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Mid Century Modern DIY Wood Headboard
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DIY Modern Headboard

This DIY mid century modern headboard will be the perfect addition to your decor! The blocks are easier to make than you think.
Course Furniture
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Dry Time 12 hours
Total Time 20 hours 30 minutes
Servings 1 headboard
Cost $200

Equipment

Ingredients

  • Poplar wood as specified on cut list in Notes
  • Wood glue we recommend Titebond III
  • 30 Wood screws 1 1/4" length, about 24 - 30

Instructions

  • Fashion mounting pieces using this method or a similar method IF your bed frame requires them. Mine were cut (using a miter saw) from a  1″ x 4″ x 8′ board - they have 3" sides and were all cut a 45º angle.
    triangles cut from wood for supports
  • Glue five (5) triangles together to make one support piece, then repeat to make two. Sand the mounting pieces smooth and trim the ends off square.
    Stack of five triangles glued together with wood glue
  • Mount these support pieces on the underside of the head rail of the bed frame. The outside edge of each support piece should be 15" from the outside of the frame. Using (3) screws to mount each piece to the underside of the head rail as shown.
    Mounting the support pieces to the frame
  • Cut one piece of 1”x 6” x 8' wood to two (2) 37" lengths. These will be your headboard support rails. Using a round-over router bit, round over the top and bottom edges of the headboard mounting pieces. You don't HAVE to do the rounding over, but we just though it looked nice so we took the extra step.
    cut the mounting boards
  • Using six (6) screws on each side, mount the headboard boards to the outside edge of the head rail with them touching the ground. Four screws will go into the bed frame and two will go into the supports as shown.
    Support rails mounted to the frame
  • Cut trim pieces using a miter saw. Cut two (2) 1" x 2" x 8' boards into 1" x 1 1/2" x 84 3/8" length pieces. Then cut one (1) 1" x 2" x 8" board into two (2) 1" x 1/2" x 25 1/4" pieces.
  • Using the miter saw, cut an inward-leaning 45º angle cut on each end of each 1" x 2" - so you'll be making eight cuts total.
    Using the miter saw, cut an inward-leaning 45 degree angle
  • Using a table saw, angle the blade to 15 degrees. do a 15º bevel cut all the way down the length of one edge of each of the frame pieces.
    cut an inward-leaning 45 angle
  • Reset the table saw from Step 8. Set the blade to a 1/4” cutting depth and move the gate 1/4” away from the blade. Flip the frame pieces over and cut a 1/4” deep groove the length of each frame piece.
    NOTE: this groove needs to be cut on the OPPOSITE side from the bevel cut - see the picture. You want the groove to be on the flat side of the wood.
    Cutting a groove in a frame piece with a table saw
  • Move the gate 1/8” (or a blade’s width) further from the blade and cut another groove. This should make one 1/4” inch groove (that you see in the picture).
    cutting a second groove
  • Take two (2) pieces of 1/4” thick x 2’ x 4’ oak plywood and, using a table saw, cut both pieces of plywood to a 41 3/8” x 23 3/4” size. These will be the back of your headboard.
  • You might need help with this step since this is a king size! Take both pieces of cut plywood and slide them end to end down into the groove of one of the 1" x 2" x 84 3/8" pieces. You're going to test the fitment to make sure that all the pieces will fit together before adding any glue.
    Sliding the plywood into grooves to test fitment
  • Separate the pieces, then reassemble - this time gluing them together. Clamping and glue with scrap wood in the edges to keep everything square and tight.
    Clamping and gluing the headboard pieces together with scrap wood in the edges
  • After the glue has set up, measure the inside area you will be covering with blocks. The inside dimensions should be approximately 23 1/2” x 82 3/4”. It's fine if they're not exact - you can make the blocks fit. The corners are only tacked in place at this point and you will be glueing in cut block pieces to reinforce the frame and create the design.
    Beginning assembly of the back of the headboard
  • You're going to create the wood mosaic on top of the plywood, so you need to determine your design. First, determine how many horizontal rows you want in your mosaic. We used six rows, and we recommend picking a number of rows that is divisible by 3 (ie. 6, 9, 12) as you are going to be using three thicknesses of wood to create your mosaic.
  • Using a planer, you are going to create three thicknesses of wood boards, so you’ll have two boards of each thickness (if you do it the same way we did it). Keep one board at 3/4" thick. Run two boards through the planer and remove 3/16". Run those same board through the second time. Then pick two additional boards and run them through, removing 3/16". You'll then have six boards of three varying thicknesses.
    three thicknesses of wood boards
  • You'll know how wide your wood needs to be by taking the vertical measurement (top to bottom) of the headboard. For example, the inner area of our king headboard is 23 1/2” x 82 3/4”. So each board needs to be about 3 7/8" inches wide (23 1/2" divided by six rows). Use a table saw to cut the boards to the width you like, if you need to. We didn't need to trim much at all.
  • Using a miter saw to cut each board into lengths of 2”, 4”, and 6”. Try and cut an equal amount of each length from each board as you are going to make a random mosaic.
  • Take your mosaic wood pieces and lay them out in the headboard frame to make sure you get a nice mosaic pattern using the different thicknesses and lengths. When you get the pattern the way you like it, glue all the pieces in place and clamp the frame. Try really hard not to get any excess glue on the surface of the wood if you are staining as it acts as a resist (so wipe it up immediately). Let dry overnight.
    Random wood pieces laid out on the headboard back
  • Cut three 2 1/2” x 1/4” x 24” pieces of finished oak down by 1/2" inches on one end to 2 1/2” x 1/4” x 23 1/2”. Flip the headboard over and measure 18" from each end. Glue the support pieces of oak in place at those points. Then place your third piece of oak in the middle and glue. Clamp everything as shown above.
    Gluing the oak piece onto the back of the headboard
  • I mounted the headboard 7” above the bed frame at this time. I raised it up on some wood to hold it in place for mounting. When you get it into place, use 1 1/2” wood screws to mount the headboard to the frame - the holes should match the support piece holes. You might need assistance for this step - someone to hold up the headboard so that it's even while you screw it in.
    headboard mounted to the support pieces with wood screws
  • Decide whether you are going to stain or paint your headboard! I used Minwax waterbase stain (a custom color to match the existing furniture). Then coated with a Minwax waterbase polycrylic and let dry for 24 hours.
    diy mcm headboard

Notes

The triangle pieces in step 1 were left over from the corner braces of our platform bed. If you completed that project, you might have ten (10) of these triangles, which is what you need.

Cut List*

  • Support pieces (see step 1; you may be able to use scraps)
  • 1 – 1″ x 6″ x 8′ board trimmed to two 1” x 5 ½” x 37” lengths (mounting boards)
  • 2 – 1″ x 2″ x 8′ boards trimmed to 1" x 1/2" x 84 3/8" each
  • 1 – 1" x 2" x 8" board trimmed to two 1" x 1/2" x 25 1/4" lengths
  • 2 - 1/4" x 2' x 4' oak plywood pieces trimmed to 41 ⅜” x 23 ¾”
  • Boards to use for the mosaic area (see steps 11 & 12) - we used six (5) 1" x 4" x 8' boards
  • 3 - 2 ½” x ¼” x 24” pieces of finished oak trimmed to 2 ½” x ¼” x 23 ½” (1/2" cut off one end)
Note: You likely do not need to cut the board width for most of the cuts in this tutorial – just the board length. The boards will probably have dried to about 5 1/2″ wide (but check). Use a table saw to cut the width if you need to.