Apartment Headboard

Customize a headboard to suit your needs and decor.

Materials:

4' x 4' sheet birch plywood
router (optional)
3/4" round over bit for router
straightedge
pencil
masking tape
sandpaper
paper towels
interior latex satin paint
semi-gloss polyurethane
power drill

Steps:

1. Have a lumber yard cut a piece of 3/4-inch birch plywood into a piece that measures 4' x 4'.
2. For the featured headboard, the edges were routered on three sides, excluding the bottom, with the 3/4-inch round over bit. You can skip this step, it will still look great. If you have a router it only takes a minute and it will add a nice look to the headboard. Take a moment, think it over....long enough, we're on to the next step!
3. Measure in four inches on three sides. Using a straightedge, draw a line. Mask -off the inside portion of the board. This will be the field of black, and the edge will be a four inch border that will be left natural. Using a roller and the latex paint, paint the inside portion of the headboard, (it will take two coats of paint !). Make sure that the masking tape is pressed down firmly to avoid seepage. Remove the tape right after the last coat of paint has been applied and allow to dry thoroughly .
4. For the final step, coat the entire headboad with two or three coats of semi-gloss water-based polyurethane. Lightly sand between coats.
5. Place the headboard in position on your bed frame (have a friend help with this ), and make a mark where the holes in the frame meet the headboard. Drill a hole and attach with appropriate sized bolts, washers,and nuts. Each frame has a different size hole, so experiment with bolt sizes and don't forget to use washers.

Note: Place felt tabs on the back of the headboard so that it won't mark the wall.

Headboard and Bed Sizing

Many people are unsure of how large to make projects, depending on the size of bed they wish to build. Headboards are generally made to extend two to four inches out from each side of a mattress (depending on personal preference and the amount of room space). If the headboard is to be attached to the wall, there is more flexibility for the width. If a headboard is to be attached to a metal bed frame, be sure that the headboard supports are placed correctly based on the width of your particular frame. For projects such as the platform bed, be sure to add at least four inches to the length of the mattress for the finished platform size.

Mattress Sizes :

Crib: 27" x 52"
Twin: 39" x 75"
Full: 54" x 75"
Queen: 60" x 80"
King: 76" x 80"