Designing

Make Your Own Headboard

Give your bedroom a whole new look for about $250.

Designer: Kathie Chrisicos, Chrisicos Interiors, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, 617-699-9462, chrisicos.com.

By Elizabeth Gehrman

March 22, 2009

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When Mia Cameron of Roxbury fell in love with a bed that cost $7,000, she asked designer Kathie Chrisicos if she could do something similar without having to take out a second mortgage. Chrisicos answered with this elegant fabric headboard, which took a weekend to build and cost about $256, not including labor.

Cameron wanted a white quilt with an ebony frame, but you can personalize your headboard to match your style. "If you're a romantic," Chrisicos says, "you might want to pick a trim with more detail. For a classical style, make the headboard lower by using two doors stacked horizontally instead of three aligned vertically."

Keep in mind the proportions of your bed when choosing your headboard height. The only rule is to pick a quilt that you won't get tired of.

This headboard is designed for a king-size bed. It will be 4 inches larger on each side to account for bedding. "I love the custom look and feel of a fabric headboard," the designer says. "It adds a dimension of softness to your retreat, and the look is timeless."

Step 1: To prepare trim to cover edges of doors and provide a finished look for the front of the headboard, stain all eight pieces of pine in advance, following the instructions on the container. Each coat takes at least eight hours to set completely; keep drying time to a minimum by working on a day with low humidity. Once trim is completely dry, start making the headboard.

Step 2: Align three doors side-by-side on the floor of the bedroom, and connect them by screwing metal tie plates on the face of doors with wood screws, using three plates per seam, evenly spaced (top, middle, bottom).

Step 3: Place four pieces of trim on the floor around the doors, 1-inch side touching the floor, making a box around the doors; use finish nails to attach. This will provide both a finish for outer edge of headboard and a base on which to attach front trim later.

Step 4: Measure wall against which the headboard will rest and, using the stud finder, mark studs with pencil. Lean connected doors against wall in position and secure them with a screw gun along top and in middle, using two or three drywall screws per door, depending on stud placement.

Step 5: Protect walls by taping newspaper to them. Following directions on can, coat the doors with spray adhesive so you can attach the batting. Starting 1 inch from bottom and one side of doors, unroll batting upward, smoothing out bubbles along the way and stopping 1 inch from top edge. Since the 46- or 54-inch batting won't reach all the way across the three doors, repeat procedure with a second piece of batting, cut to fit, staying an inch from edge of doors all around.

Step 6: Trim quilt so it's the same size as connected doors and fits within the trim frame. According to package directions, coat front and back of the quilt with Fray Check to keep edges from fraying, and let dry. Staple quilt to doors over batting, keeping staples within 1 inch of edges and pulling it fairly tight.

Step 7: Cover quilt's cut and stapled edges by measuring the remaining four pieces of stained pine trim and cutting wood to fit on the front of the headboard. Use finish nails to attach this remaining trim to the outer trim, creating a frame. Sink nails to hide their heads, putty any holes created, then touch up the stain.