miles2style - fashion, home design and everyday beauty: June 2014

A couple months back Kohler and I decided to take on the task of making our own headboard. Sounds scary right........ well it was quite the opposite and very do-able. We are very happy with the finished product and I'd love to share with you how we began and finished!

I started by buying the products I needed.
-black linen fabric (I bought mine at SR Harris Fabric Outlet)
-large buttons and button kit (I bought mine at JoAnn Fabrics along with most of the other products)
-waxed thread
-thimble
-needle - make sure your needle is long enough to make it through the headboard (front to back)
-gorilla glue
-staple gun and staples
-mattress pad(I bought two queen size mattress pads. Two kings would work too)
-nails
-thread
-batting
-plywood
-2x4's

Kohler headed to Home Depot and had the plywood cut and the 2x4's. We had the plywood cut for a king size bed which was 84wide by 48high. Kohler then had 2x4's cut to secure the headboard to the bed frame. The 2x4's are what gave the headboard the height. Our headboard stands about 64 inches off the ground.

Next, we measured where we wanted our buttons to go. I started from the top and measured 3 rows 7 inches apart. We did this on both sides and then nailed 6 tiny nails into the spots I penciled. To make it easier we wrapped thread along the nails so we could space the buttons out evenly. I spaced out 3 rows of 7 buttons wide which equals out to 21 buttons total. Kohler then drilled out 21 holes.

Next came cutting the foam the same size as the plywood. scissors works well for this or a razor blade. I laid the batting down then the mattress pad and then laid the plywood on top. You'll be using the nail gun for the next step. It's best if you have another hand to help pull the material tight while stapling the fabric to the back of the plywood.

Then the fun part....... the buttons. That was sarcasm....... I was ready to throw in the towel when it came to the buttons. super annoying and time consuming! The kits didn't work very well for me..... not sure why, could have been because my fabric was a bit thick. This is why I needed gorilla glue which worked perfect in the end. The button kit will explain how-to-use.

Putting the buttons on was pretty easy. I pushed the needle through the back to the front so I knew where the hole was. I then threaded the button with the waxed thread and pushed back through the hole and pulled tight (depending on how much of a pucker you want). Last I stapled, stapled and stapled.

I'm not sure how well I explained the process but if you have any questions feel free to message me and I'd be happy to help! There are a ton of videos online on how to make your own headboard so I highly recommend watching one of those if you're still needing help. Our DIY project was worth the labor and we are so happy with our finished product..... we think Merritt is too!