DIY rustic wood headboard

I made a rustic wood headboard for our bed and I wanted to share all the details with you today.

I’m a guest participant in the One Room Challenge. This is a event that happens twice a year and it’s really fun. You get 6 weeks to makeover a space and give your updates each week. I chose our master bedroom as my makeover project. And the transformation has been fun.

Six weeks is not a long time to makeover a space and I am a big believer in our homes being transformed over a long period of time but I also believe that sometimes we (I) can procrastinate and take too long to make decisions. Sometimes we (I) just have to make a decision and commit to it. And this was the case for me and this headboard project.

We recently got a new king size bed and had no use for our beautiful, queen size Charles P. Rogers iron headboard. I was sad to see this pretty piece go but it was a good opportunity to get something new. I wanted a headboard only, but I was debating on the style. There are so many headboards out there. I love the tufted fabric, shiplap, and even another wrought iron one would be pretty. But I wanted something unique and one-of-a-kind so I decided to make one. And since I’ve been making wood signs, I used the same technique and turned it into a headboard.

My (very professional) sketch and measurements.

The materials:

• Piece of wood for the headboard – I found a piece of wood that was the perfect size – 72″ long and 24″ high. It was called painter grade and it looked like it was constructed by a lot of different pieces. This was fine since I would be painting it anyway.
• Side pieces and support pieces. I used common board for the side pieces – each was 7″ wide and I used 2×4″s for the support pieces. I put a center piece in for support too. The side and center piece of common board was 28″ high as this was a good height for our bed. The 2×4″s were longer (48″) to extended the length of the side pieces and up onto the headboard.
• 2″ wood screws
• paint – I used Ben Moore white along with gray, brown and teal for distressing
• 4 – 6 foot wood garden stakes
• pecan oil based stain
• nails for the frame
• wood glue
• sandpaper/sander

And the details:

I cut all the wood according to my measurements and sanded them down, except for the 2×4″s.

Next I painted the headboard and 2 side pieces with two coats of white paint.

I let the pieces dry then I added random brush strokes of my additional colors. I also added a few notches with the edge of a hammer to add to the distressed look. After all the paint was dry, I used my sander to sand it all down and remove a lot of the paint. As you can see, I remove A LOT of it. This way to looks worn over time.

To construct the piece, I turned the headboard over and lined up the side and center piece then place a 2×4″ over each. Be sure to line these up so the bottoms are even.

Then I used the wood glue and screws to attach the support pieces to the headboard.

Here’s how it looks when all together.

While it’s all drying, I cut the wood garden stakes down for the framing.I love the garden stakes instead of wood trim pieces because they have more imperfections and they’re much, much cheaper. I overlap the frame pieces at the corners versus cutting them at angles – adding to the rustic look. I sanded and stained the pieces and let them dry. The oil based stain takes a little longer to dry but I love this color. Once they’re dry, I attach them to the edges with wood glue and nails.

That’s it!! A new rustic wood headboard!

I placed it behind our bed and decided not to attach it to the bed. It was well supported and the bed held it in place. I just added some furniture pads to the back of each support piece so it doesn’t scratch up the wall.

I love how it looks and it doesn’t take up any additional space in the room.

And it’s one-of-a-kind! I stressed over this project a bit. Mostly because it was such a big piece. But once I figured the measurements and took it one step at a time, it was actually pretty easy and I felt such a sense of accomplishment.

So if you have a big project you’re been wanting to try but are a little hesitant, plan it out, take it slow and you can do it. And don’t procrastinate. Have a great weekend!!