Thursday, August 22, 2013

Dorm It Yourself: Fabric Covered Headboard

Headboards have begun to become a staple for college girl's dorm rooms! You can find them on lots of online dorm targeted sites but often times they are very overpriced for what they are. I knew that I wanted a headboard in my dorm room but I was not willing to pay the price to have someone make it. Instead, my mom and I made mine and I am so excited with the way it turned out. Lucky for y'all, we have created a set of instructions on how to make your own dorm headboard!

I am not providing all measurements only because it is all up to you and your preference.

If you enjoy this Dorm It yourself then be sure to check out my last Dorm It Yourself on Recovering Storage Ottomans!

Happy Crafting!

DIY: Fabric Covered Headboard

Supplies Needed:

Lauan Wood (Super light wood which makes it easy to hang in a college dorm) or Campaign Sign | Fabric of your choice | Foam | Batting | Sand Paper | Circle Saw or Jig Saw | Staple Gun + Staples | Scissors | Spray Adhesive (Make sure to get the type that works with foam) | Iron and Ironing Board

YOU CAN PURCHASE LILLY PULITZER FABRIC HERE!

How to:

1. Gather all of your supplies. We did this the day before we started the project because we had some hiccups trying to get the wood. Some of the best advice I can give you is to get your wood from Lowes because they can cut it for you (many smaller hardware stores are not allowed to cut it for you). Lauan wood is sold for about $10 in an 4 X 8 sheet. We had the friendly man helping us at Lowes cut our sheet in half so that it would fit in the car. If we were smart we would have had him go ahead and cut one part of it 40 in (wide)  X 48 in (tall) because that is the size I used for my headboard. Once it is cut to the general size you desire be sure to sand the edges so they aren't so rough and won't snag your fabric! The way we cut mine was the easiest way we could think. We measured to the middle of the top or our wood and made a mark, then from each side we measured in 10 inches in and 10 inches down. From there we took a ruler and connected our 2 dots on each side. 

2.  Instead of searching for foam an getting it cut from a fabric store my mom and I used a twin foam mattress pad ($10-$15) and pieced the foam so that it would fit the headboard size. Next, we took the headboard outside and used spray adhesive (follow directions on can) to attach the foam to the wood. After that we used batting over the entire headboard to soften up the edges and ensure that the foam would stay in place.

3. Next you will want to iron out your fabric and then cut it so that you have room to fold it up along the back side and staple it but be sure not to leave too much excess because that can make it hard to manage.

4. Finally, begin stapling the fabric to the headboard. We folded the corners like presents and it kept the fabric very tight however when you are doing the final side of our headboard be sure to pull the fabric pretty tight so that you don't leave any parts gaping!

You now have the perfect dorm headboard and it cost you less than $30!
 (In case you are curious, we are hanging it with command velcro since it isn't very heavy.)

Here is a better look at the end result! I can not wait to move in to my dorm and set everything up!



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