DIY Arched Upholstered Headboard
When I was planning the guestroom I knew I wanted an upholstered headboard and really loved the idea of an arched one. I scoured the internet for a tutorial on how to make one or even one to buy but I came up empty. The only one I found that close was this one but it was $1800.00!So in true DIY fashion, I determined the only option was to make my own.The supplies and tools you will need to make this Queen-sized arched headboard are:-One sheet of 3/4" plywood that is at least 5' wide ($37 from Home Depot)-2" thick foam from your local fabric store (About $40)-1 meter of Quilt batting ($20)-2 meters of an upholstery fabric of your choice. ($20-$50 depending on the fabric) The one I used was this floral fabric from Spoonflower.-A Jigsaw-A Staple gun (manual or electric)-A Drill (for attaching headboard legs) I had some plywood in our garage, so I got to work right away.
First I determined the height I wanted the headboard to be and used the old pencil on a string trick to draw my arch. Based on the size of our guestroom and the details on the wall I wanted to highlight I choose 38" for the arch height.
Now here's where it gets a bit more technical. If you just want a semicircle shape then you would tack your string-and-pen contraption to the bottom of your wood, but to make a true arch you will have to move your tack and string up a bit to create the sides of your arch. I realized this after I took the above picture but you can see in the picture below where my tack is positioned.
Here is a scribbly description with the measurements I used, that might explain it a bit better.
So decide what shape you want to create use the string and tack method and draw your outline.
Then cut it out with a jigsaw.
I was being frugal using the wood I had on hand so you can see I have two pieces put together to make my arch but 1 solid piece is preferable.The jigsaw will leave a few rough edges so, next sand down all the edges to create a smooth arch.
As I mentioned I had two wood pieces so then I used some 1x3 pine boards to screw them together from the back. If you have one solid board, skip this step.Then bring your board inside and layout the foam on top. Use a knife to cut the foam to the same shape as the board.
Glue the foam onto the wood. (spray adhesive or hot glue will work) And continue patching together an arch shape of foam. This can look quite patchworky just cover all the wood. Again a solid piece of foam is ideal but the store I went to only sold long skinny cuts so this is what I had to work with. (I have made several headboards and once the batting and fabric are on you cannot tell that the foam is separate pieces.)
Next, cover your foam in quilt batting. The batting gives an extra layer of softness and also covers an inconsistency in the foam placement-hence why the patchwork method is ok.
Flip the board and batting over and staple it to the wood. Batting will stretch and rip easily so only pull it gently around the edge and staple it in place.
Next, layout your fabric with the pattern facing down and begin to staple it in place.
This was my first time upholstering an arch so I did a practice round with basic white sheeting fabric first. This is the part where you want to pull the fabric as tight as you can so that there are no wrinkles or odd bunching.I started by stapling the top of my arch and then the bottom middle edge.Then I worked my way out to the bottom of the headboard.Once I secured the bottom I moved to the sides and I would secure a few inches on one side and then a few inches on the other.I did this about halfway up the sides and then I started working down from the top of the arch doing the same technique of securing a few inches on either side and then switching. I did this until all edges were secure.I found this method worked great to keep the fabric nice and tight and helped avoid any bunching on the curved edges.
The step not pictured is attaching the legs. I just screwed on two 1x3 pine boards to the back. The height of these will vary depending on how tall your bed frame is and how high you want it to rest on the wall. I made mine so that the headboard goes below the mattress a couple of inches.And here she is! I'm so proud of this beauty. I really hope you give this arched headboard a try! Cutting the arch takes a little bit of patience with the jigsaw but this is a very beginner-friendly DIY!
And one more glamor shot in her new room!
SHOP THE GUESTROOM
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If you missed the guest room reveal catch up here! And if you have any questions about this tutorial drop them below!And if you are ready to make a bold or neutral room transformation grab some paint samples from my go-to paint sample company Samplize and get started!