Wednesday, June 22, 2011

DIY: headboard

I do a lot of DIY projects, and most of the time, I look to other bloggers who have already blazed the trail before me.  However, I have the attention span of a gnat, so a lot of the times I half-way read the instructions and then...well...sorta...make it up as I go along. I realized the first time we went to tuft and a button on my headboard and it became a flying projectile/missile across my den, that PERHAPS I should have read the instructions...all the way through!!




 For added support we used spray adhesive to help bond all the foam and stuffing together (before putting on the fabric)

 We used particle board for the headboard itself, and backed it with a smaller piece of real wood, for support.  The legs are 2X4's.Currently our bed is a queen, but someday we will upgrade to a king, so we opted to make this headboard for a King...room to grow!!
 Before we added the fluff the husband measured out drilled holes into the back of the wood so we knew where the buttons would go in. (I went back and circled them with maroon marker, so we would know the difference between a "button hole" and a "random mark" )
 This part is important if you want a deep tufted look, "cut into the foam the depth you will want the tuft to be."  I didn't do this, and the buttons couldn't handle the pressure the foam was putting on it. (and trust me, when the button pops off, it is like a missile-flying at your face...)
 To keep an even look, we stapled top and then bottom and then each side.  It's a pain in the butt, but it keeps the fabric tight and even-giving it a professional overall look.
 The buttons were a pain in the butt.  I discovered that in order for the buttons to stay on, it had to be a fine balance between just enough fabric, glue and a hard enough beating to make them "snap" shut.  I had to go back several times and re-adjust.  Also, I tend to be a bit obsessive, so I had to cut a chunk out of the fabric and I wouldn't let myself look at which part of the pattern was put on the button.  They were also randomly selected when we put them on...otherwise, I would have obsessed over where each button went. 
 So...we didn't have any thread, or fishing wire.  So, we did the next best thing...we used guitar string. 
Another cheap trick: After this project was complete I was at target or walmart (I forget which) and I saw how cheap egg crates are...much cheaper than foam from hobby lobby or joannes.  So if you do it, buy egg-crate foam!

I was pretty upset at first with how shallow the tufts were, but over time I have really fallen in love with it.  It's like a small dainty detail you don't see at first, just adds to the layers of the room-I guess.





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