Sunday DIY: Headboard for Eden

Greig Morgan made a headboard for his daughter's spruced-up bedroom. Photo / Janna Dixon

Give your children's beds that extra-special comfort factor, says Greig Morgan.

We did up our 11-year-old daughter Eden's bedroom to a space fit for a princess, then realised her old bed looked out of place and decided to buy her a new one.

Although her bedroom now looks great, without a headboard for her new bed it didn't look right, as if part of the furniture was missing.

She's at the age where she's spending a lot more time in her bedroom - either on the phone chatting to friends, reading or listening to music. A headboard is more comfortable when you're sitting up in bed.

So I set about making one to suit the rest of her existing furniture.

Step 1

On the headboard legs, measure and mark the outline for your top rail, keeping flush with the top and back of the legs. Measure down 450mm for placement of the bottom rail (this will give you the height of your MDF panel insert). Accurately measure, mark and drill either end of the top and bottom rails using the 10mm drill bit, and repeat this for the legs. Glue the holes in the legs and tap in the dowels using your hammer. Glue the holes in your rails, and also glue between the holes for extra strength, using sash cramps to tighten so there are no gaps between the joints. Look down to make sure the legs are parallel to each other (if not, give a twist until they are).

Step 2

Using a 1.5mm drill bit, pre-drill even spaces for your beading, keeping flush at the back with top, bottom and legs. Nail in your beading. Using a 5mm drill bit, pre-drill even spaces along your top rail, glue the top of the rail, and evenly place and screw down the top cap from the underside of the rail. Insert the MDF panel and fix the front beading.

Step 3

Using a 1.5mm drill bit, pre-drill, glue and nail each end of the bottom of the headboard support. Fix it flush with the front of the legs. In the upright supports, use a router or jig saw to make openings for the bed's screw fixtures. Using 25mm screws, fix the upright supports to the inside of the bottom support, making sure the uprights' openings line up with the screw fixtures for the bed.

Step 4

Fill punched nail holes with putty filler and sand. Also sand all sharp edges using 120g sandpaper, ready for primer undercoat, then using the 220g lightly sand between coats.

Eden loves her new bedroom, and now has a headboard that completes the picture.

Materials

100x50mm pine clears x1 @ 1145mm (top cap with a 45 degree angle either end)
100x50mm x 1 @1010mm (bottom rail)
75x50mm x 2 @1065mm (legs)
75x50mm x 1 @ 1010mm (top rail)
18x18mm x 4 @ 970mm (top & bottom beading)
18x18mm x4 @ 450mm (vertical beading)
Mdf x 6mm x 1 @ 1200x600mm (main panel)
75x25mm x 1 @ 1010mm (bottom headboard support)
75x25mm x 2 @ 450mm (uprights for headboard support. Jig saw or router the centre holes)
Bag of 10mm fluted dowel & pva wood glue
Packet of 75mm & 25mm screws
Packet of 40mm panel pin nails, & putty filler to cover nail heads
Sand paper 150 & 220grit
Primer sealer & paint

Tools

Tape measure & pencil
Mitre saw/sharp handsaw
Drill with set of drill bits (10, 5, & 1.5mm were used)
Sash cramps
Small hammer & nail punch
Jig saw or hand router
Putty knife
paint brush

* Greig Morgan is a cabinetmaker by trade, who now runs his own landscaping business, GT Landscapes.

Email any questions for Greig to living@hos.co.nz