DIY Network

Upholstered Headboard Upholstered Headboard From "Material Girls" episode DMTG-104

In this segment, Marty and Solange paint Zoe's room pink and Paul's room yellow. Then Kelly and Marty get started on a headboard, which is made out of plywood, foam and batting and then covered with fabric.

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Room designed by Kelly Keener.

Materials:

tape measure
plywood (precut at home-improvement store)
upholstery foam
upholstery batting
fabric
lining fabric, if desired
electric drill
screws
staple gun
cording, braiding, trim or buttons, if desired
iron

1. Measure the bed frame and decide how wide and how tall to make the headboard. In general, the headboard is equal to, or slightly wider, than the width of the mattress (figure A). As for height, about 8" of the headboard should be visible above the pillows leaning against it (figure B).

2. Once the plywood is cut to designated size, cut a sheet of upholstery foam to the size of the wood frame plus 1". Lay the foam over the frame and tack it in three or four places with a staple gun, or secure it in place with spray adhesive (figure C).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

3. Cover the layer of foam with a sheet of upholstery batting. Cut it 2" to 4" larger than the size of the wood. Tack the batting to the back of the frame with staples (figure D), making sure that the top and side edges look smooth and even from the front (figure E).

Figure D

Figure E

4. Iron the outer layer of decorative fabric and smooth it facedown on the work area. Set the covered headboard face down on top of it. Cut the fabric the same size and shape, adding about 4' extra to wrap around the back of the headboard.

5. Starting at the center top, begin stapling the fabric to the back, making sure that any pattern on the fabric is properly centered and straight. Pull it just enough to get a smooth front, but not so much that it puckers.

6. Once you have about 12" of the top stapled, switch to the bottom edge. Smooth the fabric around the wood and staple several places on the bottom edge. Continue working in sections along the top and bottom. This might be a good time to lift up the headboard and check your progress before stapling the sides.

7. If everything looks good, set it down and begin to secure the fabric to the sides, folding over the outer sides and stapling the fabric to the back. Make sure the corners look neat from the front.

Figure F

8. Now the optional tufting process can start. Measure on the headboard the tufting placement and drill two holes about an inch apart to serve as a button guide (figure F). Turn the headboard to the back and, using an upholstery needle and thread, begin pushing the needle through the headboard to the predrilled holes. Attach the button and pull the needle to the back where the other hole is located. Continue this process a few times and knot.

9. If desired, staple a plain lining fabric onto the back of the headboard, covering all the raw edges of fabric, batting and foam.

10. Attach the tongue-and-groove to the wall and the back of the headboard and hang the headboard on the wall.

RESOURCES :

Waverly fabric (Zoe's headboard)
Product #666375 (Chatterbox Petal)
Product #66157 (Dot Dotz Petal)
Website: www.waverly.com