Tools Needed:
- Hammer
- Nail Setter
- Circular or Table Saw
- Measuring Tape
- Square
- Putty Knife
- Paint Brush
- Pliers
Supplies Needed
- 1- 36×60″ Backboard
- 168″ of 1×6 Pine
- 72″ of 1×4″ Pine
- 1 - 2×4
- Wood Glue
- Nails (with a pin head)
- Wood Screws
- 2 doubled ended screws (dowel screws?)
- Spackle Paste
- Various sandpaper
- ~1 pint of paint
We started this project out by deciding to build out headboard out of Pine. We chose Pine because we were going to paint over it anyways and it was in our price range. For the back board we used a 60″ by 36″ pre-made board of smaller Pine boards that were glued together.
The first step was to measure the length of the board. There were slight variations in the length at the top and the bottom. We marked the length for the top and bottom of our border on the 1×6 Pine board using a measuring tape to measure the length. After which we used a square to draw a line across the board along which we could follow when cutting the board. For this project we only had a circular saw available; however, if given the choice a table or miter saw would be much better, they make straight cuts much easier.
Once the top and bottom borders were cut we lightly sanded the ends of the wood where it had been cut to get rid of the rough edges from the saw. Then we applied glue to the the cut pieces of wood. Once the glue was applied we placed the board onto the backboard and carefully nailed each end into place. After the ends were nailed down, and we made sure that it was flush with the ends we placed a few nails along the length of the board for additional support.
While nailed we were very careful not the drive the nails completely flush with the board, we wanted to avoid putting any dents into the board with our hammer. To finish driving the nails we use a nail setter. A nail setter allows you to actually drive the head of the nail down below the surface of the board so that it can no longer be seen. Simply put the tip of the nail setter on the nail and hit the top with a hammer. Using a nail setter allows you to avoid putting dents into the wood and also hides the nails.
After the top and bottom borders were in place we measured the two ends for the side borders. Once again we had to be careful since our backboard was not exactly square. We repeated the process again of measuring, cutting, sanding, making sure the board fit, gluing, nailing, and setting the nail.
At this point the headboard was beginning to take form and all that remained were the 3 center strips of wood. In order to make sure the spacing was all the same we measured the length of the headboard from inner border to inner border and made a mark on the headboard right in the center. The other two strips are a little trickier. To find their position place a small piece of 1×4 on the center line, and measure the distance from the inside of the outer border to the edge of the center strip. From there find the middle and make a mark. If you mark the middle of the border and the center line you will soon realize that they are not evenly spaced, the width of the center board needs to be accounted for. From here we measured the length each strip needed to be and repeated the cutting process for the 1×4.
At this point everything was assembled and was ready to be prepped for painting. The first step was to apply the spackle paste. Using a putty knife we liberally filled in the nail holes and the joints between the boards. Filling in the joints will make the headboard look like it was made out of one solid piece of wood.
Once the spackle paste had a chance to dry we sanded the entire headboard with a rough sandpaper, and then sanded again with a finer sandpaper. After sanding we cleaned up all of the dust and cleaned of the headboard with a damp cloth. The painting process takes a long time and patience should be exercised. Paint one side at a time, allowing each side time to dry before flipping it over to paint the other side. Several coats of paint will likely be needed. In between coats of paint use a fine sandpaper to smooth out the surface and remove any brush strokes. Any aberrations in the surface will only look bigger with more coats of paint.
Once the headboard was completely painted and dry it was time to put some legs on it. For this we determined how high we wanted the bed to be and took a measurement. We cut two equal lengths from the 2×4 using this measurement. In the center on one end of each 2×4 we drilled a hole into the board just slightly smaller than our dowel screws. A corresponding hole was drilled into the bottom of the headboard on each end. The dowel screws were then screwed into the headboard using a pair of pliers and then the 2×4 legs were screwed on. For additional support two pieces of the 1×6 pine were attached to the legs and the headboard using the wood screws. Once the legs were attached we painted them.
After letting the paint dry we had a finished headboard.
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