How to Make a Fabric Headboard on a Budget
Learn how to make a
Are you looking for a fun winter project? This is Suzy from Suzy’s Sitcom, and I’d love to share with you a beautiful tufted upholstered headboard project that is super budget friendly! My daughter made this for her bedroom (crafting runs in our family), and took photos of the process for me so I could show you how to make a fabric headboard.
An upholstered headboard adds height, style and comfort to your bedroom.
How to Make a Fabric Headboard on a Budget
As a young mother, my daughter doesn’t have a ton of money to spare, but wanted to make something nice for her bedroom. She chose teals and grays for her color scheme. Paired with flowy curtains, unique lamps, and pops of color, her bedroom came together beautifully.
The centerpiece is her beautiful, handmade upholstered headboard!
NOTE: The instructions for this particular headboard will fit a king sized bed. You can make adjustments to fit any size bed.
What you need:
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- 1 piece plywood, measuring 6′ x 4′
- 1 King size plush blanket (color of your choice)
- 1 or 2 Thick King sized comforters (found at the thrift store)- any color
- Upholstery Tacks
- Staple gun and staples
- Hammer
- Yard Stick
Instructions:
1. Assemble the blanket layers
The first step in learning how to make a fabric headboard is to use a large table to lay out the blankets. Begin by laying out the King sized plush blanket that you have chosen to be the exterior fabric. On top of the plush blanket, arrange the comforter. My daughter found her comforter at the thrift store for $5. That is a whole lot less than purchasing foam for the backboard, and why she went that route. (Depending upon how thick you would like the backboard, you might want to add a second comforter on top of the first).
2. Lay the plywood on top of the layers
My daughter had her plywood cut at the local Home Depot at 6 foot wide by 4 foot tall. That size will fit the end of a king sized bed well. Lay the plywood on top of the fabric layers.
3. Staple the fabric to the plywood
Fold the overhanging edges of the fabrics over the back of the plywood and using a staple gun, staple them in place. Do this on all four sides, folding the fabric at the corners and pulling it tight to fit around the wood.
4. Add Upholstery Tacks
Use a yardstick to measure and mark where the upholstery tacks will go. For this project, she placed the upholstery tacks 7″ apart. Use a hammer to put the tacks in place. This will result in a pretty tucked look.
Installation included mounting the upholstered headboard directly to the wall behind the bed.
Now you know how to make a fabric headboard on a budget! You’ll find that an upholstered headboard is really a great addition to any bedroom.
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Any tips on mounting the headboard to the wall?
There are several ways to mount it to the wall. I found a great tutorial here: https://www.aconcordcarpenter.com/mount-an-upholstered-headboard-to-the-wall.html
I have a curved king size headboard how would I use this same technique to cover the curves at the top of headboard?
Hi! Depending on how deep the curves are, you could probably pleat the fabric around those curves and staple in the back. I have not done a curved headboard and in the tutorial above, I created my own headboard with plywood. I don’t know how well this project would work on an existing headboard made of harder wood. If you do try it, let us know how it works!
suzy