Handmade Headboards for Boys

Trophy Case

• Boys who win a lot of trophies, from science fairs or soccer games, enjoy displaying their prizes. Build a headboard with shelves of varying heights that accommodate different-sized trophies. Make it more than a bookshelf by creating cubbyholes for each trophy and leaving plenty of open space for future wins. Line the wall behind a few of the cubbies with cork for hanging ribbons. Personalize the headboard by lining the wall behind other cubbies with photographs of winning moments.

Chalkboard

• Give younger boys a place to express their artistic skills or tweens a place to work on homework problems by creating a chalkboard headboard. Paint plywood with blackboard paint and frame it with white decorative molding. Add a tray for the chalk and hang the eraser from a length of twine attached to the top of the blackboard. If the boy accidentally uses markers or indelible ink, simply add another layer of blackboard paint.

Bookcase

• Build a bookcase headboard for bookworms who appreciate a place to keep their favorite tomes. Add a raised lip to the front of each shelf to help keep the books from falling off the shelf or tilt the shelves slightly toward the wall. Add bookish touches like a library kick stool as a bedside table and stencil a sentence or passage from the boy's favorite book above the headboard.

Bulletin Board

• Create a bulletin board headboard for a boy whose tastes change frequently. Cover the space above the head of the bed with the thick rubber tiles that are used on fitness room floors. The tiles come in assorted colors that arrange into patterns and lock together. Frame the tiles with molding and add oversized pushpins. Encourage the boy to hang his favorite photos, sports memorabilia and artwork. Use peel-and-stick cork tiles for a more economical bulletin board.

Pegboard

• Paint pegboard to match the boy's bedroom decor and attach it to a sturdy frame made from lumber cut to fit inside the edges of the pegboard so it will project from the wall when it's hung. Screw the pegboard to the wall above the bed and frame it with molding or simple strips of lumber. Buy baskets and hooks that attach through the holes in the pegboard to store small toys and hang caps.