How to Make a Headboard with a Stencil

What an easy and inexpensive way to make a headboard! With so many different stencil designs, there are so many options to change up the design.

For those of you that have read any of my posts, you know I don’t enjoy spending a lot of money on anything, including my home decor and furniture.  As part of our master bedroom overhaul, I refused to buy a new headboard and instead decided to make one.  I combined my love of paint and my love of power tools to whip up this DIY headboard.

Supplies Needed:

  • 1/2″ plywood
  • jigsaw
  • decorative stencil (I love the stencils from Royal Design Studio)
  • paint
  • decorative trim
  • nails or airnailer

Steps to Make a Headboard

how to make a headboard

I decided to use 1/2″ plywood because it’s thick enough to retain its form, but also not too thick or heavy and unmanageable to work with.  Because I was painting my headboard, I used a B/C grade sanded pine plywood, but if you wanted to stain it, I would opt for a higher grade, or a birch or maple veneer plywood.

I did a quick Google search for “headboard shapes” and found some great images of different shapes to choose from.  I ended up picking a fairly simple one, and then saved the image to my computer to be able to print it.  I used the Paint program to enlarge the image.  If you’re unfamiliar with this process, I talked about it in this post that shows how to make large lettered signs.

how to make a headboard for cheap

After printing out the shape and cutting it out, I used it as a template to trace on my piece of plywood.  I just flipped it over and traced the mirror image on the other side rather than cutting out two identical templates.

DIY headboard

I used a jigsaw to cut out the shape, and then sanded it down with 120 and then 220 grit sandpaper.  It took three coats of paint to cover the knots and wood grain, but a sample pint of paint was just enough.

allover-lace-stencil-esperanza-tile-SQ_grande

Now the fun part:  stenciling!  Royal Design Studio has a huge selection of stencils, both for wall murals and for smaller craft projects.   I used a wall stencil called the Esperanza Lace Tile.

how to paint with a stencil

I used my favorite trick to getting perfectly clean stencil lines.  I use this two part stenciling technique whenever I’m stenciling a small project or using painter’s tape on a piece of furniture, but I do not use this method if I am stenciling a wall.  So, if I was using the Esperanza Lace Tile for my wall, I would just use paint.

how to make a DIY headboard

After it dried, I simply attached it to the wall by nailing it into the studs.

how to make a headboard out of plywood

Because the sides of plywood are just not pretty, even if they are painted, I decided to wrap a piece of trim around the sides.  Most fabric stores have a variety of different trims in varying thicknesses and colors, so it’s easy to find one that matches the style of your headboard.  Ribbon would also work well for this, too!

stenciled headboard

All and all, it was a super easy update to our bedroom, and cost a fraction of what it would cost to buy a new one!

What an easy and inexpensive way to make a headboard! With so many different stencil designs, there are so many options to change up the design.

Can you picture how beautiful this stencil would be covering an entire wall?

What an easy and inexpensive way to make a headboard! With so many different stencil designs, there are so many options to change up the design.

I also built the base of our bed as a storage platform similar to a Pottery Barn bed.  I’ll be posting all about that project soon.

What an easy and inexpensive way to make a headboard! With so many different stencil designs, there are so many options to change up the design.

In the mean time, I’d love for you to see how I updated our entire master bedroom on a budget.

how to make pillowcase covers with ties

Jenny at Refresh Living (dev.refreshliving.com)

Post by Jenny Leads

Jenny is the voice behind Refresh Living. She has a passion for helping people to create a home they love without spending a lot of money.

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6 Comments

  1. Good Morning!! I wanted to stop by and let you know that your post has been selected as a Feature post for the Welcome Home Wednesdays Link Party!! Stop by this morning to see your post linked up and don’t forget to grab your Featured Button too! ~Lisa~

  2. Beautiful headboard, but cheap – I’m not so sure. Since I loved the design I went to the site you listed for the stencil. That stencil alone is $69.95!! At that price, I’m already way over budget.

    1. Yes, I agree Sandie. If you were only going to use it for the headboard, it might not be the most budget friendly purchase! I actually used it to stencil my curtains (which I made from white twin sheet for $5 each!) and I plan to use it for another project as well, so the cost made a lot more sense. They often have coupon codes to save some money, or I’ve also seen a lot of smaller stencils at craft stores recently that are cheaper. You’d need to repeat the pattern more often, but it’d help to save some money. I hope that helps!