|
| How to Construct a Picket Fence Headboard |
When my daughter, Chris, decided to redecorate her daughter, Marias, bedroom, she decided on a garden theme one of the new additions would be a big girls bed to replace the crib. They had a double bed frame, mattress & box springs so, naturally a headboard was in order and a picket fence seemed to be the perfect accent for the garden.
The measurements in our instructions are for a double bed measure, do the math and adjust for a twin, queen, king size bed. A general guideline is for the headboard to be three to five inches wider on each side of the mattress / frame. This will accommodate the width of the bedding once the bed is dressed. Rule of thumb for height of headboard: at least 24 above top of mattress. We spaced the pickets 1 ½ apart and used pieces of 2 x 4s as spacers (2 x 4s actually measure 1 ½ x 3 ½).
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 11 - 1 x 4 x 4 pine boards for pickets
- 2 - 1 x 4 x 5 pine boards for rails / crosspieces
- 2 - 4 x 4 Posts
- 2 - post caps/ball finials/small birdhouses or accent of your choice
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Pushpin
- String
- Chop saw or hand saw
- Jig saw
- Power sander and sand paper
- Glue - We used the Power Grab Pressure Pack
- Power finish nailer or hammer & finish nails
- 2 x 4 spacers
- 3 wood screws (to secure headboard to end posts)
- Drill & bits
- Large workbench / table (or do as we did use the floor!)
DIRECTIONS:
- Lay out the pine boards (11), using spacers in between.
TIP: Place a long board or straight edge against the bottom edges of the boards to keep the pickets in line.
- Cut crosspieces to 58 ½ (or to length for your size bed).
TIP: Lightly sand fresh cut boards to remove and any rough edges.
- Position crosspieces: Measure up 5 from bottom and make a mark this is where the bottom of one crosspiece will be placed. Measure up 33 from bottom this is where the top crosspiece will be placed.
- Attach the crosspieces: Apply adhesive (we used the Power Grab Pressure Pack) to the pickets where the crosspieces will be attached. Position crosspieces and secure with nails.
TIP: nails/screws act as clamps as glue dries. Drill pilot holes slightly small than the nails to prevent the wood from possibly splitting (if you are not using a power nailer).
- Mark curve along top of pickets: Cut a piece of string (approximately 5 long and tie one end to a pushpin. Tie a pencil to the other end and adjust the length of the string so it is exactly the length of the pickets (in our case 4). Flip the headboard over and push the pin into the bottom edge of the center of the centerboard and stretch the string up towards top of headboard. Using the pencil, mark an arc by keeping the pencil at the same angle and pulling the string taught across the boards.
TIP: Double check that arc is even on both sides of the middle measure length of corresponding boards and adjust curve if necessary.
- Cut Arc: Use a jig saw and cut along marked line.
- Cut 4 x 4 posts to length (for our headboard 38 ½).
TIP: As a guideline, make the posts about the same length as the picket that will be next to the post).
- Attach decorative top to each post using the Power Grab Pressure Pack.
- Attach posts to headboard: Pre-drill pilot holes for screws in the crosspieces, apply the Power Grab adhesive, position posts and secure with wood screws.
- Sand all surfaces, prime & paint.
- You can attach the headboard to the bed frame or to the wall.
|
|
