Step-by-step project guide on how to build a king-sized pallet headboard from scratch. This style headboard can be made for any size bed. Read more to see what I did with this pile of wood.
This project goes with the king-sized platform bed frame build I completed in April. Check it out here:
Earlier in the week I talked about my inspiration board. By now you should know at least this much about me: I dig beat-up, recycled, rough looking furniture. A quick search for “headboards” on Pinterest and I found just the kind of headboard I was looking for. Now it’s time to build it!
First things first: I didn’t re-use a pallet. While it may have been easier that way (in that I wouldn’t have had to create my own wear and tear on the wood), I’ve read multiple articles regarding the hazards of re-using chemically treated pallets. There’s some debate on the topic, and I’m no expert, but I’d rather not sleep on it (get it?). See for yourself.
I picked up (5) 1×6’s and used scrap 1×4’s and 1×2’s.
The platform bedframe I built is 80″ wide and so…this will be too! I cut the two “legs” at 50″ in height and used them to line-up the inside 1×6’s. I made random cuts, making sure to stagger the joints in each row. There is no way to mess this up, as long as the planks add up to 80″ in length.
Here’s the rough layout. See how I threw in a couple 1×4’s and 1×2’s?
I drilled each plank with a 13/64 bit to simulate a disassembled pallet look. I also roughed up the wood with my sander, hammer and random hardware.
Here’s a closer look…
Late last night I stained the planks with rustoleum dark walnut. If you saturate the wood with water prior to brushing on the stain, the wood won’t absorb as much stain, thus giving it a lighter tone.
Looks cool!
Close-up.
I flipped everything over and started screwing the slats into the supports and legs. I will be putting supports every 20″, 3 supports total. The smaller pieces that dont make it over a support will be bracketed.
Just when things were starting to roll, the weather started getting crazy. I had to rush out back and bring in the grill as we were getting 60mph wind gusts!
Clouds…
3 minutes later…!
I packed it up once I heard the BANG! from the grill falling over and lighting striking too close for comfort.
I finished assembling the headboard yesterday. Here’s how it looks:
As I stated earlier, I have (3) supports 20″ apart along with brackets wherever they were needed. This makes the headboard EXTREMELY sturdy and fairly heavy.
I attached the top piece of moulding by counter sinking 4 screws into the top legs and slats. I covered them up with wood putty and will go over the putty with stain before I clearcoat.
Here’s how it looks uncoated! Stay tuned for the final update with pictures in the bedroom later this week (I’m going to give the clearcoat a few days to dry out).
After putting on one coat of polyeurethane, I lightly sanded the headboard with 220-grit paper. I put on a generous final coat and called it done!
Because we have a platform bed and it sits very low, I’m opting to attach the headboard to the wall and not the bed frame.
I had a bunch of scrap 2×6’s lying around, so I cut them down to 4″ and made a 45 degree cut with my miter saw. The idea is to have the bottom piece mounted to the wall (with a 3-1/2″ screw in a stud) and the top piece mounted to the back of the headboard.
I have 4 sets of these to secure the headboard to the wall. One for each stud.
Speaking of studs! It’s my sleepy assistant!
Alright so I’ve got them all mounted and LEVELED. Very important.
I have the headboard supports mounted with 2″ wood screws. I pre-drill before screwing to eliminate wood crackin’.
Here’s a closer look.
I lift the headboard up with my he-man strength (this sucker is heavy), and tuck the top supports into the corresponding wall supports.
This is when I took a deep breath of relief. IT STANDS!
Not going to lie…I had a dumb smile on my face when it was secure and all my measurements lined up.
Lookin’ good with those ikea hemnes nightstands I refinished.
Check this out…
This was back in early April.
And this is now!
I had a lot of fun with this one. If you have any questions on process, products used or just want to say meh, it looks OK…leave a comment below!
Looks good Rick. Can’t wait to see it attached to the bed!
BRRRRRRRRRRRO! This is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I
Thanks brrrrrrrrrro! Glad you like it!
dude im totally making this, im looking for matching night stands or ideas, and maybe even a dresser, let me know what u think. thanks for the ideas peace.
Glad you dig the headboard! Check out this nightstand– Simple, modern and EASY. Get a few boards, cut them to size and hang with hardware from your local Home Depot or Lowes. Let me know how it works out!
Loving this headboard! Thanks for the shout out to my nightstand DIY, it’d definitely look great with your headboard project.
Thanks Malcolm! I really dig your sense of style in both interior and graphic design. Happy to send some like-minded folks your way!
Hey rick I have a couple questions! I have my materials but my questions is I bought 2” screws I know you predrilled front to look like pallet wood but the screws that hold it together did you screw from back or front? And if you screwed from front how did u hide heads and if you screwed from rear how did u keep some from pushing through? Also I bought 5 (1×6) but I see that 2 goes towards legs and it looks like you used mostly 1×6 on the frame so with only 5 that’s enough?
This is phenomenally amazing! What type of wood did you use?
Thanks DJ! It was a fun build. It’s the cheapest type of pine I could find at home depot or menards. It was already distressed and cracked prior to my hitting it with hard objects!
I love everything about this!! I am not a DIY person at all and neither is my hubby. However I think we may try and tackle this project together. Is it possible to attach the headboard to the platform part rather than the wall? If so can you give us pointers on how to do that? Thank you and great job!!
Hi Apryll! Thanks! I think you’ll find that once you get your feet wet, DIY is easier than it looks. Taking the leap is the hardest part. This is a great 2-person starter project!
As for your question…Because the bed is so low, I wouldn’t really recommend trying to attach the headboard to the frame. I’m not sure there’d be enough support that low to hold the weight. In my opinion, you should definitely mount this into a stud since it’ll be hanging out over your heads while you sleep!
Love this! In the process of dismantling pallets (well, ok, my husband is)…was thinking I’d put the boards vertical but love the way yours looks…may reconsider…this is for our vacation home so hopefully the chemicals from the pallets won’t kill us…not right away, at least! 🙂
thanks! so glad you like it! but seriously, be careful with those pallets. I heard the heat treated ones are alright, but unless they’re marked it’s hard to tell. at least wear gloves and face masks/respirators while you work with them and…SLEEP! haha! let me know if you have any questions, I’ll be right here!
Looks great! When staining, did you randomly Pre-soak the boards with water or was it more systematic to get the light/dark pattern you had? Thanks for the inspiration! Can’t wait to build this.
Hey Matt- It was fairly random. I tried to get 3-4 tones and place the darkest pieces next to the lightest in a few spots for maximum contrast. The more water-logged you get a piece the less stain it will take, so I kind of experimented with that. Awesome to have inspired you, let me know how it goes!
I absolutely love this! I’m really new to staining though (as in I have never stained before). I was wondering if you could share a little more on your technique?
When you say you soaked the boards before you stained them, did you physically dunk them in water like just letting them soak in the bath tub or something or did you just use a spray bottle of water and hose them down letting the water absorb into the wood? Do you remember what intervals you soaked them? ie the dark ones for 5 min, the light ones for 30 min, etc, etc…
After you soaked them did you wait for them to dry before staining or did you just wipe the water off of them and stain them right away while they were still a little moist?
And then when you stained, did you leave the stain on for the same amount of time for all of them or did you stagger that as well? If you staggered, do you remember the time amount you staggered them?
Sorry to ask so many questions, just really impressed with your project and really scared about staining.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice you can give!
Mark- Don’t be scared! I’ll try to break it down the best I can. I filled up an old Tupperware container about half way with water and physically brushed the water onto the wood. Since wood is porous, it will absorb the water first, then the stain second. By putting more water on (i.e. completely saturating the wood), the less stain will be able to be absorbed.
SO! The lightest pieces were completely saturated with water (by brushing it on), then immediately stained (with a separate brush). This is messy, so make sure you work on an old tarp or something. The darkest pieces only took stain, no water. To achieve the middle tones I experimented a bit by brushing only some water on the pieces, being careful not to overly saturate the wood.
To sum it up: Darkest: Stain with a brush, immediately wipe off excess stain with rag. Medium: Brush some water, then brush stain and wipe accordingly. Lightest: Saturate with water, brush on stain and wipe.
Hope this helps you out a bit, glad you like it!
Hey Rick,
Awesome piece! I’m busy doing it now! When you saturate the wood, do you do it for all 3 coats? Also is it necessary to put the sealer on? If so do I just apply one coat at the end of the staining? Thanks Mate
Hey Keegan- Thanks!! I saturate the wood with water (1) time and then stain while the wood is wet. Only stain once! The (3) coats is for the clearcoat or poly. I would absolutely recommend sealing it to limit the amount of dust that would collect on un-coated wood over time.
Thanks Rick, one more thing so you apply the sealer before you assemble the pieces or after you’ve assembled it all together? Also do you seal the slats and the areas that are not visible?
Rick thanks for the reply, I can’t get polyurethane, will any clear satin varnish do?
Thanks Rick for your advice! I’m going to give it a try this hopefully next weekend. Curious, did you sand the boards first, or did you just use them as is from the hardware store? Also I assume the sealer you used was just a regular polyurethane satin clear coat?
Yep, all of the boards were sanded first. And yes, you are correct! I used a satin poly clear coat.
What type of board did you use? I am new to this and see all these different boards.
Tori- The boards are as follows: (5) 1×6’s with scrap 1×4’s and 1×2’s. All of the boards are cheap pine.
This is gorgeous. The room is peaceful and serene and the headboard is lovely. Going onto my Honey-Do list today!!
Lisa- Thank you very much! We really enjoy the space. Good luck with your honey-do list!
Did you make the side tables as well? My husband and I are going on 11 years of marriage and have never had a bedroom set. So, we’re just going to build it.
I LOVED what you did and hope we can replicate …. or at least come close! 🙂
Theresa – 11 years! My gosh I’d say it’s time for a bedroom set! The side tables are from Ikea, but I refinished them. Check that out here. Good luck! I think you’ll find your bedroom oasis much more satisfying after doing it yourself!
LOVE!! I’d like to make me one. Just curious, do you remember about how much you spent, total?
Single mom gotta budget. 🙂
Hey there! You can absolutely do this project on the cheap! I’d say $75 total. Though I’m sure you can do it for less though if you’ve got some extra supplies and materials or if you get creative. Here’s a couple ideas…
– Purchase lower quality pine or whitewood. If some of the pieces are cracked at the store, perhaps they’ll give you a discount? You’ll never know if you never ask! We are going for a rough look, you know! This is what I did with my headboard.
– Scrap wood lying around? Use it!
– Use leftover stain from a previous project -or- make some homemade stain (mix white vinegar/steel wool. You can even add tbsp of coffee grounds to get a richer color)
That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. If I think of anything else I’ll let you know!
awesome !!!!
Thanks Sara!
This looks amazing!! We’ve recently relocated and I am working hard to make our house a home this time around by adding more personal touches. Did you make the bed frame as well? Is there a tutorial for it??
Thanks Amanda! Sounds like you’re in the same boat as I am, we just relocated again too! Yep, I built the bed frame a few years ago…check this out. Good luck with your new place!
I like this very much…gonna try it out, always wanted to do this but my hubby thinks i cant makes me wanna do it even more.thanks for sharing this and your bedroom looks col…….love it…..well done.
Wow!!!
Looks AMAZING!
Thank you Tammy!
Do you have a link when you built the platform? Thanks looks awesome!
Looks great Rick good job! Think I will give it a go!
BUT, I rent so cant go drilling supports into the wall for the headboard. Do you have any ideas on how you could fix this to the bed? Would bolting the two side supports to the back of the base work do you think?
Or would you suggest building the supports into the base when making that?
Hey Alex-
I’ve been thinking about this for a day, it’s quite the predicament! I’m a little leery to suggest having such a HEAVY headboard resting behind your head without properly securing it into wall studs. If this weren’t a low platform bed, I think you probably could get away with bolting supports to the base. But because the bed is so low, I would be very afraid of this thing falling on you. It would probably crush and hurt you and you’d have a hard time making friends afterwards!
Can you ask your landlord if you can secure your headboard into the studs as long as you repair the wall before you move? I think that’s the best and safest option! Let me know how it goes!
OK thanks for your feedback. I may just raise the hight of the bed to overcome this issue. I will have a long think about it first, I certainly don’t want the thing falling on me!
This is awesome! Do you know what all materials you used like screws, nails, etc… Also, We have a foam mattress. Will the slats be okay with a foam mattress? If not, what do you suggest? Thanks man!
Made this last weekend for the wife for xmas! She love it!!! if i could attach a pic i would, i used 1×2’s the back is not pretty but the front turned out sweet!!! thanks for sharing the plans and idea!!!
Dillon- Great to hear! The back of my headboard looks terrible too…no worries! No one will ever see it! Enjoy all that hard work and sleep well man you earned it!
Absolutely love this platform bed and head board. Will be our project this spring. Been looking for something rustic like this. Beautiful, thx so much for sharing.
Question is, when you lean the bed up against the bottom part of the headboard, does it push the bottom part towards the wall? i dont know if i’m making sense.
No Mike, it doesn’t push the headboard into the wall. I guess it could if you slam it into place, but it just rests nicely flush with the headboard legs.
This build is awesome. I was drinking and promised to try to make a kitchen table for a friend. It was first wood working project ever. It came out so nice the moment I delivered I came home to my wife asking me to make this bed. Materials purchased today, tomorrow I start it. Then the nightstands to match, and a full length mirror. I am hooked on making all my own stuff now if I can. You inspired me to buy a wood working book, and some neat tools too. Thanks for putting this up, and thanks for the 3 year update, that really is what sold me on making my own, knowing it will last!
Chris- BE CAREFUL WHAT DRUNK CHRIS PROMISES! Hahah. Thanks for sharing this! I hope your build is going well, let me know if you run into any issues. It’s comments like this that keep me going so I appreciate you taking the time to do so. Feel free to send me a photo/link of your finished bed to the HNYDT facebook page, I love posting finished projects and giving a shout outs to their makers. Build on brother!
hey rick i am thinking about building this exact frame, how high off the ground did you bed sit? also could the headboard be attached to the frame?
I LOVE this! I was between a gray driftwood and a dark brown stain and this has got winner written all over it! I’ve never stained before so I’m a little nervous how it will turn out but looking forward to it!
I also bought an unfinished pine dresser from ikea (link below if you want to see it) that I’d like to stain to match the headboard when it’s complete. Any suggestions on staining a dresser to get the same effect? Not sure how to get the same effect on dresser drawers as you did using smaller wood pallets.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50221419/
Thanks!!!
Hey Lindsay! Thanks!! You got this, it’s super easy! For the dresser I would set each drawer face on some scrap wood and make each one a different value. The more water you saturate the drawer face with, the LESS stain it will take. So, you can experiment with that a bit and get some fun results. It’s very messy though, so gloves and a drop cloth are a must. Keep me posted on how things go or if you get hung-up along the way. Good luck!
Thank you! I just finished my headboard and also framed a floor mirror to match. I have never loved my room so much!! Thanks for all your help and the DIY tips. Reading your other posts to find my next project 🙂
Awesome! There’s a different level of appreciation and enjoyment in a space when you DIY. The PROBLEM is once you get started doing things yourself…you can’t stop! I’m such a DIY drug dealer/enabler! Enjoy your room and great work!
Nice read and pics. Just finished mine up and am quite pleased with it. Five dollars for some 1 1/4″ screws, ten dollars for the stain, and the wood was free from pallets. Thanks for the info!
Hey Rick,
What size planks did you use for the top and 2 side pieces? Not sure if I saw that anywhere, so I apologize if this has been provided already.
What is the measurement from the floor up to where you have the headboard supports mounted on the wall?
What’s up buddy! Just finished making my king sized bed..about to tackle the headboard! Really appreciate the knowledge and inspiration..keep it up.
Awesome to hear man! Thanks a lot for dropping by to say so, I appreciate it!
I really like this. Tell me how did you get the edges of the boards different heights? I really like that aspect
Hey Rick, I’m not quite sure what you mean by different board heights. Do you mean how certain boards aren’t flush with the rest of the boards?
You can achieve this by buying boards that aren’t straight. Normally you would go into the aisle and check to make sure your pine is as straight as possible…but for this project I did just the opposite! I looked for really screwed up boards to get some character. Keep in mind getting wood that isn’t straight and flat is much harder to work with! Hope that answers your question!
That’s what I meant, board thickness had looked varied. I’m going to do this headboard but I think I’m going to use 15/21 plywood as a backing do I don’t have to use brackets… I think I can achieve the same look with small shins (to bow the edge out a bit to look like different thickness) Both your bed and headboard are an impressive piece of work!
Gotcha! Yeah plywood is a great idea. The brackets were a real pain to get started. Your plan to use shims to push the wood out in certain spots is brilliant! Good luck with the project and thanks for the kind words!
Awesome Possum. I have my “time off” project now. What size screws do you use for the brackets with the short boards that don’t make the cut for the supports? Goofy, but I don’t want screws stabbing me in the head while I sleep. I’m weird that way…all my current screws are too long or too small. Thanks!
Don’t be scared of a couple screws Heather! Haha. The bracket screws I used were VERY short. I believe 3/8″. It was so long ago that I don’t remember exactly, but you can take your material thickness, bracket thickness and then hit up the hardware aisle at HD or Lowes to find the right length. Good luck with your time off project!
Thanks for the great plans. You did great hope mine turns out this good!
Thank you Tarina! Yours will turn out BETTER! You got this!
I wish I could post a picture but I’m half way through my headboard. Your instructions have helped me loads!
I can’t wait to get it finished! It’s going to look amazing.
Hi Helen! I’d love to see the finished headboard! Shoot me an e-mail (honeydothisblog[at]gmail.com) with the picture if you get a chance! Let me know if it’s alright to share it on the honey do this! facebook page!
Me and my husband want to build this for our room… we were going to use pallets but now we are afraid to with all the talk about chemicals in them and what not. How long did it take to do this and is there a way you could send me step by step instructions to my email so I can print them out. Also. is this a Queen size bed? It is STUNNING!!!
Hey Cassie! It took me about a weekend to build the headboard if I remember correctly. I have a .PDF link at the top and bottom of the post where you can download a .PDF and print it out. This is for a king size mattress. Thanks and good luck with you build!!
How stable is this? What weight limit do you think it could hold?
We just completed the frame, starting on headboard next weekend… Is the top trim on headboard a 1×3? I downloaded PDF but it’s not the same as the bed, so the dimensions for headboard are kind of nebulous so far bed looks great. The Tuft and Needle mattress arrives today…
Hey Rick, headboard looks awesome. Thanks for the plans on the platform bed, it turned out great. Quick question. What screw length did you use to put it together?
Rick, this headboard is fantastic. Is there anyway I could get a link to a material list and step by step instruction (like the updated platform bed instruction and material list) to go along with the platform bed? I would love to make this for my wife’s birthday, and I think I get the general idea, I just want to make sure I’m not missing anything. Thanks for uploading all of this! It’s all great!
Hi Rick I was wondering what size of wood are the 2 50in legs u cut and what size wood is the trim on the top of the headboad and how long is the cut thanks.
Cool looking bed Rick,
I especially like the pic of you “resting your eyes for a bit”…. gives an idea how big this thing will be.
I know my wife would love this however here lies my problem. She has a bad knee and back and has gone through cancer treaents that require her to be bed bound a few days a month ( in remission now) i have had 2 major back surgeries, so how hard would it be to “raise” the over all height of the frame and not loose the apeal?
Also where the bed sits in our bedroom was wonder how i could go about making a cut out “window” in the head board with hinges so on days she is bed bound she could open it and look out tje window at the wild life ( squirrels, rabbiys, hummingbirds, deer etc. ?
I had a 350 foot fence built and have extra material left over. Could i use it and still achieve as good a looking bed?
Lastly…..in your last pic you have nightstands. …i love how those offset and go with the bed. The tops look as if they went through a fire and really set the whole thing off. How hard would those be to make?
Thank you for sharing.
Oh BTW. …my wood working skills. ….. i’m a retired mechanic…..metal and grease…..wood? HA HA HA should see my last project. ….blue martin bird house….the cats loved it …..the birds laughed at it (me)…. LOL
Hey there! I guess I am late to the party as I am just now seeing these plans and am about to try and build this with the platform bed. Wondering if you have any comment/advice for wanting to add a shelf to the headboard? Maybe not this specific one but I have had some real difficulty finding concrete plans and ideas for a headboard with a shelf… Against thanks for your posts
Hey Martin! I actually don’t! That’s a pretty cool idea though maybe I should make one in the near future? Let me know what you end up building!
I am sure many people would benefit if you did happen to try it. I have elected to not add a shelf. However, I attached a 1×4 to the top (laying flat) with some overhang to attach some cabinet lights. I just got done with your platform bed plans (thank you very much btw) and decided to add some LED strip lights around the trim. It might not be for everyone’s taste but it adds a cool affect.
Thanks for the comment and I will keep an eye for a headboard with shelves if you ever do get around to doing one.
Awesome project looks great , the way you attached it to the wall is called a french cleat just for your knowledge
I love it! I really like the way you attached it to wall.
I just finished the bed frame. Everything fits together nicely. I have 1 question about the headboard. How did you lineup the wall blocks with the headboard blocks to make them fit?
Great project. Had fun building the frame. Rather than using the jig I modified your plans a little. I cut notches in the frame top and bottom and slid the sides in forming a perfect square.
Thx
Hey Tim!
Nice idea modifying the plans based on your needs, glad to hear the build went well! Since the pallet headboard build I graduated to a one-cleat system. It’s pretty much exactly what I used in my latest “build a projector screen” video. Using the 3-block cleats works, but getting the headboard level and mounted was a real pain.
I would recommend watching how I hung the projector screen and using that for your headboard. It’s a 1×4 as long as you want it ripped on a 45-degree angle. Mount the wall side into at least 2 wall studs and the headboard side is attached with screws. Be sure to check for level and you should be good to go.
Hope this helps!
AWESOME BED RICK , I’M BUILDING SOMETHING SIMILAR , WITH WOOD PALLETS , MY WILL BE A QUEEN BED I LOVE YOUR DESIGN , THANK YOU AND KEEP BUILDING
Looks great! I’ve been looking into building a headboard and see it is fairly simple but done many different ways, depending on ones preference…what’s best way to make sure it doesn’t wobble or bang against wall? Would prefer not to tear into the wall to stabilize it.
Do you have the instructions for the frame as well? It’s Spring Break and I need a project and I was going to make a headboard for our bed we just bought. It already has a frame though (ugly metal wheely one), so I’m curious if I should just replace it or if there’s a way I could build a cover around it to match the headboard…??…
Sweet idea with the wall mounts.
Rick, man I saved this ages ago in hopes of building it. Well, this was the week. Took two days off work and built this with small mods the wife wanted. The way you laid out the instructions was spot on and easy to comprehend. Thank you. Can’t wait till the next project.
BERRY NICE PROJECT/IDEA BRRRRRRRRRO/ CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!! BIEN CHINGONAAAA
would love the material list for this king size head board for the wife, amazing how you designed to attach to wall l LOVE IT!!