I’ve made a couple of diamond-tufted headboards now (Joanna’s was only my second though) and I feel like I have a pretty good sense of the easiest DIY approach now. For another tufted headboard tutorial I did, check out this post. I would say any upholstery job involving tufting is sort of an advanced DIY, but is this project definitely doable (maybe even fun?).
Gone are the days when I spend hours mapping out and drilling holes in plywood! I’ve been using pegboard and it is PERFECT for these headboard projects. Cheap, lightweight and sturdy enough. You’ll be hanging the pegboard on the wall so it’s okay that the board is not completely rigid.
I had Home Depot cut down the board for me, so it was just the right size for Alex and Joanna’s queen bed. The holes on pegboard are 1″ apart. You do have to do a little math and mapping out to figure out your button placements, but once you have the formula down, it’s just a matter of counting it out and marking the holes with chalk.
I had three rows of nine buttons and two rows of eight for a total of 45 tufts. (!) I wanted a lot of tufts though, so you could do less. I think it’s a good idea to look at inspiration images first and count the buttons on that headboard and estimate the spacing you’ll need for the look you’re after.
I purchased my 3″ upholstery foam at Joann’s with a 50% off coupon. I definitely recommend using exactly 3″ foam for this project. Otherwise the headboard will look thin and cheap. An important note – you only need enough foam to cover the top two-thrids or so of your pegboard. My foam was 24″ tall and my pegboard was 40″. The bottom part without the foam goes behind the bed.
So, to mark out your foam, lay the pegboard down perfectly on top of foam and use your registration marks and a sharpie.
One of the secrets of getting deep tufts is removing the foam where the buttons go. My method is pretty lame – I just use a paring knife to cut a hole around the registration marks. You just grab the foam bit, twist and pull out.
You’ll fly through this step. It’s a fun and easy one.
See how the foam only covers the top two-thirds or so of the pegboard?
Secure the foam to the pegboard using spray adhesive.
And lay down a sheet of high-loft batting on the top of your foam. The fabric goes on top of the batting.
**EDIT: A quick note about fabric. I used two yards of SOLID color fabric for this project. If you want to use a pattern (which I don’t really recommend for tufting, unless the scale is super small), you’ll have to piece together two or three panels of the fabric so that the piece is wide enough and so that the pattern matches up and runs the right way. Better yet, just use a solid fabric :) You can run the fabric horizontally (called railroading) and just get two yards and call it good.
PS You really will only need two yards for a queen size headboard. I was worried that the tufts would take up lots of extra fabric. Not at all. Maybe an extra couple inches total were needed for the whole headboard.
Here’s the part where you’ll need lots of buttons. You can buy button making kits and refills for just a few dollars (I used the 5/8″ size). It does take some time to make all the buttons though, so this would be a good place to enlist the help of a friend and get it done assembly style.
Using a long upholstery needle and doubled up upholstery grade thread (NOT the all-purpose stuff! This thread is more like twine), triple knot your button, and find your first button hole.
From the front of the headboard, push the needle through the fabric, batting, foam hole and pegboard hole, all the way out the back.
Pulling out and down as tight as you can, put a staple into the pegboard over the thread. But still keep pulling that thread to keep the tension. Put in a bunch of staples with the thread being pulled in different directions to secure that button in as deep as it can sit.
And your first tuft is done! You always want to start in the center and work your way out horizontally.
Be sure to leave the edges for last. I found it was taking me about an hour per row in the beginning. By the end I had it down to 20 minutes a row. Honestly though, my fingers were absolutely throbbing at this point! I busted this headboard out in a night and it would have been better to split up the tufting part into two nights, just to give my fingers a rest :)
Like any upholstery project, there is something to be said for keeping a soft hand and sort of artfully playing with the fabric. Especially when deciding where to place the button in the fabric and in getting the fabric to fold right. Play with the fabric and it will work with you. It’s absolutely begging to sit in a diamond shape if you help it along a little. :)
Once all the tufting is done, you’ll just need to finish off the edges. Don’t just roll the fabric back behind the pegboard and staple it down. The key to nice looking upholstery projects is all in the lines. Minimize the bumps and wrinkles! The fabric, especially along the edges should be flat and smooth. To make the edges of a headboard smooth, fold in a line going straight out from each tuft toward the perimeter. The fold takes care of all the excess fabric so that the edges can be smooth and taut and ready for you to staple down on the back side.
To finish the bottom of the headboard, where the foam ends, just push your staple gun up under the foam a little and run a row of staples along the whole front bottom. Then pull the fabric down over the bottom edge of the exposed pegboard, neatly fold behind and staple back, like you did with the other three edges of the headboard. And that’s it!
We screwed three D-rings into the back and used a couple Wall Dog screws in the wall to mount the headboard.
You can see in this shot how the foam only starts above the mattress. This way the mattress sort of sits into the headboard.
PS The camel linen is from Gray Line linen, from their Warsa line (only $9 a yard and it comes in all the colors under the rainbow).
This is such a fabulous tutorial (I appreciate how thorough you are) and the result looks so non-DIY. Making my own headboard is something I've been considering and I think you've given me enough courage to attempt the project!
I love the palette used here!
From what I understand after looking at all the published photos of the room makeover, I believe the colours are even better in person than in the photos with the artificial light!
Clever, clever on the pegboard! Love the whole project. Thanks for sharing!!
Looks really fantastic. Congrats.
Looks really fantastic. Congrats.
very smart!! It looks stunning.
Great tutorial. I love that you can make the most complicated of projects look simple. I may have to give this one a try.
And this is why you are a beloved blogger! This is incredible. Great work Jenny.
Amazing work, thanks for the tip on the fabric, I am on it!
What a good looking project, thanks for the tips on the fabric!
How brilliant to use pegboard, I always use plywood – and hate the process
So glad I came across your post today
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!
great idea!!!
That's a genius idea to use the peg board! Thanks for the tip & all the pics, you really make it look doable!
You're so crafty! It's so inspiring. I wish I had more energy on the weekends to do this sort of thing. These types of projects really make a difference in the home!
Ferren
http://www.easyart.com/trends
You are a genius!!
Using pegboard is genius. The headboard looks amazing!
You are killing me this week! Most brilliant tutorials ever! I've been coveting that headboard ever since you started posting about Joanna's room, and now I (mostly) think I can do it myself. THANK YOU!
You do the all time best tutorials! I just did your skirted table DIY project in my home the other week and you made the directions so easy to follow.
Thanks for the tutorial. This is the best one I've seen. Not sure I am brave enough to try it, but if so this will be my guide. Love the way it turned out and their bedroom. I think your Great!!
Great tutorial — you make it look so easy! We'll be DIY-ing a headboard soon so this gives me the confidence that I can do something fancy on my own.
Great tutorial!
What a great and easy way to get a tufted look! Fab tutorial…thank yoU!
This is a great DIY! Now I really have no excuse for making my own headboard!~ Thank you for this!~
Jenny–
Love it. I have wanted a tufted ottoman for awhile, your tutorial makes me think I could tackle it myself:-)
Thanks!!
Lauren
Jenny–
Love it. I have wanted a tufted ottoman for awhile, your tutorial makes me think I could tackle it myself:-)
Thanks!!
Lauren
I wish I had seen this before I made my own headboard!!! Oh the agony of measuring and drilling! And the holes were all to small the first go around. Pegboard would have been brilliant!
The peg board is brilliant! You are so inspiring!
Thank you for sharing your tips, Jenny! Love the use of peg board -gorgeous work!
this is super thorough and actually makes me feel like i can do it. i can sew a button like nobody's business. that makes me qualified to do this, right? ;)
genius!!! I have always wondered how they got those deep tufts- its digging out the foam- Thank you for sharing this!
The peg board is brilliant!!! I love the color of this headboard too! Thanks for the detailed tutorial!
Excellent! I can't believe how clear and easy to understand your directions are. :) This will definitely be in a guest room in my future. I'd have one in our bedroom, but I'm deathly allergic to dust mites and it wouldn't survive a hot wash once per week. ;)
Great tutorial! The end product really looks professional. I love it!
– Jill
Pegboard! That is ab-so-lute-ly genius!! Thanks for the great tutorial.
OMG you make that look so easy. Love your fabric choice.
http://leeanderin.blogspot.com/
this tutorial is amazing. cannot wait to try it. About how much fabric did you end up using. I want to cover all my bases here!
Thanks for the inspiration and help!
Great tutorial Jen! I have really enjoyed seeing all of your tricks and tips for putting this fabulous room together!
This is awesome! Using pegboard is a great idea. I've been wanting to do a tufted headboard, but drilling all the holes evenly seemed so daunting. This I can do! Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh my gosh. I have been waiting for the post. Checking in a couple times a day to find out where that headboard came from. And you made it! It turned out incredible. Dang, that I'm not that gifted with fabric and needles. I just might have to scour the internet looking for a copy cat. Way to go. Love the way the bedroom turned out. Very inspirational. Please come to my house when you are in Snowflake again. ;)
Very cool! Awesome tutorial. I've always loved the look of a tufted headboard (tufted anything, really) but the process seems so daunting. Maybe not?!
That headboard looks fantastic! I would love to try this sometime. Does the fabric below the foam go all the way to the floor?
I bow down. What a great, informative tutorial. I think I finally feel comfortable to try a DIY of this level – your idea of using pegboard is just genius.
Thanks for the detailed tutorial Jenny, the headboard looks beautiful! I might have to start with the DIY Sunburst Mirror but I think i'll tackle this one one of these days too.
Dene
What a great tutorial! I definitely need to make one of these when I get a house!
Lovely! What do you do at the bottom of the foam? With the pegboard being larger…? I'm assuming you covered the pegboard with the fabric…??
Thanks for the sweet comments, friends!
You'll need about 2 yards of fabric for this project. I'll update the post with more info. (you'll need more if you're using a pattern).
Sorry the last step about finishing the bottom part that goes behind the bed is a little ambiguous. I was sure I had photographed this part, but I can't find the images anywhere.
The basic idea is you staple underneath the foam, coming from the front. But you don't cut off the fabric. It just sort of runs down the front of the pegboard. Then you can fold and wrap it behind for stapling like with the rest of the perimeter of the headboard. It looks much more professional to keep the pegboard covered in fabric.
Hope that helps to clarify! Let me know if you have more questions!
xx
This is awesome! Using the pegboard is genius, and the finished product is beautiful! I think I have to attempt this one…
I seriously love that all of your DIY projects don't look DIY at all – great job!
Hi Jenny. What a great looking headboard. The pegboard is a great idea.
My tufting got a lot better when I discovered to remove the foam in each area first. I've found that an apple corer (the kind with a serrated tip) is great for digging out the plugs of foam.
Can't wait to see what you're up to next!
I love these tufting DIY's. I'm still on the look out for a headboard like your girls'…those are perfect. And this is a close second. Rock on Jenny.
Amazing! Probably a bit advanced for me, but I would love, love, love to know how you did those blackout shades in their apartment — I've been looking for some, but they are so expensive!