Plywood Headboard Projects

Padded Headboard

• A padded headboard can be made with any type of fabric, but sturdy upholstery fabric will last longer. Any pattern or style will work; try polka dots for a whimsical room or leather-like fabric for a formal look. Plywood is cut to fit the bed and foam or batting is attached with spray adhesive. Fabric is stretched over the padding and stapled to the back of the plywood. Alternatively, you can pad both sides to protect your wall, sew two fabric pieces together on three sides and pull it over the headboard. The headboard can be further embellished with tufting, decorative upholstery tacks or wood trim.

Wallpaper

• A wallpaper headboard project only requires an hour or two to complete. You simply cut the plywood to the size of your bed, stick wallpaper directly onto the plywood and seal with polyurethane. Use wallpaper with self-adhesive backing so you don't have to worry with messy wallpaper paste; the adhesive on the back activates when you get it wet. Take extra care when placing the wallpaper to make sure the patterns line up from one sheet to the next. This means cutting the pieces several inches longer than needed. If you have extra wallpaper from a master bathroom remodeling, use it for the headboard project -- it's a good way to visually link the bathroom and bedroom of a master suite.

Scrap Wood

• Using scrap wood for your plywood headboard gives you the look of expensive wood at a fraction of the cost. Cover the plywood with wood paneling or tongue-and-groove boards held in place with wood glue. You can use wood paneling that you recently removed from another room during a remodel. If you have upgraded to hardwood floors and have scrap pieces left over, the pieces will work very well for this type of headboard. Stain some scrap wood to match the finish and tack it on around the edges to make a border that hides the plywood underneath. You can also attach narrow strips of wood in a grid pattern over a padded fabric headboard to add texture and dimension.

Decoupage

• Decoupage, the art of decorating a surface with paper cutouts, allows you to personalize a headboard to fit a range of styles or interests. Cut flower pictures from gardening catalogs to create a romantic headboard. A headboard covered in newspaper clips is ideal for the budding journalist in your family. Young kids' artwork can take center stage on the headboard if you decoupage their drawings and coloring pages. First, cut the images you would like to use and then arrange them on the headboard. Placing them close together or overlapping the paper produces the best effect. Brush a decoupage medium, such as Mod Podge or watery white glue, onto the headboard and cover with the paper. Brush more decoupage medium over each piece of paper after it has been placed on the board.