Pallet Headboard

We moved into our house last May and wanted to do make a headboard in our spare bedroom that was inexpensive and would be a focal point of the room. I had some extra pallets at work that I brought home and we made this super cute pallet headboard. See how we did it...

Materials needed:

4x8 foot sheet of plywood

2 - 6ft 2x4 (you will need 3 if you are doing a King)

Wood screws (100 - 3/4")

Wood screws (10 - 1")

1 1/2"x3/8" bolt

3/8" nut

Stain/Paint of choice

Polyurethane (optional)

2-3 pallets (depending on bed size)

Drill

3/8" Drill bit

Large foam paintbrush

Miter saw

Circular saw

Saw horses

Sawzall



To find out the size the plywood should be, measure the width of the mattress. Next we figured out the height we wanted the headboard to be then measured the height of the distance of the floor to the top of the mattress and subtracted it from the total height we wanted the headboard. You will mark off the plywood and cut with the circular saw.

You will then cut the 2x4's down to the height you want the headboard. You will then screw (using 1" wood screws) them to the backside of the plywood as pictured above. Make sure they attach all the way to the top of the plywood. If you are making a king size, you will need an additional one in the middle for support.





Now it is time to stain/paint the front and sides of the plywood and 2x4's.

While it is drying, you can use this time to remove the boards from the pallet. We just took a sawzall  and cut through the nails between the boards and the pallet. I cannot tell you how much time this saved.

Once you have all of the boards removed and the base has dried, you are ready to set out the boards where you want them. You will then cut off the overlap on the sides so it fits the width of the plywood. We attached each row one at a time so we didn't get any rows out of order or mixed up. You will attach each board with the smaller 3/4" wood screws from UNDERNEATH. This will ensure you don't see the top of the screws and it will look much cleaner. Make sure you attach each board in several areas so it does not fall off.

We let the top row overhang over the plywood so it would look more shabby.

This is where you will apply polyurethane to the pallet boards if you prefer. It will look shiny like the second picture below.

Now you are ready to attach to the frame of the bed. You will just set it in place behind the mattress and mark on the legs where the holes are on the frame. You will then take the bed back to your work area and make a 3/8" hole where the marks are. Attach the headboard to the frame with the nut and bolt.

I added a cute saying with a vinyl sticker. Several companies on Etsy can offer any type of sayings in any font or color.

Happy Building!