Headboard Finale

Headboard was finished and hung last night, and I slept like a rock! When my husband called to say good morning I was confused and the blankets had not even shifted as much as an inch! If you have been having trouble sleeping, just make a headboard and tucker yourself out :-) It was also a very nice reward to wake up to the headboard and see the fruits of my labor first thing.

OK so where we left off: finish stapling fabric pulling it taught; but not too tight as I left room to hammer in the nail-heads without ripping it so I could have a step-like trim around the perimeter (as I saw in the blog I mentioned before; that you can reference here).

I found a great product at Joann's that was a huge time and money saver: metal nail-head trim. It comes in a thin metal roll like a ribbon and you just hammer one nail in every 4 faux nails. It retails for $20 but Joann's honors competitors coupons and I had a 50% off single item from Michael's! Score! I only needed the 5 yard version (they make a 10 yard version for about $35 but don't quote me on that). I bought extra nail-heads which I didn't end up needing so they will go back.

It also makes it easier to keep a straight line with the trim versus hammering each individual nail. I straightened out the amount of trim I needed for each side and started at the bottom. I had to put a couple staples underneath here and there as certain places proved more difficult to nail than others.

Miss Midge checking out my progress

Sorry that it's a little hard to see in the picture as I had such a light fabric and used silver nail-heads, but you can get a little idea.
Next I straightened out all of the crooked parts since sometimes the nails bent a little on the way in. All I did for that was smack it with the hammer in the direction I wanted it to be since the nails are not weight bearing and it doesn't matter what they look like underneath. I also didn't make the trim go all around the bottom of the board but just about 6-8 inches on each side. I hung the board so that the bottom 2-3 inches were behind the mattress so this part does not show.

What I learned from the guys in the lumber department at Home Depot was that plywood bends and over time it will continue to warp if you do not 'frame it out' with something on the back side to keep it straight. So I just grabbed a furring strip (11/16" x 3/8" x 8') for 75 cents and had them cut it into 3 foot pieces and used whatever was left for the center, creating a horizontal 'H' on the back side. Drilled it straight across using a level and 2 screws in each piece. The level is key here because I used the top piece to hang the whole thing on the wall later. I trimmed the excess fabric all around before this so it wouldn't be in the way.
*Note about plywood: you may want to use some utility gloves or it will bite you! I thought I had gotten all of my splinters out, but this morning at pilates my fingertip was red and swollen and throbbing! I went home and pulled out a super slim almost impossible to see 1/2 inch long flimsy splinter out of my finger and now have a hole, but I feel tons better! I also have little scratches all over my fingers... lesson learned! :-)

Then I was ready to hang it! Measured, put some anchors in place, a couple heavy-duty screws and voila!!! A home made headboard that I can be proud of for years to come!

Sorry for the slight blur, it was 10 pm by this time and I was ready to shower and climb into that bed!

Totals
plywood & furring strip: $13.75 (free to cut)
carpet padding: $9
fabric: $18
nail-head trim: $10
free items:
Used blanket for padding, borrowed staple gun w/ staples (Thanks D!)
Moral support from one cute husband and one fun girlfriend (beers and frozen pizza not included in the budget, but equally as effective as the rest of the tools... right Andria?)

(tax included and rounded) THAT MAKES A $55.00 HEADBOARD!!!

Check out these beautifully manufactured headboards for $600+
Crate & Barrel  Pottery Barn  or even this one from Target on sale for $343!
Feeling pretty smug with my $55 upholstered headboard right about now, not going to lie :-)

Splinters in my Skirt/Headboard Project

The first project I am sharing is a home made headboard. I have been seeing many tutorials on Pinterest like this DIY tufted headboard from ApartmentTherapy.com and a very clever idea for one using wallpaper and molding from StyleAtHome.com. I have wanted one for years and they retail anywhere from $150-$500+ depending where you shop. I know people who re-upholster their furniture themselves and thought "I can do it"!

I decided to go with a similar take on an upholstered headboard with nail head detail that I "re-pinned" from someone: Isabella And Max Rooms Blog This particular blogger decided to make a wall out of it which I personally think came out beautifully and the fabric was awesome! I, however, did not have the energy or the space to build one so large.

My bed is a queen size so I needed a piece of plywood the size of 62"x40". You can choose whatever you want as the standard size of wood is 4'x8'. I got mine at Home Depot and it was approximately $13. They will cut it for free. The guy in the lumber department with a beard and a neck tattoo was honestly one of the most pleasant people I have ever come into contact with. He thought what I was doing was super cool and got really into it and was brainstorming with me. I'm pretty sure the old salty dudes waiting to get their lumber cut were not as pleased with my fun project; seeing as I wheeled the big metal cart out with my skirt and looked like I had no idea what I was doing. (I was not expecting to be next to Home Depot this day, otherwise I would have changed clothes). Either way, I was glad it was a long skirt because I ended up with splinters all throughout my front side as I wrestled my lumber into the back of my Escape.

OK. To start you will need: plywood (I read that you should not use particle board as the chemicals used are still present for a while; if you do use particle board, seal it with polyurithene), staple gun (does not need to be motorized), measuring tape, carpet padding.

Cut to the next day: purchased carpet padding from Lowe's as they had better prices on that than Home Depot at 48 cents per square foot (HD doesn't sell per sq ft) total: about $8.
Bought batting at a fabric store, then got a call from my mom who was cleaning out her linen closet; yes, please bring me my old pink velour twin sized blanket so I may salvage it and use it for more padding on the headboard project! Batting: $9.99. Old blanket: free! Making that return tomorrow. Thanks mom!

Cut 2 layers of carpet padding approximately 2 inches inside the perimeter of the plywood (or however far you would like). Staple the first layer in place about every 6 inches, then attach the second layer with staples.
Next I folded the blanket in half (even cushier!) and covered the whole thing evenly. Stapled about 3-4 staples along the outside of the board to keep blanket in place (don't worry, nobody will see this once it's finished). Pull the blanket tightly across working one side at a time with the staple gun. Pull it around the back and staple it into place.

back side

front side

Next iron your fabric. I found some awesome micro suede neutral colored upholstery fabric in the back of Joann's on clearance. Original price: $15.99 per yard. Clearance price: $9 per yard! I only needed 2 yards for this as the width of the fabric was 58 inches and I only needed about 46. Staple the top or bottom of the fabric to the back of the board so you can have a baseline and then it won't move when you start hammering in the decorative nail heads.

 That's as far as I got tonight... tune in tomorrow!