How to Build a Twin Headboard Out of Fence Pickets

Bring a picket fence into a bedroom for a whimsical effect.

Sometimes a whimsical touch can make all the difference in a decorative scheme. If you're decorating a bedroom in an outdoor or country theme, nothing says "Americana" more than a white picket fence headboard. The work to make the headboard isn't technically difficult, and can be done with some simple woodworking tools. Add a touch of paint to your project and you'll have a wonderful focal point to a bedroom.

Things You'll Need

• Two 4-foot long 1-by-4-inch boards
• Tape measure
• Saw
• Sandpaper
• Fence pickets
• 3d finishing nails
• Hammer
• Saw horses
• Paint
• Paint brush
• Drill
• Hollow wall anchors with screws
• Screwdriver

Instructions

1. Cut your two 1-by-4-inch boards down to 42 inches each with a hand or circular saw. Sand the boards to remove any rough edges, splinters or burrs.

2. Place the two boards on the floor, broad side down, parallel to each other and spaced 24 inches apart. Place a fence picket on the right edge of the boards so the edge is even with the right edge and with equal amounts of the picket above and below the parallel boards. Most fence pickets are 4 feet in length, so you'll have 1 foot of picket on each side of the parallel boards.

3. Nail the picket to the parallel boards with two 3d finishing nails at each intersection of the parallel boards and the picket.

4. Lay your second picket two inches away from the first picket and nail it to the parallel boards. Continue laying and attaching pickets until you reach the left side.

5. Place the completed headboard on a set of sawhorses and paint it. Let the headboard dry.

6. Position the headboard against the wall. Drill holes in the 1-by-4-inch boards and into the wall in the center and 12 inches in from each side. Move the headboard to the side.

7. Place hollow wall anchors in the holes in the wall. Reposition the headboard and insert screws into the holes in the headboard. Thread the screws into the hollow wall anchors and tighten until the headboard is firmly fastened to the wall. Touch up the screw heads with paint. Position the twin bead in front of the headboard.

References

• "Carpentry for Beginners: How to Use Tools, Basic Joints, Workshop Practice, Designs for Things to Make"; Charles Harold Hayward; 2009
• "Decorating Kids' Rooms: Nurseries to Teen Retreats"; Better Homes and Gardens Books, Linda Hallam; 1997