Herringbone Headboard – tutorial
Holy Moley People! This DIY Herringbone Headboard is perhaps the coolest thing we’ve ever made!
If you follow me on Facebook, you probably saw some pictures that showed us trying to use pallets to make a headboard for my son. Well, that was a big, fat FAIL! We kept breaking the boards, and they had huge gouges in them from the nails. On top of that, I read that many pallets were treated with chemicals we wouldn’t want to be sleeping next to. Since our pallets weren’t marked to say if they had been treated or not, I didn’t want to take the chance that my son could get sick. So, I put it on the back burner until I got a better idea.
Two days ago, I saw this post from Amy Krist and it got me thinking about his headboard again.
Ikea Hack using paint sticks from Amy Krist’s blog
This table top used about 80 paint sticks. A headboard would probably need about a thousand. So paint sticks were out of the question. I didn’t have the patience to collect them over time, and then to cut them all down and stain each one… my god, I’d still be there, chopping off the handles. Eiy-yie-yie! But I loved the idea of the many colored stains, so that was my jumping off point. I love the Herringbone pattern, and my son agreed it was pretty cool, so that was settled.
I headed to Home Depot and picked up my my supplies. I was making a queen size headboard, so all my measurements are based on that size headboard.
This is what I bought:
- 16 – 8 foot 1 by 4 white pine boards – not pressure treated. (I seriously over bought. I only needed about 7).
- one 4×8 foot piece of 3/8″ underlayment. I had this cut down at HD to 3 foot tall by 62″ wide (two inches wider than a queen size bed).
- Three of the mini cans of Minwax stain. I used Ebony, Mahogany and Espresso. I had Walnut and Grey stain at home.
- Staples for my Ryobi crown stapler – 1 inch.
- Elmer’s Wood glue Max
- One tube of Liquid Nails
- one 8 foot long pine (select?) board for the cleat to attach to the wall.
- Minwax Polycrylic water based finish in clear satin.
I already had at home:
- Stapler
- Walnut and Gray stain
- Speed square
- Saw
- Rags to apply stain
- Sander/sandpaper
I started by staining the pine boards different shades. I left one piece with no stain. I also stained one side of the underlayment board with Ebony stain, so that if there were gaps between the boards, you wouldn’t see the wood color peeking through. Then, I let them dry overnight.
I decided to go with longer pieces of board for the pattern, so I cut half of the boards into 17 & 1/4″ lengths. (I measured five boards across laid side to side, which was 17 &1/4 inches long.) I figured if I needed more, I could always cut more. At that point, I knew I had bought way too many boards. Oops! I might have make another one to sell…
We started by measuring to the center of the backboard, and put the corner of the first piece there. I used the speed square to make sure it was laid at a 45 degree angle to the top edge. Then we dry fit the first few rows, laying out the pattern and figuring where to put the colors. I think spacing the colors evenly was the hardest part of the whole project. We didn’t want it to look like a straight pattern, and we didn’t want the colors to touch either. It took a bit of tweaking to make it just right. 
After the first few lines were planned out, we started to glue the boards down, starting with the top piece. Because some of our pieces of wood were slightly warped or twisted a little, we found out quickly that we would need to staple them down also at each end of the boards to hold them on to the back board. I tried the hand stapler first (mostly because it was in my tool bag, and therefore on hand, and I was feeling a little lazy) but it wasn’t strong enough, so I got my Ryobi crown stapler from the garage and used that. For a battery powered stapler, that thing has some power!
When we got to the ends, we just marked the undersides of the boards using a marker along the edges of the back board. After the first few pieces were laid, it was pretty easy after that to follow the pattern. By the way, I am somewhat of a glue oddball. I know that Elmer’s wood glue works great, but Liquid Nails seems to set faster, so I just put two dots of Liquid Nails on the ends and a squiggly line of Elmers down the center of each piece. Even after we stapled all of the boards down, I kept using both types of glue. Obviously, you don’t have to do this. Yes, it’s overkill, but we all have our quirks… 🙂
When all the boards were glued on, my husband took the saw around the edges to even out anything that wasn’t straight.
Then I went around the edges and stained them with the Ebony Stain. Not only does it give the edges a cleaner look, but it also filled in the places where the wood had split on the edges when we were cutting them. 
After all that, I cleaned off all the sawdust, and applied the first coat of Polycrylic. I used clear satin because I didn’t want much of a shine. And I used the water based formula because it dries faster, isn’t stinky and cleans up quickly.
This is after one coat of the polycrylic. After this coat, I used 220 grit sand paper and sanded the entire thing. Even though it felt smooth before I applied the poly, after it dried, it seemed to make every rough patch stand out. The quick sanding took off the rough edges and places where the grain was scratchy.
I like the little bit of distressing it gave to the piece too. Then I gave it a second coat of poly and let it dry.
Okay, so you are wondering how heavy is this little masterpiece, aren’t you? HEAVY! Much too heavy to just attach to the wall with a couple of hooks. So we made a cleat to hang it on the wall. We used two pieces of 5 foot pine, cut on a 45 degree angle, so they fit perfectly together when you hang it on the wall.
Because it’s so heavy, my husband made sure to attach it directly to the studs, with not one, but two screws on each stud. Then, all we had to do was drop it in. That baby isn’t going anywhere!
I am completely in love with that headboard. I think it’s the very best thing we’ve ever made – except for the kids, of course! ;P
I love all the different stains and the manliness of it. It’s perfect for a teenage boy’s room, which is by far, the hardest room in the house to decorate. But it would also look great in a guest room or master bedroom. Love love love it!
So that’s it. Did I leave anything out? Any questions?
Thanks for stopping by!
Eliesa
For Alisa:
Staples in headboard
Sue K. says
WOW!!!!! That looks fantastic. And perfect for a teenage boy, college student or bachelor. How many hours would you say it took to make and what is the skill level? Totally impressed.
A Pinterest Addict says
Thanks, Sue! All together it took about 5 hours, start to finish. I think it could be done by someone with at least some experience using a miter saw. It could be done with a hand saw and a miter box too. Everything else was simple enough for most people to do.
Sherry says
Beautiful
A Pinterest Addict says
Thank you 🙂
Stephanie P. says
That looks amazing!!!!!! Great job!!!!
A Pinterest Addict says
Aww thanks! Vinnie is really happy with it too! I keep going in his room to stare at it. He’s getting annoyed with me. 😛
Robyn Lowe says
Lol, I’d do the same! Be proud!
Robyn Lowe says
Love this! Think I’ll ask my 15 yr old if he wants this, its so awesome for a boys room especially!
mary says
Bee u tee ful!!! I love it ties the whole room together. Bravo and well done Mom and Dad.
Kadee says
I love this! I think this idea would make a gorgeous accent wall too!
Julie says
Beautiful!
Kaci says
Is it necessary to glue and staple all the boards down? Or would just stapling do the job? Going out to get what I need tomorrow to make one! I appreciate your very detailed turorial!
A Pinterest Addict says
We used glue and staples because some of the boards were bowed and I figured that using both would help if the staples came loose. Probably overkill, but I felt better doing it. I would love to see how yours comes out!
Don Barra says
Folks like you keep things fun and interesting. Thanks for sharing a nicely detailed build.
Katherine Kay says
We used your plans and just picked our own colors, only varied slightly. It looks came out great and looks gorgeous! Thank you for such detailed instructions!
A Pinterest Addict says
That’s awesome! I’d love to see some pictures!
Katherine Kay says
Not sure how to leave a picture? Any suggestions?
A Pinterest Addict says
Can you email them to me? eliesa@apinterestaddict.com
marco says
Looks pretty. I am building one with pallet woods . Question, did it became heavy for 1 person to carry from garage to bedroom on 2nd floor
A Pinterest Addict says
I remember that it was pretty heavy, but not insanely so. It’s been on the wall for a while, so I don’t remember exactly. Would love to see it when you are done!
Frances says
That looks so stylish, and you make it look very easy. I think I’m going to try this for a feature panel in my kitchen. I love the mix of different coloured woods. Thank you for posting such a great tutorial.
A Pinterest Addict says
Awww… thank you! I really appreciate the kind words. I hope your project turns out well. I would love to see a picture of it when you complete it!
larry perkins says
beautiful headboard….thank you for sharing. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna steal the idea for a dining room table top.
A Pinterest Addict says
That would be awesome! Would love to see pictures when it’s done!
Nathan Montague says
What colors did you use to stain the boards?
A Pinterest Addict says
I used Ebony, Mahogany, walnut, gray and Espresso.
Kylie says
Whenever you cut your boards down, were they all 17 1/4″ in length? I’m using this idea in an enclosed trailer as a floor and we just can’t get the boards to meet end to end being the same length. Having to alternate lengths.
A Pinterest Addict says
We set the saw for that length and cut them all the same.
Andrea says
Are you selling these?
A Pinterest Addict says
Nope, just made this one.
Amanda says
What did his dresser look like? Thinking about doing this in our master with some more feminine touches (like bedspread and whatnot). We have a rustic decor to our whole house and this would be perfect. Just trying to decide what to do with the dresser.
A Pinterest Addict says
He has his clothes all in the closet, it’s pretty big. It looks great with the mid century modern cabinet though…
Alisa says
How did you staple your boards down? I dont see any staples. Did you go thru the back of the underlayment?
A Pinterest Addict says
I stapled right through the boards. The staples are tiny, and they are slightly indented into the wood, so you don’t notice them that much. I’ll post a pic at the bottom of the post showing what they look like.
Alisa says
Thank you so much! My boyfriend and I just went out last night and bought most of the stuff to make this! I cant wait!
A Pinterest Addict says
It’s updated – pic is down at the bottom. 🙂 Post pictures of it on FB once you finish!
Karmen says
I loved the head board you made, so much that I made one for my son. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!! The headboard turned out great!
A Pinterest Addict says
That’s awesome! I’d love to see it!
Nikki says
How did you brush on the poly? It’s says to brush with grain – feel this would be time consuming if I brush each piece individually.
A Pinterest Addict says
Because it’s been a while, if I remember correctly, I think I used a brush and just slapped it on. It didn’t need to be perfect – just covered. 😛
Tracy says
You have actually inspired me to DO one of my many pinterest projects! 🙂 We have not one, but two of these started for in our spare room. ( which I call the bunkhouse, it’s used for when the kids come back home to stay overnight) Thanks for the inspiration!
Mars says
Hi,
I loved your tutorial and I’m loving how my headboard is looking! I just have one question
How did it go with the polycrylic? I’m afraid that the brush will pass some color to the next tile, and so on.
A Pinterest Addict says
I put the poly on after the stain was dry, so I had no color transfer from one piece to the next. I’d love to see pics of your headboard when you are done!
Dawn says
Hi. This is really a neat pattern. Wondering how you figured 17 1/4″ for your board length? I am wanting to try this for my son’s room but need to scale it down for a full size bed.
Thanks
A Pinterest Addict says
I just used a multiple of the width of the board. You can make it shorter if you want. Good luck!
Nena says
FabuIous idea and just beautiful!! I would love to do this for my twin beds which have a very short headboard. But i would like to attach it to the existing headboard piece. Think the smaller (twin) version would be too heavy to attach to the actual bed? I can’t attach to the wall; it’s just not workable for me. And any help for measuring for the smaller size would be appreciated. Thanks and good work!!
A Pinterest Addict says
I think it would depend on what kind of wood you use. It’s a pretty heavy piece the way I made it, but if you use a thinner board, and attached thinner lighter pieces to it, it would work. For example, I have old wood blinds that I plan on using the slats for a project. They are very light weight, and could be used to create the same effect visually without all the weight. Does that make sense? I don’t know what you have now that you want to attach it to, but make sure you attach it securely so it doesn’t fall over on you. ?
Nena says
Okay, I totally understand what you’re saying. When I go shop for the wood, I’ll keep your suggestions in mind. I plan to attach it to the existing (almost non-existent) headboard that’s on there now. I’ll be sure it’s attached very securely, too! I do not want any cracked noggins!! Thanks so much!
Angela says
Where about did you mount the cleat on the headboard? Top, bottom or middle? Does it really matter? I want to make this for my California king.
A Pinterest Addict says
Maybe about a 1/3 of the way down?
Jack Healey says
Just curious, and a little puzzled. You call for 1″x4″ boards and 1″ staples, so how do you get the staples to catch the 3/8″ backer board?
I was thinking I would use 1-1/4″ brad nails with my Ryobi nail gun, just to insure I caught the backer board securely.
A Pinterest Addict says
The 1″ x 4″ boards aren’t quite 1 inch deep, so they were able to go through the boards and into the backer board. It wasn’t super deep into it, but it worked. I also have glue on every single piece, so once everything dried, it wasn’t going anywhere. All these years later, it’s holding up great, no boards popping off.
Cyndi says
Absolutely fell in love with this headboard when I saw it. We went out and bought the materials and are planning on making it this weekend…If you get this message before then, I would love a “straight on” picture of the entire headboard so that I can see how you arranged the colors to flow so nice….I am having a hard time looking at the picture on its side and I am trying to make it easier for my boyfriend to help me.
Michael says
Did you use a pre conditioner before the stain? Did you use the common pine board?