How to Make an Attachable Headboard

Place the measuring tape at the bottom of the bed frame and draw it up to the height of your desired headboard. Add 12 inches to this measurement and write it down. Measure the bed's width and add 12 inches. With these measurements, you can purchase enough fabric, batting and egg crate mattress padding to wrap around the board.

Visit a lumber yard or home improvement store. Ask for 1/4-inch plywood to be cut to your measurement.

Plug in the iron and wait five minutes. Place your fabric onto the ironing board. Allow the rest to fall to the ground away from you. Spray starch onto the fabric. Move the iron along the edges of the fabric and in the center. Place the iron to the side and move the fabric down the board away from you. Repeat this ironing method until the entire piece of fabric is wrinkle-free.

Place the egg crate mattress padding face down on the floor. Lay the plywood on top of the egg crate mattress directly in the center. Pick up the top of the egg crate mattress padding and pull it downward over the top of the board. Staple it to the center of the board. Take the left side and pull downward over the board and staple. Repeat on the right side. Fold the egg crate mattress padding up from the bottom and staple it into the middle. Pull up the right side and staple. Repeat on the left side, making sure that everything is taut. Fold in the sides and staple as you did the top and bottom.

Lay the batting on the floor. Pick up the board and put the egg crate mattress padding side down on top of the batting. Beginning at the top of the board, fold the batting over to the back of the board and place a staple every 4 inches apart. Continue this all the way around the board until all of the batting is stapled to the board.

Arrange your fabric face down onto the floor and make sure it is smooth. Straighten the pattern, if there is one. Pick up the board and place it face down on top of the fabric. Be careful not to move printed fabric. Starting at the top, pull the fabric taut around the edges of the board and staple the fabric onto the back of the board. Continue stapling the fabric to the board just as you did with the egg crate mattress padding and batting. Check for puckering and make sure all corners are neat and taut.

Move the bed out from the wall. Turn the headboard over and hold it up to the wall where you want it. Have another person mark the top, corners and sides with a pencil and ruler. Put the headboard down and place a level within your marks to make sure the board is straight and even. If not, erase the pencil marks and measure again.

Place the studfinder onto the wall to locate the studs near the middle and sides of the headboard. Use a level and mark the locations with a verticle line. Line up the bottom pencil mark with the bottom of the flush mount. Turn the screw holes downward and the lip hole upward. Put the screw in and attach the mount to the wall using an electric screwdriver.

Have one person stand the headboard near the flush mounts on the wall. Mark using a pencil and ruler where the mounts and headboard will align. Lay the board down and attach a flush mount to the back using the screwdriver. The screw holes are at the top and the lip is at the bottom this time.

Lift the headboard close to the wall mounts. Slide the board into each of the brackets. Push the bed back toward the wall.