(please note that this post includes affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Read my full disclosure here.)
A gorgeous headboard can make a bedroom perfect. An ugly headboard, or no headboard at all, can ruin an otherwise beautiful bedroom. Last year I found myself in need of a new headboard.
16 years after getting married, we were still sleeping on the same old (very cheap!) queen-sized mattress we bought as newlyweds. It was never long enough for my 6′ 9″ husband to begin with, but we bought it because it matched our budget.
So we were very excited to finally get a new, king-sized mattress! Alas, now our old headboard was too small.
I had my eye on a cute headboard I’d seen on Pinterest, but I really hated to spend more money. So I thought of a way to build us one myself with just a few pieces of wood from Home Depot and three styrofoam ceiling tiles like this.
Pretty, huh? Just glue it to your plywood substrate, paint it, and it looks like an expensive, carved, wooden panel. You can find these cheap (I paid $3.15 per tile for mine) styrofoam ceiling tiles to suit pretty much every style. You can also buy them in a metallic finish, or you can buy actual tin tiles, but they cost more than the styrofoam.
First, I measured our mattress and decided the size I wanted the headboard. I like to pile the pillows high, and I wanted the decorative panels above the pillows, so that dictated the height I needed. You’ll also want to take into account the height of your ceiling and the size of your room. A huge headboard could be too large for a small bedroom.
Our bedroom is large, with high ceilings, so I built our headboard pretty large! I always work out my projects on graph paper, so it’s easier for me to determine the most efficient use of wood.
First, I ripped a 4′ x 8′ sheet of plywood to 48″ x 78″. I just used a sheet of plywood I had leftover from another project, but you can buy the cheapest plywood you can find at your lumber store. It won’t be seen at all, it’s just the backing holding the project together.
Next, I cut and assembled the two legs. I used 10″ wide pine boards (you’ll be painting this, so your lumber doesn’t need to match — just be sure you get straight, knot-free lumber) and ripped them to 8″ wide. Remember that when you buy lumber, the dimensions are nominal, so if you buy an 8″ wide board, it will actually only be 7.5″. So I used two 10″ wide boards, and ripped them to 8″ wide, and mitered each cut to 45 degrees. I then cut them to 65″ long.
I wanted a more pronounced profile to each leg, so I added a spacer behind the leg board. You could use a thicker piece of lumber, but I’m cheap and I wanted to use what I had on hand, so I used 3/4″ lumber and just glued a spacer behind my leg board to beef up the profile.
I then ripped the edge boards for each of the legs. They are each also 65″ long. The inside edge piece will only by 1.5″ wide, because it’s just covering the mitered edge of your leg board. The outside edge piece needs to be 2.25″ wide, because it’s covering the spacer AND the mitered edge of your 3/4″ board AND the edge of your 3/4″ plywood.
These legs will sit on top of your plywood, at each edge, like this. The mitered edges will wrap around both the inside and outside edges of each leg board. I like to use wood glue and clamps, with just a few inconspicuous brad nails, so I don’t have to fill nail holes before painting.
Top view of each leg.
Next, I built the pattern on the front of the headboard, just by cutting and gluing the boards to the plywood substrate. The tiles I used are 20″ x 20″, so I used 1.5″ lumber between them. Just think of it like a puzzle that you have to arrange your tiles into. Once you have your boards right, glue in your tiles. I used liquid nails project glue for the tiles, because I wasn’t sure wood glue would hold them.
I used a ton of project glue, trying to fill the voids on the back of the tiles, because I was afraid they would be fragile. It turns out, though, that they’ve held up marvelously. Two coats of paint really hardened them up. We’ve been using this headboard for over a year now, and not had any problems with the styrofoam. And our kids are hard on everything!
Finally, I added the crown molding. If you’ve never worked with crown molding before, you’ll want to watch a youtube video to learn how to get the mitered angles right. It took me awhile to get the hang of when I first started building things, but it’s easy now. I just cut the angles with my crown up against the fence of my compound miter saw.
You’re ready to caulk and paint! I’ve been building things my whole life, and I still prefer to paint all of my projects, because paint will hide the caulk I use to fill all the gaps. I’ve made a couple of stained projects, where I can’t hide things with caulk, and they are very frustrating.
So my advice is to build a painted project unless you’re very experienced at woodworking. Anyhow, your styrofoam tiles will need to be painted to look right.
Let the paint cure for two weeks before you screw your bed frame to your headboard and begin to use it. Allowing it time to cure will make the paint more washable and durable. Also, I like to use at least a semi-gloss paint for furniture so that it’s very washable.
Read: A Beginner’s Guide to Painting Furniture
As always, change this headboard pattern around and make it your own! The beauty of building your own furniture is that you can customize it however you like! I’d love to see photos of your projects in the comments below.
Project list:
1 sheet of 3/4″ plywood, 4′ x 8′, any type (but NOT particle board, because it’s too heavy and not very strong)
2 straight, knot-free, 10″ wide 6′ long pine boards
scrap wood for spacers
2 or 3 styrofoam ceiling tiles (depending on the size and design of your headboard)
lumber for making the design on the front of your plywood
About 10′ of crown molding of your choice. I used leftover crown from building our library. The pressed kind will work fine, and cost you a whole lot less than a wood crown.
Caulk and paint
Pin me for later!
Wouldn’t the styrofoam tiles get dented or pushed in with any pressure against them? I love this idea, but am worried about wear on the tiles.
I was worried about that, too. Ceiling tiles like what I used have a firmer surface than some styrofoam objects, and I also figured that this was going in my bedroom where my kids don’t really play. I also painted many, many coats over the styrofoam tiles in order to better protect them. AND I figured I could remove and replace them at some point if I ever needed to. I’ve used this headboard exclusively for maybe four years now and they still look great. I don’t keep my kids out of my room or treat it extra special, either. That’s just my experience!
Hi! I love this headboard. As someone who has never attempted any type of woodwork and only has a circular saw, would this be a project that would be easy enough to undertake?
Thanks!
Hi Missy! If by circular saw you mean a compound miter saw, like a saw that has a rotating arm so it cuts accurately at different angles, then yes, that will work great! You’ll need one sheet of plywood for backing, but you can have that ripped to length at Home Depot when you purchase it. All of the other cuts can be made with your compound miter saw.
I usually call my SKIL saw that I use to rip sheet goods (it’s entirely hand-held and not in a base) a circular saw (some people use the terminology interchangeably) . If that’s what you mean by a circular saw, then that would be very difficult. You can rotate that blade to make angled cuts, but they won’t be as precise or as nicely finished as they would with a compound miter saw. Good luck! It’s really a simple project once you get started.
Getting ready to make one of these. Just curious how the styrofoam has held up?
Mine is a couple of years old now and looks as perfect as the day I made it. I painted several coats over the foam panels, so they’re completely washable. I used a lower grade pine, so I had to prime over the knots really well before painting. But it still looks perfect!
Hi Savannah, is the headboard stable? Did you have to anchor it to the wall? Or was it okay just attached to the bed frame? I love your headboard design and will try to adapt it to fit some antique ceiling tins I’ve been holding onto. Thank you!
It depends on how high your bed frame and mattress are. Mine are probably about 2′ high (just normal) and mine is completely stable. I think the only way it would be unstable is if your mattress/bed frame are SUPER low.
Hi, thank you for this great idea, we built this for our new bed and it looks very good. Had an issue hwoever when the styrofoam tile disintegrated in the corners when I tried to spray paint it with Krylon Fusion All in one satin spray paint and primer. What type of paint did you use to paint the styrofoam tiles with and how did you apply it? Thanks again.
Hi James! I’m so sorry that happened!I hope you can just peel the ruined tiles off and replace them with new ones. Fortunately, those styrofoam tiles are pretty cheap. I just used Behr interior latex (the primer and paint all in one) and rolled/brushed it on. Mine didn’t interact with the styrofoam at all. I wonder if your paint was acrylic? It seems like most spray paints are. Acrylics aren’t water based, you have to clean them up with paint thinner, and they have lots more chemicals. That makes them spray easier, and it makes them good at preventing rust and stains and such, but they’ll also be more reactive. I honestly don’t know for sure, though.
If you stick with latex the next time around, you should be fine. I applied multiple layers of paint to our headboard because I used grade 2 wood and it had a few knotholes I didn’t want to bleed through my paint, plus I was worried about the styrofoam tiles deforming, since they’re kind of flexible, and mine have lasted just fine. They still look perfect two years or so later. Good luck! I’d love to see a photo of your finished product!
Thanks Amy, that makes sense. I checked the spray paint and it is acrylic and in the more detailed guide on the manufacturer site, it says not for use on styrofoam, even though it says “any surface” on the front of the can. No big deal as it is just one tile and one small section that I tested it on before abandoning it. I have another tile on the way from Amazon. I have some Behr Ultra semi gloss interior left over from another job so that will work out great. Will send you a photo when done. Thanks again for the inspiration and help.
This is so cute! I love the details of the tile. And it looks simple too. Can’t wait to make it.
This headboard is SO simple and easy to make! Have fun!
Wow, beautiful!!!
Thank you! I love how it turned out!
This looks so incredible! I would have never guessed what it was made out of!
Mainly wood scraps and three styrofoam ceiling tiles, ha, ha! I just love cheap, DIY furniture!
Love your headboard! I never thought about using ceiling tiles. Your bedroom is beautiful not only with the headboard but also all of that natural light.
Thank you, Gina! I do love all of the windows!
How lovely! I’ve been wondering what to do in our guest bedroom and I think this will be perfect. I never thought to use the foam ceiling panels. Great idea!
Yeah, the styrofoam ceiling tiles keep the cost of the headboard down!
This is beautiful!! You would never guess that you were able to make it for $50!! Great job!
Thanks, Katie! Headboards are such a simple and easy DIY project.
Thanks for the great post! It really makes me realize that I can totally redo our headboard. It’s a project I’ve wanted to take on for awhile now! Thanks for the great tips!
Yes, you absolutely can! I’d love to see your project when you finish!
I LOVE this!! I am saving this for the fall when we buy a house because this is exactly what I am looking for and my headboard is just not going to fit my decor. Thank you for sharing this!!
You’re so welcome! Have lots of fun with your DIY Headboard project! I’d love to see photos of the finished project!