Upholstered Headboard: DIY for under $60

Hey Friends! I've been SUPER busy the past few weeks, hence why this baby of mine has fallen by the wayside. Thank God it's not a human baby, or I would definitely be the worst mama ever. Anyway, I wanted to drop in really quickly to share with you a recent DIY that I did that I think many of you would be interested in.

I mentioned we've been busy; my parents are in the process of renovating and clearing out my grandparents home of 40+ years, so that they can move in. The close on their house at the end of this month and it's been a very quick process and a TON of work. I've been trying to help out a lot. During that process, we managed to get ahold of a new-to-us bed. Only problem, aside from needing a new comforter + sheets in a larger size, was that I needed a new headboard to accommodate the size of the new bed. I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on a new headboard, and  I'd made our other headboard, so I figured I just make another. The last time I made it I didn't take any pictures and therefore couldn't really provide a tutorial. I'll warn you that this tutorial doesn't include great pictures, but they'll do the trick. I'm horrible about remembering to photograph steps during a DIY project because I'm impatient and like to get it done.

This headboard cost less than $60 to make and took about an hour, maybe a little more if you include shopping for supplies. The supplies needed are:

* A sheet of MDF {or plywood} cut to size {free at Lowe's}: ~$30
* 1 6x9ft Canvas Painters Drop Cloth: $10 at Walmart
* 1 Foam Mattress pad {cut to fit}: ~$8at Walmart
* 1 package of quilt batting: ~$5 at Walmart
* Staple gun + staples
* Scissors
* Additional wood for the legs OR D-ring hooks + wall anchors, OR bolts {see step 6 below}: $0 for us because we used bolts we had on hand

HOW TO MAKE AN UPHOLSTERED HEADBOARD

Step 1: Wash + dry your canvas drop cloth. This will lighten it SLIGHTLY and it will make it MUCH softer than it is when you immediately open it from packaging. If you want, you can also bleach it. Tutorials for that can be found on Pinterest. I did NOT bleach mine because I didn't want it super light.

Step 2: Attach the foam mattress pad to the piece of MDF {or plywood} by wrapping the edges around the sides, pulling it taut, and stapling them to the backside of the piece of wood. I had to cut some of the excess and add it to one end where I was short a bit. {That should only be the case if you're doing anything larger than a Queen}.

Step 3: Attach the batting over top of the foam pad in the exact same format. Pull it taut so that you don't have any uneven areas on your headboard. You will have excess batting, so just cut it off and use for another project or toss it.

Step 4: In the same manner as above, wrap + staple your canvas cloth over the foam + batting. Be sure to pull it taut as you go to create a smooth surface on your headboard. You don't want bubbles or waves in your final product. Don't be shy with the staples either, you don't want anything budging.

Step 5: Cut off any excess fabric, batting, or foam from the back side of the headboard. The final product should look similar to this. You can stop here + hang the headboard directly on the wall using D-ring hooks + heavy duty wall anchors or follow what we did in step 6.

Step 6: Measure the holes on your frame where you would normally attach a headboard. Then drill holes that distance apart in the bottom of your headboard. Use large bolts to attach your headboard directly to the frame. It will be a little top heavy, but if it's attached tightly and it's directly against the wall, it shouldn't be a problem. You will need 2 people to do this step.

BEFORE

{Ignore this HORRIBLE picture quality}

AFTER

I'm SO happy! For under $60, we have a brand new upholstered headboard! I hope that some of you are able to use this to create a beautiful headboard on a budget! If you have any further questions about how I created this look, please shoot me a message on FB or Instagram! Have a fabulous Tuesday, friends and thanks for stopping by! XO!