Budget Friendly Designer Headboard

When reader, Alan Garner-Savory, asked for an article on how to make a padded headboard with buttons, The Home Handyman duly obliged.

- By Matt Andries

My wife and I recently purchased a new king-sized bed, and we IV were thrilled to trade in our old queen size, but that also meant we needed to get a new headboard as well... My wife went out shopping and found a nice fabric 'tufted' headboard for over R10 000! After finding out that a 'tuft was just a button, I a was shocked at the cost. I convinced my wife to let me try building one similar in an effort to keep my hard-earned money in my pocket. Trust me, this was an easy project and I spent less than R750 total!

For this project you will need some basic tools and materials:

• Tools: Drill, drill bits, screwdriver bits, staple gun and staples, upholstery needle, circular saw (a chop saw or mitre saw is nice for cutting the supports but is not necessary).

• Materials: 1220mm x 2400mm sheet of plywood or MDF, wood for the frame, wood screws, padding, fabric, button kit, wax thread, staples.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: The nice part of building your own headboard is that you can make it whatever size you want. You will want to take measurements to determine exactly what you want and make yourself a quick reference drawing.

Here are a couple of things to consider:

• How tall do you want the headboard to extend past the surface of your mattress?

• Do you want the headboard to overhang the sides of the mattress?

• What is the hole spacing on your bed frame?