Monday, August 19, 2013

DIY Fabric Headboard with Nailhead Detailed Arms

This post has been moved to my new blog, MoneyFitMoms.com. Find it here:

How to DIY Fabric Headboard with Tufted Buttons — Save Money!


 


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55 comments:

  1. This looks SO good. I am beyond impressed. I have never done a DIY project before, but I'm about to move, so I've started thinking about updating my armoire and reupholstering an old chair when I get to the new place...

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    1. Do it! I painted my armoire and reupholstered an ottoman here:
      http://www.moneyhipmamas.com/2013/07/diy-home-makeover-living-room.html.
      I must warn you, though, DIY-ing is addicting. Once you do one project successfully, you can't stop yourself from doing another...and another...

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  2. The headboard is amazing (I can't imagine making that) but I want to know more about the molding on the walls. It really makes the room look custom designed and finished. Any tips? What was your inspiration?

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    1. I'll post more detail about how we did the moulding soon. It's not too difficult, but definitely takes time. My inspiration was from the Restoration Hardware catalog.
      See here: http://media.restorationhardware.com/is/image/rhis/sp13ss_026_sanfrancisco_dn?fmt=jpeg&iccEmbed=0&resMode=sharp2&wid=1000&op_usm=1,1,6,0&op_sharpen=0&qty=90,0

      And here: http://media.restorationhardware.com/is/image/rhis/sp13ss_008_paris_bed?fmt=jpeg&iccEmbed=0&resMode=sharp2&wid=1000&op_usm=1,1,6,0&op_sharpen=0&qty=90,0

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  3. Lisa you are so awesome. I see these kind of DIY on Pinterest, and I'm just too lazy!! (And we live in a rental while my husband is in Medical school so we aren't really investing in furniture and stuff right now). I just want you to know you are so cool.

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    1. Haha, you're so sweet. Truth be told, I didn't decorate our apartments AT ALL (our side tables: moving boxes covered with sheets--seriously). And I'm actually glad I waited a while to decorate our house because it took me a while to figure out how I wanted everything arranged.

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  4. Looks great! So how do you make the buttons? Do you remember the name of the ikea curtains you used? Where do you buy the nail heads.? Sorry so many questions!

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    1. Hey Bri, my headboard was queen sized and I bought a "Full" sized mattress foam pad and it was just right. I had to trim a bit but there was just enough to cover the headboard.

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    2. Forgot to mention, the curtains were just barely wide enough for the headboard (within an inch or two on each side), but it worked. Just to warn you so you don't freak out. But if you use a thicker foam pad, it might not work. Or you'd have to make the headboard a bit shorter (which is fine, just made the legs the same length--the bed itself covers a fair amount of the headboard). Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions!

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  5. Is there a reason you used a memory foam mattress topper and not regular crafting foam? The headboard looks great by the way!

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  6. Thanks Jade! I actually looked for regular foam in the right size but in my search, the memory foam was actually cheaper. So if you can find regular foam at a good price, do it! Thanks for the comment!

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  7. What kind of wood did you use for the headboard? Is there a specific kind you should use as opposed to others?

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    1. The big, main back is plywood. The legs are just standard lumbar you buy from any home improvement store. Good luck with your headboard!

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  8. Hi! Beautiful (and inspirational) work! I have an existing head/footboard set that I'm just plain tired of! I was wondering, do you think it's feasible to cover an existing headboard in a similar fashion to what you did with your project? Thank you in advance!

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    1. I think it's definitely feasible. I did a similar thing when I re-upholstered an ottoman. The tricky thing is you'd need to be able to drill holes through it, both to put the buttons on and if you what to attach arms to the headboard like this one. But definitely do-able!

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  9. Hi lisa, love your headboard! I just gathered most of my supplies today and waiting for buttons and nail heads in the mail :) i have some questions for you. This is my very first DIY project ever and i am a bit intimidated. When framing the plywood, did u use a certain GLUE or did you NAIL it? The Ikea curtains you used, were the measurements 55x98 or 55x118 ? I have grey curtains from Ikea i want to use they are 55x98. Was there a certain type of batting that you used? Also how did you locate your holes (that were drilled into the Plywood) through the foam fabric and batting? Did you mark the holes on your fabric as well?? Also Will I be okay making my winged arms a little bit longer the 60"? My frame is raised so i thought i needed to make the winged arms 64".

    Sorry for all the questions and thank you in advance for your time. Pray for me!

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    2. One more thing. Will i be okay using a regular hammer to apply the Nailheads or do i have to purchase a nailhead hammer if so any recommendations

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    3. Hi! Thanks for the comment. First of all--I'm sure you'll do great. This was only my second DIY Upholstery project, the first being an ottoman (and all I really learned from that is that trying to gather fabric for the buttons is a nightmare and not worth the trouble--which is why I didn't bother this time). Anyway, to answer your questions:
      - We framed the plywood using nails.
      - The IKEA curtains I used were 55x98. The 98 isn't the problem, it's the 55. It was just barely, barely, BARELY wide enough to cover the height of the headboard. But it worked!
      - I used normal, medium weight batting from the fabric store.
      - We marked where the holes needed to go on the fabric itself, then used scissors to make a hole in the fabric and batting, then marked the holes again on the board itself before drilling. FYI- Attaching the arms in the trickiest part; you have to clear out enough fabric so the screw won't snag (and get tangled), but you don't want to clear away too much (otherwise it'll show once the arms are put in). Not sure if that makes sense.
      - And yes, you can make the arms as long as you want. That part is totally adaptable.
      - And yes, I used a regular hammer. The nailheads I used had the "hammered" look so I used just the hammer and nothing else, but if you're using a smooth nailhead, you might want to cover it with felt or something so the hammer doesn't damage the nailhead.

      Good luck! Good thoughts and prayers for you! :)

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    4. Oh man, I may have to reconsider using the curtains. May i ask you what size(thickness) was the memory foam you used? I just want to make sure that my foam isn't thicker then yours, leaving me with less wiggle room with the fabric.

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    5. My foam mattress pad was 1 inch thick so any thicker and yes, you may need a wider piece of fabric (although...I guess you could add a strip to the bottom to widen it since you don't see the bottom part of the headboard due to the mattress).

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    6. Okay thank you for your input, my foam is 1 inch thick as well. Im going to give it a shot.

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  10. Hi Lisa, I live this project, looks amazing! I'm hoping to start my attempt soon just waiting for my items in the post :) I was wondering what are the measurements in-between the buttons? Thank you, Vicky

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    1. Hey Vicky! The buttons are 7.5" apart, as are the rows themselves. It was a little work to sketch out beforehand to make sure the buttons would be centered once you add the arms and everything. I started by drawing lines across the board to mark each row (7.5" apart--starting at the top). Then I went back and marked where the buttons would go on each row. The second row from the top has an odd number of buttons, so start there (and work your way out) because you'll want to make sure the center button is in the very center of the board.

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  11. Oh my! My husband is going to be angry I saw this! 🔨🔩

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    1. Haha, I know what you mean. It's like when we did our bathroom remodel and I decided I had to have almost a thousand individual subway tiles. My husband was not thrilled, as he is my tile guy. :)

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  12. That is awesome! Did you do anything to mount it to the wall or is it just propped up behind the bed?

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    1. Yep. The legs support the headboard, so we just pushed the bed frame up against the headboard and it holds it up nicely. The headboard doesn't budge. Thanks for reading!

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  13. Where did you get your nightstands?

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    1. IKEA. I've had them for years and still love them. They look great and the drawer rollers are super smooth.

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  14. What size is this headboard? And how big was the piece of plywood you used?

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    1. Hi Taylor, we followed Sarah dorsey designs' instructions, which make a queen-sized headboard. The plywood was 62 1/2" x 48 1/2" (1/2").

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  15. Yay I finished mine a couple of days ago, it's awesome, thanks for inspiring me to attempt it, I've never done a DIY project this big, I used a different method to put the fabric on but followed your instructions for everything else, Thanks Lisa :)

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    1. Yes, Vicky!! Thank you for the update! You're the first person to comment and let me know you completed it. What did you do differently with the fabric? Any tips for readers who attempt this in the future?

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  16. Thanks Lisa :) I found a video on YouTube, instead of securing the fabric then putting the buttons on, I left the fabric loose and put the buttons on first, starting with the middle and working out in a circular pattern, it seems a hard way of doing it but it's not as hard as it looks honestly. Here's the link for the YouTube video I used, (the videos for a different shape headboard but can be used for this shape to) http://youtu.be/Nyd5QhiFNIU

    Here's my finished project, I hope you can see I'm not sure if I can attach a pic :/

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  17. Hi Lisa! Definitely want to attempt this project. We just got a Cali king... Any suggestions for the measurements of the headboard? And would we need to use a king size memory foam? Thx!

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    1. Yeah, I'm not sure. I've never had a California King. You'd have to do some research on the measurements. And yes, you'll need a larger foam. I'm not sure if you'd need a CA king. It depends on how tall and wide your headboard is. For example, my headboard is for a queen size bed, but the measurements worked out for getting a full sized memory foam pad.

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  18. Hi! What were the measurements between your buttons?

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    1. Also do u staple the fabric before or after adding the buttons?

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    2. Hey Shayla! All the rows of buttons are 7.5" apart and the buttons themselves are also 7.5" apart along those rows. Good luck!

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    3. I stapled the fabric before adding the buttons, but I'm pretty sure there are other methods out there, so you probably want to look around.

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    4. Thanks. Do you staple the fabric before or after doing the buttons

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  19. Hi everyone! I've actually been doing various headboards like these for a couple years, before Pinterest's time, and now I make them for many of my clients. A couple of thoughts from my experience:

    1. Don't use IKEA curtains. I love all things IKEA, but sometimes you gotta splurge on real fabric. I know they are cheap, but it's because they're CHEAP. After time of pressure against the headboard and general use, the fabric may start to become loose and saggy because the fabric's too thin and weak to hold such a tightly pulled shape. The buttons will also enventuqlly become looser.

    2. Just use premade upholstery nail tacks for the "hammered nail" look. No reason to indivuslly hammer in decorative nails.

    3. A little twist that had been particularly popular with my clients- loose the arms and do a wood framed headboard. Wood frame=classic, covered arms=modern. All depends on the overall style of your home. Build an empty frame first, then the headboard separately, and then simply place the headboard into the frame. (I won't post my tutorial since this isn't my blog but you can find similar ones and mine on Pinterest.)

    4. Money! Do splurge and get quality fabric, even upholstery fabric! Don't waste a ton of money on wood and other supplies. With the wood frame, you can buy cheap pine or another white wood and simply stain it to a perfect shade for you. Stain is around 10 bucks. With the armed headboard shown in this blog, for the back itself, $11.88 plywood from home depot does the job. It's not weight-bearing furniture, so why spend money on an expensive wood when you don't need to? The 11.88 sheets I get are more than big enough for even king beds, and homedepot with cut it down for you free of charge to your exact measurements. (Use thicker, but not expensive, actual wood for the arms since they are the support.) Last- foam. Target has $20 king size foam pads from Room Essentials. The perfect amount of padding once you add on batting. Buy the king, use scissors to cut it to what you need. Basically the only thing that should be even remotely costly is the fabric. And even then, seriously, every week, just good Hobby Lobby coupon or Jo Ann's coupon. Invest in quality there! You don't want to have to undo the whole project and re upholster every six months because the cheap fabric can't hold up.

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  20. What size holes did you drill for your buttons?

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    1. I don't remember which size. It was a larger one so that I could work with them easier, but obviously not huge enough that anything besides thread would be pulled through.

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  21. Hey there! How did you wrap the side pieces in fabric? Did you also staple?

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    1. Hey Hilary! Yes, folded and stapled. Sarah m Dorsey designs (the tutorial I linked to) has a good picture of how she folded it on top.

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  22. Replies
    1. The batting goes in between the foam and the fabric. It makes the headboard more plush. It especially helps at the top of the headboard to make a nice, rounded edge.

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  23. I found your link through Pinterest and I'm so glad I did! I bought pretty much all supplies you had linked, except the fabric, and I followed all of your tips (I am especially grateful for the one about how you secured the buttons). Thanks so much for posting this! I found it super helpful.

    http://jeffandtheresa.net

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  24. I just want to add something about that 54" fabric not being quite enough. You can't do what I'm going to suggest if you don't have a sewing machine.
    If that 54" isn't enough for being able to pull to the back, yet, goes over to the back by just scant inch (s). You need to add an additional fabric to make that 54" into 60 plus or whatever addition you feel comfortable with, the excess can be cut after pulling tight and then stapling. This doesn't need to match but it will give you something to pull taught for stapling. If it were me, I'd add that extra piece to the bottom since it will be covered with the mattress. If you have a question or more clarification: pettifour@yahoo.com

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  25. Hi Lisa, I hope you're still enjoying your master bedroom! Thanks for sharing the instructions for the headboard. I'm redoing my daughter's room and will be making one for her. I read all 3 parts of your master make-over! And love it! ...just thought I'd make a tiny suggestion for you to add even more light and sparkle. Consider adding mirrors to the drawer fronts and tops of your side chests. I recently did this to a chest in my guest room and it looks fabulous! I brought the piece into a local glass and mirror company and they cut everything to size, polished the edges AND mounted the drawer fronts for me!! The top is just resting on the top to give me the with and without option of the top mirror. ...Anyway, thanks again! :-D

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    1. That sounds awesome! I'd love to see a photo when you're done! Thanks for the tip. :)

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