How to Build a Leather Headboard With Nailheads

A plain wooden headboard can make a room appear stark and uninteresting. Instead of replacing your wooden headboard with a fancier headboard, save money by recovering your old headboard with a more elegant-looking material. For example, create a leather upholstered headboard with decorative nailheads using inexpensive materials purchased from a fabric shop or arts and crafts supply store. This enables you to create a more elegant-looking room without spending a lot of money in the process.

Measuring tape
Lightweight leather fabric
Shears
Cotton batting, 4-inches thick
Spray adhesive
Staple gun
1/2-inch staples
Nailhead tacks
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Disassemble the headboard from your bed frame, and place the headboard onto a flat surface.
- 2
  Measure the length and width of the headboard using a measuring tape, not including the legs.
- 3
  Cut out a piece of lightweight leather using shears to the same measurements as the headboard, plus four inches on all sides.
- 4
  Cut out two pieces of 4-inch-thick cotton batting to the same exact measurements as the headboard.
- 5
  Lay the batting into a stack on top of the headboard, lining up the edges.
- 6
  Lay the leather piece on top of the batting, positioning the leather evenly over the batting and headboard.
- 7
  Fold the edges of the leather piece over to the back of the headboard, and staple the edges of the leather in place using a staple gun and 1/2-inch-wide staples. Keep the leather taut as you staple.
- 8
  Place a nailhead tack onto the front of the leather-covered headboard, and hammer the nailhead in place. Repeat to hammer nailhead tacks into a pattern around the front of the headboard, such as an outline, a shape or a scroll-work design.
- 9
  Reassemble the leather nailhead headboard back onto your bed frame for use.

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