DIY Farmhouse Headboard {how to}

I shared my new master bed headboard on Wednesday and I hope you loved it as much as I do! It’s probably my favorite project I’ve done so far.

The headboard is Ana White’s “Mom’s Fancy Farmhouse Bed” headboard. She has plans for the whole bed, but I just wanted to build the headboard. I had to make a few adjustments because her plans are for a queen sized bed, and we have a king. So, I basically added extra planks to widen the headboard panel and then built it from there.

I am not going to give a step-by-step guide to build the headboard, because you can get that from Ana’s plan. But, I will give you my shopping and cut lists. And show a few tweaks that I made.

Shopping List:
4 – 1×6 @ 8 feet long
2 – 1×2 @ 8 feet long
2 – 2×6 @ stud or 8 foot length
1 – 2×4 @ stud or 8 foot length
1 – 1×3 @ 8 feet long
1 – 1×3 @ 24″ long (or longer, I think I bought a 36″ piece and cut it down)
2 1/2″ wood screws
1 1/4″ finish nails for nail gun
1 – 8′ stick of chair rail for top moulding
3 – 8′ sticks of base cap for moulding around inside of panel and for the top tier on the headboard

Tools I used:
Miter saw
Nail gun
Electric sander
Electric drill
Carpenter’s square

Cut List:
12 – 1×6 @ 24″ (panel boards)
1 – 1×3 @ 24″ (middle panel board)
2 – 1×2 @ 21″ (side trim for panel)
2 – 1×2 @ 69″ (top/bottom panel trim)
1 – 2×6 @ 69″ (base of panel)
2 – 2×4 @ 48″ (legs)
1 – 1×3 @ 78″ (top of headboard)
Cut your moulding to fit your bed exactly

I started by cutting the panel boards and sanding the edges.

I held the boards in my hand while sanding down the edges that would be seen, to give them a more defined “plank” look.

I bought a carpenter’s square to make sure the panel was square before I nailed in the trim. I took this picture before I had all of the panel widths figured out. I had to go back to Lowe’s to get the extra 1×3 piece to make the middle panel piece.

Here you can see the 1×3 middle panel piece that I used. I have six wider panels on each side, so it still looks good. And you can see how the sanded edges give the panels more definition and “plankness.” Yes, I just made up a word.

After everything was nailed in I used wood putty to fill the holes. And primed the whole piece with my favorite primer: Zinsser Cover Stain Primer. I use it on all of my projects that need primer. And since it’s oil based, I buy cheap brushes and throw them away. I don’t like dealing with paint thinner. No thanks!

You’ll also want to use this primer in a well-ventilated area. The garage works perfectly.

Once the primer dried, I gave it two coats of Antique White by Sherwin Williams. It’s the same color I used for the bed side tables. And I had lots of paint leftover from that project, so I had all of the paint on hand. Yay!

There really is nothing like taking a pile of lumber from the hardware store and creating something beautiful for your home! It brings me such a sense of satisfaction.

Have a wonderful weekend!