame, plywood and foam on top, foam-side down. Pull the sides of the fabric up and over the sides of the frame, and pin to the back of the frame.
- 5
  Turn the frame over, and examine the fabric for placement. Patterns should be aligned properly so that the design sits straight on the headboard. Adjust as necessary.
- 6
  Staple the fabric to the back of the frame when you're happy with the placement, ensuring you pull the fabric evenly over the frame, and tuck the corners neatly in hospital-corner style. Trim excess fabric with scissors.
- 7
  Turn the frame over so that the fabric side is up. Set the nailhead trim in the desired pattern on the front of the headboard. This may be just a single line an inch or two in from the edge of the headboard frame or a more elaborate pattern of your choosing.
- 8
  Hammer the full nails of the trim into the headboard with a rubber mallet. This will compress the foam along the line of the trim and give the headboard that plush tufted look.
- 9
  Fit the hanging portion of a French cleat into the top edge of the headboard frame, and secure with screws every 5 to 6 inches. Choose screws long enough to penetrate the cleat and about half the frame. The screws should sit flush, so that the hanging portion of the cleat will sit tight against the wall portion of the cleat.
- 10
  Draw a level line above the bed at the height you want the headboard to hang, and then use a stud finder to mark out the stud positions along the line. Place the wall portion of the French cleat on the line and secure it with 3-inch screws through the cleat into the wall studs.
- 11
  Hang the headboard over the wall portion of the cleat, making sure there's a tight fit with the wall.

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