Nailhead Upholstered Headboard DIY

There are several blogs out there that explain how to make a nailhead trim headboard and I think I read almost every single one of them before I attempted to make one for my son’s room. I figured that I would let you guys know how to make one and in a very inexpensive fashion.

I did a lot of research on this project because I was really hoping to prove to my husband that I could accomplish a larger scaled DIY project without wasting materials or messing the whole thing up. Anyone that attempts projects at home often assumes those risks and sometimes these projects cost more than just buying them out right especially if you make too many mistakes. So my opinion is to do a lot of research when attempting projects that require expensive material.

The headboard I loved and wanted to purchase for my older son’s room was priced at $339.00 from headboardsource.com .  This isn’t a horrible price but I am just gonna put it out there I am on a decorating budget. We have a large new house and I’ve got a lot of plans. I have to cut corners where I can.

So enough with the babbling…. here’s the breakdown on my Nailhead Trim Upholstered headboard…………

Materials and Costs

• Plywood cut to the size you desire……..$16.00
• Two Queen sized bags of Quilting……..$16.00 a piece but I did a B1G1
• Two boxes of Nailhead Trim……………$20.00 a piece but I used a 50% coupon on both
• 2 yards of White Canvas Duck Fabric…$8.00 a yard but I bought 1 yard and the second 50% off
• 1 interlocking picture hanger…………..$8.00
• staples……………………………………$0 already owned
• staple gun………………………………..$0 already owned
• hammer…………………………………$0 already owned

Fabric, batting and Nailhead trim Materials were purchased at Joann’s Fabric

Wood and Brackets were purchased at Lowes

Total Spent $68.00 plus tax

Time spent 1 Nap time or approximately 2.5 hours

Here is a list of tips……..

• If you are making a rectangle headboard this is absolutely all you need. Some other sites suggest using foam, spray glue, carpet padding etc. I did the research and unless you just so happen to have carpet padding lying around you just really don’t need it.
• I really struggled with the foam/padding situation. I wanted the headboard to be comfy. The cost of foam was way to expensive and I was afraid that too much padding would make it impossible for the nailhead trim to be hammered in. Well it would have. Instead,  I only used four layers of batting. That was perfect.
• Forget the rubber mallet. I did not have one and I did not buy one as suggested. Just be careful when hammering not to damage the nailhead trim. I put some electrical tape on the head of my hammer and that seemed to work well. Warning: applying the trim is not as easy as it appears so be prepared to damage/bend some of the tacks.
• Nailhead trim is sharp when cut but I did not find any need to use gloves or protective gear. However it may be a good idea to use them if you are prone to DIY injuries.

Now this is how you make it……….

• Purchase all materials if you don’t own a saw like me then make sure to get your local home improvement store to cut your board.
  • Iron your material
  • Place the four layers of quilt batting on the floor, cut if needed, pull one side and staple to the back very liberally, continue stapling while pulling taut in order to maintain a smooth look, trim excess.
  • After the batting is stapled place fabric on the floor, fold the edges to create a tailored look if desired and then staple
  • Flip headboard over and now it is time for the most time consuming part. The nailhead trim is pretty easy. Measure out a piece, cut it and then start tacking it down.
  • Measure where you want you board to hang and then measure that distance on the back of the headboard and install the picture mount. I highly suggest using a mount like the one pictured below.
  • Hang the opposite bracket on the wall and then place the headboard on the mount.
  • Enjoy your beautiful nailhead upholstered headboard. 

Large Picture Mount $8

Here is my finished Nailhead Upholstered Headboard

Tah Dah!!!! Let me know what you think and please ask any questions for more details.

More Pictures of Gavin’s Room to Come and of course more DIY.

See more pictures and the rest of Gavin’s World here.

If your young child is transitioning out of a crib, then check out my Crib to Upholstered headboard tutorial as well.