When I first started building projects from recycled materials these headboard benches were all the rage. You just had to look at Pinterest and Instagram and they were everywhere.  I really wanted to try and make one, but I could never find a matching headboard and footer from the same bed.

I had some paint leftover from a previous job, so I would be able to hide the fact that the headboards were different wood. 

How to make a headboard bench

Find a Headboard

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To make my headboard bench I used a recycled headboards form 2 different beds. 

I did not want a plain bench because you can buy them anywhere.  My idea was to add a large storage box under the seat to make it more attractive to buyers. I did not have any large sheets of wood other than this form ply that was rescued from a construction site.  It is solid which is great for this project, the only downside is the black coating, but I was going to paint it anyway, so I was not too concerned. 

Make the box

To by making the box first. These are the sizes of wood I needed. 4 x 1350 mm x 400 mm which are the lengths for the box and 2 x 400 mm x 400 mm for the sides.

Because the wood is still plywood, I pre-drilled all the holes first and then used a countersink drill bit to countersink the heads of the screws.

Once my box was complete, I had to find a way to attach it to the headboard.  Because I make up all my projects as I go along, I was not 100% sure it was going to work.  So, at this stage, I did not do any sanding or painting. I would leave that until the end.

Attach the box to the headboard

I lay the box on the front and lined up the headboard with the box. I drilled holes to the correct size of my bolts. And fitted the bolts through the headboard and into the box and secured the nuts. 

I did have the length of the bolt sticking out on the inside of the box, but I would turn them around later and cut them shorter using an angle grinder with a cutting disc.

Because I did not have any legs on my box, I used scraps of wood to hold up the box while I made the legs.  I used a level to make sure the box was level before I cut the legs for the box.

Adding the sides

To get the correct measurement for the sides, I measured the box less the 1cm that went into the headboard.  In hindsight, it would have been much easier for me if I had made the box bigger to the ends of the headboard and just attached the legs to the sides of the box.  But these things happen when you build as you go.

My legs were made from the single bed headboard which I cut to size using a jigsaw.

Securing the legs

Because of the shape of the headboard, I used for the legs, when I lined them up with the box there was a gap between the box and the legs.  This would make it hard for me to attach the legs. To fix this problem I cut a piece of scrap wood the size of the gap and used wood glue and screws to secure them together. 

Because I made the box smaller than the length of the headboard, instead of screwing the sides of the legs to the headboard my legs were now in the middle of the post. 

To attach the legs to the headboard I cut 4 small blocks 2 for each side and screwed them into the headboard either side of the legs. As per the picture below. I then drilled a hole through them all and added a long screw to prevent the legs from moving.  All this extra work just because I did not cut the box to the outside of the headboard. I also add screws through the side panels that I added into the box.

The legs were attached to the sides but as an extra measure, I added a small corner bracket to secure the leg post to the box. I would find a way to hide the brackets later.

I also added corner bracket to the underneath.  Sometimes my projects are overkill because I have a fear that someone will buy it and when they get home it will fall apart.  So better safe than sorry.

And that was my bench complete.  

Painting the headboard

I used 120 grit sanding discs on an orbital sander to scuff the surface of the formply so the paint had something to stick to. Before painting formply you should use a primer or the paint will not stick to the surface. Once dry I painted the bench with 2 coats of Annie Sloan white chalk paint. 

Because Chalk paint is not really good for high traffic furniture, I chose to seal the paint with 3 coats of water based polyurethane instead of the wax before it was reassembled.

To hide the corner brackets, I cut a length of wood and used a wood router with a round-over router bit too removed the corners on two sides. 

As per the image below. I had some leftover trim from another job, but I only had enough to cover the bottom.  This I attached using wood glue and securing it in place with a nail gun.

Adding the appliques

I used 3 appliques which I painted with Annie Sloan’s french linen. And attached them to the headboard bench using epoxy glue and a couple of short nails from a nail gun.  I would not advise using a nail gun in the finer detail of the applique because one of mine cracked.

Lastly, you can cut some foam the size of the lid, then cover it with fabric. You can attach the fabric to the underside using a staple gun. 

Completed Headboard Bench

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