DIY Planked Headboard

DIY Planked Headboard

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Hey guys! If you follow us on Instagram, you may have seen a sneak peak of this project (you may have even asked if the tutorial was up for it ;))

It took me longer than usual to get final pics (finding a time when my kids rooms are actually picked up is near impossible in the summer ) but I managed! This is the last of my 3 kiddos beds. If you missed the first two, you can see them HERE and HERE! I have held off on this room because I wasn’t sure exactly what design I wanted but surprisingly, I was inspired by a reclaimed wood floor that I spotted in a restaurant – go figure

*** Update – Free Printable Plans for this headboard are now available! Click the image below or HERE to print! And, a special thanks to Jay from Jay’s Custom Creations for creating the printable version of these plans!

So, I came home and got to work! This is seriously such an easy headboard to build. There’s really no wrong way to do it but here’s what I came up with This headboard is for a full mattress but very easy to convert to add width or subtract for another size.

I started with a piece of 1/4″ Purebond Plywood that I had Home Depot rip down at 37.5″x52″. You can read all about why we LOVE Purebond Plywood

HERE!

Next, I started cutting planks. This is a great project to use your scraps on! I chose 1×2, 1×4 and 1×6 boards and you can see in this picture that I alternated them. I put a 1×4 between each row. The first cut you make doesn’t matter, just make sure to stagger your joints as you go. I also tried to use longer pieces under rows where I used shorter pieces. The planks will fit flush around the edges of the plywood so that it is completely covered.

Next, I stained each of the boards using 4 of my favorite Varathane stains – Wheat, Early American, Dark Walnut and Kona (you can find the stains HERE on Amazon). Again, no rhyme or reason to the pattern, I just tried my best to mix them up so the same colors didn’t touch. Try to keep the pieces close to their original spots to save a headache *** To stain these, I used a foam brush (one per color) and wiped on one-coat, let the stain sit for about 5 minutes then wiped it with a clean cloth.

Once the stain dried, I used my Ryobi Corner Cat Sander to distress the edges of the planks.

Then, I glued each plank onto it’s spot on the plywood

and placed them exactly where I wanted them. You can move them around a bit while the glue is drying.

Once they were where I wanted, I used my Ryobi Airstrike Nailer to shoot 1-inch nails through each of the planks – at least get a few on the ends of each plank and the center.

Once the glue was dry, I drilled 1 1/2″ Kreg Jig pocket holes into the back sides of the planked headboard (this will help attach the legs).

Then, I attached the legs with 2″ Kreg screws (the pocket holes are circled in the pictures). The legs are 2×6 boards cut at 53″. I stained the boards before attaching them to the headboard. You can use any stain for the legs, I chose Dark Walnut for mine.

Progress so far!

To dress the top up a bit, I applied a line of Gorilla Glue wood glue along the top of the headboard

and used my Ryobi Airstirke Nailer with 1 1/4″ brad nails to attach a 1×3 to the top. (the 1×3 trim is cut at 65″ and centered on the headboard so that there is an overhang on the front and back side.

For the top trim, I attached a 2×4 board, cut at 67″, with 2 1/2″ spax wood screws and wood glue. I like to use my impact driver when I’m drilling into 2x boards – saves the arms! You can also use your drill for this part! This board is centered on the 1×3 so that there is an overhang on the front and back and there will also be a 1″ overhang on each end.

Here is the headboard with the trim pieces. I do recommend staining the trim pieces before you attach them – apparently I was just too darn excited to get this sucker done It was a pain to stain it after.

I also distressed the legs once the stain was dry.

Woohoo!!!!! One last finishing touch!

What I loved so much about the restaurant floor was the exposed nail heads on each plank. So, I picked up a package of nickel thumb tacks at Home Depot – athey did the trick

I just hammered them in to the corners of each plank. This part doesn’t have to be perfect, just eye ball it. I did off-set mine from plank to plank.

Now, all of my kiddos have their mattresses up off of the floor and on really cute (cool for my boys) custom beds And, the best part is….I can start on mine!!!!! I found the quilt at Pottery Barn Teen but I don’t think it is available anymore. You can look at their quilts HERE!

I do love the platform bed that I designed for this headboard and you can find the Free Plans for that as well HERE!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Ashley

Here are the beds that I build for our other kiddos

Twin storage bed for my daughter

Platform Bed on Wheels for my teen son

Original article and pictures take www.shanty-2-chic.com site