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Finding the perfect headboard is easy. Finding the perfectly priced headboard is hard. I’ve been looking and looking for a tufted headboard that won’t break the bank and I came up with nothing. Then one day I was sitting in my living staring at a big cardboard box our 50″ TV came in. I remembered seeing a headboard made from cardboard on Pinterest and jumped at the idea.
Supplies
- A big piece of cardboard
- 2 yards of batting (for a king sized headboard)
- 2 yards of fabric (for a king)
- Staple gun & staples
- Button cover kit (and refills if needed)
- Needle & thread
- Tough string (I used hemp)
- Thumbtacks (for hanging on the wall)
So the first thing you need to do is cut your cardboard the width of your bed and the height you want it. Mine is about 2 feet tall and 76 inches wide.
Since it needed to be 76 inches wide I had to cut two different pieces out of the cardboard and duck tape them together. It’s best to use one piece but in my case I didn’t have a piece of cardboard big enough.
Next, you put the batting around one side of the cardboard and wrap it around the sides then staple it down with your staple gun. Don’t pull it too tight when wrapping it. (Sorry I didn’t take a picture with just the batting on it.)
After the batting you are going to wrap it again with the fabric. First, iron the fabric so that it isn’t wrinkled. Then put it over the batting, you can pull it tighter than you did the batting. Staple it down.
Now you can add the hemp string. This is what your headboard will hang by up against the wall. For a king sized headboard I put three strands of hemp string across the back and stapled them a good amount. Then I put 3 thumbtacks into the wall and hung it.
Now onto the tufting! With leftover fabric make your buttons with your button making kit. You can find these at Joann’s and they have instructions on them. Making buttons is actually really fun, this was my favorite part.
To get the buttons onto the headboard you take your needle (with the thread through the button) and poke it through the front of the headboard in the spot you want it then pull it tight, tie it off, and staple the remaining string to the back of the headboard. I first placed the buttons on the headboard and marked the spots where I wanted the buttons with a Sharpie. It made it easier. Be sure to pull the string from the buttons tight in order to get the “tufted” look.
All that’s left to do is hang your beautiful tufted headboard onto your wall.
Cost Breakdown
- Cardboard – free
- Batting – on sale for $7 at Joann’s
- Fabric – on sale for $3 at Joann’s
- Button kit (already had refills) – $5 at Joann’s
- Hemp string – already had
TOTAL = $15!
Be on the watch for sales at your local crafting store, that’s what I did and got good prices on the batting and fabric. The fact that I made my own headboard just how I wanted it for only $15 makes me really happy.
Scalloped wall art DIY found here!
Remember to have a helper handy when needed, make sure they have hands instead of paws. My helper wasn’t much help.
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that is amazing!! I can’t believe how it turned out!!
I’m so visual….not understanding the button/tufting part. Putting batting on a wood headboard….does the needle/thread just weave through the batting thickness? Can’t picture it attaching? Help!
Yes! The needle/thread weaves through the batting and cardboard. Since you are using wood, you wouldn’t be able to weave it through the wood unless you predrilled a tiny hole and used something thicker than thread. You could try weaving the thread through the batting and tying it off and then attach the batting to the wood but I’m not sure if it would work.
How did you mount this to your wall?
I took string and stapled it to back of the board a ton of times with a staple gun then I put 3 tack/pins in the wall and hung it. But I am going to just get 2 2x4s and attach them to the headboard so it can stand on its own, I just haven’t got to it yet.
Did you not read the entire instructions? She tells you how she hung it.
This looks great, I am super inspired. Just got all the materials! This is going to be my first DIY project since giving birth to my daughter two weeks ago!
That’s awesome! I’m glad I could inspire you, I had a lot of fun doing this DIY. Congrats on the baby too! Let me know how your headboard turns out when you are finished, I’d love to see pictures. 🙂
What about the J & W? Did you made them too?or where did you buy them from ?
I bought the “J”, “&”, and “W” from Joann’s Fabrics. They were cardboard letters and I spray painted them silver.
My name begins with an M and my hubby’s starts with an S so I don’t think I’ll be putting a giant “S&M” thing on the wall over our bed ROFLMAO 🙂
Oh no! Hahahah. Well you could always do M&S. 🙂
GENIUS!!! I’m doing this right NOW!
Thanks
xo
Thank you for this amazing tutorial! Your headboard turned out beautifully. You’ve inspired me to try this. I’ve been wanting a tufted headboard and, like you, do NOT want to spend a ton of money.
So excited to do this! But wondering, how did the staples not go through to the front? Staple gun staples are pretty big. Do you have a suggestion?
The staples didn’t go through to the front when I did it. You should be fine. 🙂
Thanks for such a wonderful and easy tutorial!!!! I do have one question… do you “sew” the buttons through the cardboard?
Thanks again!
Hi Ashley! So glad you liked the tutorial. Yes, you just “sew” the buttons through. 🙂
for someone who doesn’t sew well…. do you think hot glue or some kind of glue could work for the buttons? do you think it would give the same effect?
I don’t think the hot glue would give the same effect. All you need to do is just need to tie a string though the button all the way to the back of the board and knot it off, It’s not really sewing. You could play around with it and see if it is possible get the same effect with glue though. 🙂
Do you know how much fabric and batting (and buttons) would be needed for a queen bed?
For a queen bed I’d probably still go with 2 yards of batting and 2 yards of fabric just to be safe. You will have some leftovers but it’s better to have more than less. As for the buttons, they come in a pack of 5 so you’d be good with that amount. But the buttons are pretty much personal preference so if you like the look of more buttons then I would get 2 packs. 🙂
Love this tutorial!! Looks simple and really fun to do! Also random question, but where is your bedding from?
What fabric did you use
I can’t remember which brand it was but it was just plain white fabric from Joann Fabrics.
What kind of staple gun and staples did you use? I purchased a staple gun from Menard’s but the staples stay straight and don’t bend to latch on so they just come out. Is there a certain kind I need to buy? First time DIY-er here so excuse the silly question! 😛
Not a silly question at all! I use the Arrow JT21 (just a cheap one I found somewhere like Home Depot) Here is a link to one: http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1291230&KPID=996845&pla=pla_996845 and it uses JT21 staples. It’s the only one I’ve ever used so I don’t really know about others. Sorry! Hope I helped!
I’m going to try this tonight for my apt! So excited, hopefully it’ll turn out somewhat like yours!
I’d love to see your finished headboard! You can tag me in the picture on Instagram or Twitter (@sweettealblog) so I can see! Good luck! 🙂
So how big would I need to make mine? I have a full sized bed. Also how much batting and fabric would I need as well? Where did you find those letters above the headboard? Love them!!
Just measure the width of your bed and that will be how wide you need to make it, that is what I did. For the batting, I would get at least a yard, maybe a yard and a half to be safe. To know the exact amount of batting, just go off of the measurements you get for the headboard. I got the letters from Joann Fabrics, they were just cardboard and I spray painted them silver! 🙂
Hi! I’m currently making this and I am so excited. My husband has to get me a stapler on the way home because ours also doesn’t close at the ends as mentioned above.
What size staples did you use?
Thank you!
Yay, that’s exciting! My box says the staples are 1/4″ 6mm.
I just recently lost my job, so I’ve been looking for inexpensive ideas. This sounds great and easy. I can’t wait to try it. The possibilities are endless !
I’m sorry to hear you lost your job! But yes, inexpensive can be beautiful!
How did you hang the head board on the wall?
This is so smart and looks wonderful. I’m SO doing this. Nothing to lose!
This looks great! Question though…does the staple gun send staples in that might poke out the other side I’d be leaning against while sitting on my bed? Since it’s not wood, I mean. Before I do this for my own bedroom, I’m concerned about security and safety of stapling into cardboard.
I never had any problem with staples sticking through. Maybe do a test piece first just to make sure?
I have started this and almost gave up because my buttons aren’t pulling tight enough. When I put the string through the button then use the needle to pull through the cardboard, it’ll go through, but when I knit it off it the button isn’t secure. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Maybe you aren’t knotting the thread off close enough to keep it tight? Hmmm, try pulling it really tight and knotting it as close to the board as you can.
I sew, and this is the most easy, simple head board, I too wanted to do my headboard and I can’t wait to look for a cardboard and start my project. Thank you so much for sharing.
So glad you found this helpful! Headboards can be very easy to make!