Nailed It

Freckles Chick recently posted this DIY nailhead headboard.  Im in love!  I know what my next DIY project will be!  Anyone could do this and make it totally customizable to their taste.

Making a fabric covered headboard has been on my list since the dawn of the blogosphere.

And you know what, no one ever told me that a fabric store could be so intoxicating. I totally did not take all the bolts of fabric (Damask, trellis, oh my!) , unraveled them onto the floor, and rolled around in them. Fully clothed, of course, because if I had been nekked, that would have just been weird. I mean, not that I did this.

Wait, what just happened........focus, FC, focus.

This project took me about 2 hrs (I think I aged 10 yrs making sure the nailhead trim was straight but SO worth it).

Materials (for a king-sized headboard):
- 3 yards of fabric (I splurged on a gorgeous mushroom-colored linen)
- 1/2 inch thick plywood cut to desirable size (Home Depot cut ours to 77 in. long x 36 in. tall)
- quilter's batting
- nailhead trim kit (available in the upholstery section of fabric store)
- staple gun
- hammer (for nailhead trim)
- scissors (for trimming fabric)

Fold batting to desired thickness, wrap around the plywood, and staple (watch your fingers) around perimeter to secure. Pull tautly as you go. Trim excess as needed. 

Lay your fabric facedown and place headboard on top. Starting in the middle , pull fabric taut and staple. I checked the front of the headboard every so often to make sure I didn't have any weird wrinkles.




Now for the detail--nailhead trim!! Again, I have to thank Emily for this embellishment idea. 
It's like, where have these been all my life?! I'm naming my first-born after you, Em.

It was a bit hellish to get the nail head trim to look straight, but after some choice cuss words and a Band-aid later, mission accomplished. So......the bed's not made nor did I style this shot.

Forgive me for keeping it honest. I was so thrilled with the finished product that I couldn't wait to snap a shot.

Haven't hung it yet; right now it's just leaning against the wall.

Edit: Being somewhat of a Type A personality, my method for making sure the nailhead trim was straight was to use a ruler to make little light pencil marks all the way around the headboard. Then I lined up my nailhead trim w/ the pencil marks as I pounded in the brads to secure the trim. And voila.

Also, there was a lot of stepping back and examining my work from afar, just to make sure. Hope that helps!

Update: A few readers have inquired as to how we'll hang the headboard. I'm planning on using Dusty's genius approach outlined here. Thanks D!

The approximate breakdown (for a king-sized headboard): 
linen: $24 (normally $14.99/yd but it was 50% off at my fabric store)
cotten batting: $15plywood: $19
nailhead trim kit: $15
staples/gun: already owned one
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TOTAL: $73