Do you love the look of the headboards you see at places like Pottery Barn, but don’t want to spend that type of money?  Well building one for yourself is not as difficult as you may think!  A quick trip to your local home improvement store, a dozen pieces of wood, and one afternoon of work is all it takes to have your new Pottery Barn inspired queen headboard built and ready for paint or stain.

Materials

• 3 – 1″ × 6″ x 8′
• 2 – 1″ × 2″ x 8′
• 2 – 2″ × 6″ x 6′
• 1 – 2″ × 4″ x 8′
• 1 – 1″ × 3″ x 6′
• Moldings:
  • 2 – 8′ inside corner molding
  • 1 – 8′ thin chair rail molding

 

Tools

• Saw: circular, miter, or table saw
• Nail gun
• Drill
• Pocket Hole Jig
• Tape measure
• Square
• Wood glue

 

Step 1: Build the headboard frame

I like to build the frame for this headboard first. Start by cutting your 2×4 exactly in half (48″) to make the legs.  Then cut one 2×6 to 62″ and the other to 55″ in length for the top and bottom of the frame, respectively.

Next secure the 62″ long 2×6 to the tops of the legs, ensuring that the outside edges are flush and that everything is square.  Use two pocket hole screws at the top of each leg to hold these together.  Then use 3 pocket screws at each end of the 55″ long 2×6 to attach it 24″ below the bottom edge of the 62″ long 2×6.  This will leave the 24″ x 55″ window for the back panel boards.

TIP: if you want your piece to look a little nicer and have a more finished look, instead of just buying and using 2x4s and 2x6s as they are from the lumber yard, take the time to trim off the rounded corners.  Sometimes I even start with 2x6s and 2x8s instead and then trim those down to the size of 2x4s and 2x6s to get a nicer finished product. Note that if you do trim off the corners of your 2x4s, your 55″ 2×6 will actually need to be slightly longer because your 2x4s will no longer be 3 1/2″ wide.

Step 2: Attach the panel frame

After you have your headboard frame together, it’s time to attach the frame for the front of the panel boards.  Cut your 1×2 stock into

• 2 pieces 55″ long
• 2 pieces 21″ long

Using 2″ trim nails and wood glue, attach these to the inside of the headboard frame.  Ensure that the front edges are flush with the front edges of the headboard frame so that there is a 3/4″ gap behind the panel frame for the panel boards.

Step 3: Fill in back panel boards

Once you have your panel frame in place, cut your 1×6 stock into ten pieces, 24″ in length.  NOTE: you may want to measure to 23 7/8″ long and then cut on the outside of your line.  This will account for the 1/8″ of wood lost to the width of the saw blade and help to make certain you can get four pieces from each 8′ length of 1×6.

After you have the panel boards cut, lay all ten out side by side inside the back of the headboard frame to ensure they fit and are centered.  Then pull them up one by one without moving the other boards to add wood glue to the ends where they will lay on the panel frame.  Then use 1″ trim nails to hold them in place while the glue dries.

Step 4: Attach top board

Cut your 1×3 board to 64″ long, and then attach using wood glue and 1″ trim nails.  The back edge should be flush with the back edge of the top 2×6, and there should be 1″ of overhang on each end.

Step 5: Finish off with trim

Lastly, attach inside corner molding to beneath the top board added in Step 4, and around the inside of the panel frame.  Then wrap thin chair rail molding over the joint between the top 2×6 and the legs.  Take your time and ensure your miter cuts are as close as possible so you don’t have gaps to fill in.  These last details are some of the most important to give your piece a professional look.

 

Now your Pottery Barn inspired queen headboard build is complete and all you have to do is sand or paint as you see fit!

We hope you enjoy these Pottery Barn inspired queen headboard plans, and as always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out via our Facebook page or our Contact form.

 

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