This is the story of my guest studio headboard.  A few months ago, I had an idea to convert some leftover cabinet doors into a headboard by covering them in fabric and mounting them on the wall.  It was a good idea, but the final result did not meet with my satisfaction.   

So I came back for Round Two.  This time, I did it right.  With some plywood, foam, batting and a discount curtain panel, I created a new and improved fabric covered headboard for my guests.  And this time, I trimmed in with some decorative moulding.

Here’s a peek:

Here’s how I created this romantic and feminine French inspired fabric covered headboard. 

At my local Target, the Blue Strie window panel collection is on clearance for $14 per panel.  It was the same panel I used to recover this ottoman for my office, and it is still available online here (though not on sale online).  I purchased three of these window panels.  One for each window, and one to cover my new headboard. 

Ordinarily, I’m against being so matchy matchy with my fabric choices, but in this case I made a deliberate exception.  In my attempt to create a soft and serene space, I felt that the coordinating fabrics would work well here.

How to Make a Fabric Covered Headboard Trimmed with Decorative Moulding:

Supplies: 

1. Half inch plywood trimmed to fit wall.
2. Fabric of choice
3. Half inch foam to fit
4. Batting to cover
5. Decorative moulding of choice
6. “D” ring hangers to mount on wall
7. Paint of choice for decorative moulding

Tools:  Staple gun, screwdriver, level, hammer, finish nails, miter box or saw. 

Step One:  Choose your decorative moulding from a home improvement store.  Then have your home improvement store cut a piece of half inch plywood to fit your wall.  My measurements for my Cal King bed were 74” wide x 36” tall.  Make sure you subtract the width of your moulding from your final width and height measurement. 

Step Two:  Layer your half inch foam and batting on top of your plywood and if necessary, secure in place with a few staples on the very edge.

Tufting Tip:  If you want to add tufted buttons to your headboard, then measure and drill holes in the back of your headboard with a drill bit, and follow the tufting tutorial I used here and here. 

Step Three:  Press your fabric to remove any wrinkles.   Place your layered plywood headboard on top of the fabric.  Pull taught, and staple every 8 inches.   

Turn your headboard over and make sure your fabric is aligned correctly.  If so, then staple all around every 2 inches.  Secure your corners as well.  Trim excess fabric. 

Step Four:  Paint your trim to your color of choice.  I chose none other than Rustoleum’s Heirloom White.  

Step Five:  Locate your wall studs on the wall, and measure the location of your “D” ring hangers.  Secure your hangers to plywood back with a screwdriver.  Hang headboard on wall.

Double check your headboard is level before attaching trim. 

Step Six:  Measure and cut your previously painted trim with a miter box or compound miter saw.  

Secure to wall with brad nailer, or finish nails and a hammer.  Make sure you pound them in so they are flush to the trim.

Spackle the corners to fill in any gaps. 

Step Eight:  If necessary, spackle your nail holes.  Paint over the nails to hide them.  In my case, I sprayed some of my spray paint into a plastic cup, and used an artist’s brush to paint over the nails. 

Here’s a few more glimpses at the finished headboard. 

Do you spot my painted knockoff Draper chest that I found at a thrift store ?

As pretty as a Wedgewood plate. 

Feminine.  Romantic.  French inspired. 

And inexpensive. 

If Mr. CG ever snores, this is where you’ll find me.   Zzzzzzzzzz. 

After some thought, I decided I had less use for a bench, and greater use for a coat rack in my guest space.  I had a bare wall, so why not fashion the headboard into a rack for scarves, sweaters, jackets, robes, or hats for my guests ?   You may recall, I’ve done this before, turning a footboard into a message center with some white and chalkboard paint.   

So I decided to do it again, but this time with a headboard.  I also used a different paint technique to give my coat rack an antiqued look.  Now, the twin headboard has been transformed into an architecturally decorative piece, providing both form and function. 

Follow along and I’ll show how I turned this:

into this: 

First, take a look at the headboard that I brought home from the thrift store.  You’ve seen these before.  They were popular many decades ago.  Not so much anymore. 

The wood was in pretty poor shape.  It would be fine to refurbish the headboard by simply staining or painting it, but it just came across as too old fashioned for my taste, so I repurposed it for a better cause.  

Step One:  I cut the bottom legs off with my compound miter saw.  I’ve recently learned to operate this bad boy, and Mr. CG is cool with that fact that I have a big time crush on him. 

Step Two:  I sanded the piece with a coarse sanding pad to remove any debris or trace of remaining varnish.  This piece was pretty dried out, so not much was there. 

Step Three:  I removed the spindles with a saw from the center for a more modern look, and filled the holes with wood filler. 

Step Four:  I primed my piece with durable primer so my paint job would last. 

For my new coat rack, I wanted to “antique” the appearance of this older piece to pay homage to the fact that my wood had been around for several decades.  I wanted that vintage French distressed paint treatment with creamy white paint and exposed wood edges underneath.  I’ve used this paint trick before to “antique” these candlesticks. 

If you desire the same look, but your wood is in poor condition, or is a paler tone wood like maple or natural oak, then what can happen is when you sand away your creamy white paint, you expose that poor wood condition or pale wood tone underneath.  In such circumstances, I prefer to cheat.  I like to guarantee a rich espresso tone underneath my cream paint.  So I fake it.  Here’s how.

Step Five: Paint just the edges of your piece where you want the “wood” to show through with espresso brown paint.  Allow to dry. 

Step Six: Paint your piece with your color of choice.  I chose to spray with a favorite: Rustoleum’s ‘Heirloom White’.  I allowed the paint to settle for 30 seconds, then I used my fingernail underneath a slightly moistened paper towel to scrape away the white paint and expose the “wood” (brown paint) underneath. 

Note: I have used sandpaper in the past to expose wood edges underneath my paint job.  Sandpaper works just as well, but this is another alternative.  I like this moist wipe away technique because it guarantees the result I want.  And if I scrape too much white paint, I just spray over the smear, and start over. 

Here’s a glance at my finished paint job:

Step Seven:  When my paint was dry, I attached ‘D’ ring hangers to the back of my headboard.  I also attached three brown hooks to the front that I found at my favorite salvage warehouse. 

I’m really crazy about these deep brown iron hooks against the crisp white paint. 

Before and After:

I am loving the “new” architecture of this coat rack.

We’re expecting a lot of guests this autumn during the harvest season, so now they have an extra place for their fall scarves, hats, and mittens. 

The total cost for this rescued and revamped coat rack, including paint and supplies ?  $25 dollars.  Consider making one for your own home for a lot less than retail, and it will be much more original.