I was given these old kitchen cupboard doors by a builder that removed them from a house he was renovating.  They got chucked on my scrap pile while I thought about what to make.  I did not have to wait long because my sister asked me if I could make her a headboard.

 The headboard would be for her granddaughter’s bedroom in her house.  But she did not want a painted headboard because it was still her spare room. She wanted a headboard that she could dress up with bedding for her grandchild but still be able to use it for adults guests when they come to visit. 

How to make a headboard from kitchen cupboard doors

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Clean up the cupboard doors

I started by removing all the hardware, I recycled them into other projects to keep my costs down. The cupboards had a big build-up of grease on the surface. To remove the grease and grime I used a bleach spray which I let sit on the surface for a while and then used a sponge scourer to remove it all.  I waited for the surface to dry before I started to sand the surface.

I sanded the wood using a random orbital sander using 100 grit sanding discs first and ending on 180grit.  As much as I tried, it was too hard to get the sander into the grooves and I am not a lover of sanding by hand.  So my lazy mind changed the plan to a two-toned effect. 

The posts for this project were made up of lots of different colour woods which would make the two-tone effect blend in better. The side posts were 9xcm x 9cm and heavy as hell, but I was not too concerned about that. 

Building the frame

I started by adding a groove to my posts for the cupboards to slot into.  I measured the length of my cupboards and added another 8cm to the measurement to account for the space I want to be left at the top. My cupboards were 2 cm thick so that was the size of the groove I needed in the posts, I also cut the groove 2 cm deep. I centred my groove on the post of the table saw and removed the wood by doing multiple passes until the groove was complete.

I used a hammer and a chisel to clean up the groove. She wanted the bedposts to sit on the outside of the mattress and base which was 107cm wide.  I cut 2 pieces of wood 110cm in length.  These are for the cupboard doors to slot in at the top and the bottom to keep them in place.  I followed the same steps as above using the table saw to remove the bulk and a hammer and chisel to clean the grooves up.

Stain the wood

I wanted to stain all the doors before I put it all together because it is quicker and easier.  I used cedar stain which did not look too good at first but looked great after they were varnished.

Sorry, no photos of this step, I got so involved I forgot to take them. The cupboard door slot into the sides and into the top and bottom slots. I glued them all in place using wood glue and I used a nail gun for extra strength. 

Add supports

Because the side posts were so heavy I felt glueing the cupboard doors into the slots would not be enough.  I think it would have fallen apart on moving. So I wanted to add an extra support beam between the two posts. I used a 10 cm wide recycled hardwood fence post as my support beam. 

The fence post was 2 cm thick so I needed to remove 2 cm from each post for the beam to fit into.  To do this I clamped my two posts together and made a fence using scrap wood to guide the router.  I felt it would be easier and quicker to do them both at the same time. I predrilled the holes in the wood and used large wood screws to attached the support beam.  The support beam was not the same colour but it will be on the back so you will not see it. 

Decorating the bedposts

The top looked very plain so to jazz it up a little.  I cut 2 x 14 cm x 14 cm and 2 x 9 cm x 9 cm and using a wood router and a round-over router bit. I removed all the corners from the squares for a better cosmetic look.  To add the squares to the posts. I used wood glue and added two countersunk screws to attached the first square. The heads of the screws were flush so the square above would be able to sit flush.  And for the smaller ones, I added glue but also nailed it into the one below using a nail gun.  

I sanded all the unstained wood using an orbital sander and stain the wood using the cedar stain. I added 2 coats of oil-based satin polyurethane using a small foam roller and a paintbrush for the grooves. 

More great DIY headboards

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Headboard gets a geometric makeover

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