DIY Plywood Headboard

This simple and easy DIY plywood headboard is made with one sheet of plywood and a few 2x4s. Learn how to make a headboard in a weekend.

PIN THIS TO PINTEREST

When I started working on my master bedroom and decided on a dark-colored board and batten wall, I knew I wanted to bring in warmth with some wood tones.

I also needed a headboard, and although I was tempted to make an upholstered one, I decided it needed to be wood to tie in the rest of the room and nightstands.

P.S: If you are looking for an upholstered headboard, look at my DIY upholstered headboard with nailhead trim.

I had a few panels of great quality plywood waiting to be used in a project, and this headboard was meant to be!

It is a really easy project and I knocked it out in a few hours.

I made this in king-size, but you can easily make it any size you want.

Cost of the DIY Headboard

This is one of those projects that can be as cheap or expensive as you like. It is made from 2x4s and plywood. The cost of the headboard depends on the plywood you choose. I highly recommend picking good quality plywood because plywood is the star of the show!

RELATED: 37 DIY Headboard Ideas for you to try

***This post contains referral or affiliate links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services.  Please read my full disclosure here ***

How to Build a Plywood Headboard

Here is a video tutorial of how I made this DIY plywood headboard. Watch it to see all the details of how I made it! A full written tutorial is below.

Click here to subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more great videos!

PIN THIS TO PINTEREST

Step-By-Step Headboard Tutorial

Step 1 – Cut 2X4’s to size.

Measure out the width and height you need for your headboard. The best way to do this is to use masking tape and create a “headboard” on the wall to see if the height works for you.

The bottom of the plywood is about 4″ below the top of the mattress.

I used those measurements to figure out the lengths of the 2x4s.

Below is the frame I built for my King size bed. You can modify the measurements for any sized bed.

PS: Be sure to check out my complete guide on how to use a miter saw for beginners

Step 2 – Drill pocket holes

Use a Kreg Jig at the 1-1/2″ settings to drill pocket holes on the two horizontal pieces and the middle spacers.

I used the Kreg Jig K4 to make the pocket holes for the shorter pieces but had to use my Kreg Jig 320 for the longer pieces.

To learn how to use this handy tool read my complete guide on how to use a Kreg Jig

Step 3 – Build the frame

Attach all the pieces of the frame by applying wood glue where the 2X4’s meet and using 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.

Because of the sheer size of this thing, I had to lay it out on the ground to put it together.

Step 4 – Cut the plywood

• Rip the plywood into 18″ wide strips.
• Lay it on the corner of the frame at a 45-degree angle, leaving some overlap.

Use a straight edge and cut off the excess.

Be sure to leave about 3-4″ overlap at the bottom too.

Then lay the excess next to the first piece, align it and cut until the entire frame is covered.

Step 5 – Attach the plywood to the frame

• Move the frame and plywood onto sawhorses.
• Use wood glue and clamps to attach the plywood to the frame.

• Add 2-1/2″ wood screws from underneath.

I used my workbench but I should have used the sawhorses as it would have been easier to access the underneath for screws. I had to wait overnight to be able to move everything and add screws.

Step 6 – Trim Plywood

Cut off all the excess plywood using a circular saw.

Step 7 – Finish the DIY plywood headboard

• Stain the headboard in the stain of your choice, I used this gel stain
• Add edge banding to give the edges a finished look and trim the excess. I love using the edge trimmer for this.

That’s it!

Super easy and quick!

Just changing the angle of the plywood adds so much character to a simple plywood headboard.

I love how it looks in front of the new board and batten wall – it brings in much-needed warmth and really ties everything together – exactly what I was hoping to do!

PIN THIS TO PINTEREST

Other Projects in This Space –

• DIY board And batten wall
• Painting a board a batten wall
• DIY nightstand with drawers
• DIY nightstand with hidden storage