How to Make a Cork Headboard

Bring eco-style into your bedroom with a do-it-yourself headboard made of a hip, eco-friendly material: cork! It's soft for your head, helps absorb sound and is a sustainable resource that regrows within 3 years as bark on the Cork Oak tree.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Paper and pencil
• Cork squares
• Pack of finishing nails, tacks or a cork-grade adhesive
• Hammer
• Precut/mitered decorative trim or molding
• Formaldehyde-free 1/4-inch plywood
• Mounting brackets
• Screws
• Power screwdriver
• Quart of paint or stain
• Small paint brush

Instructions

1. Measure the width of your bed and determine how large you want your cork headboard to be. The headboard width should be slightly larger than your mattress. Sit in bed with your head on the wall to determine headboard height. Consider going for drama with a cork headboard that stretches from the bottom of your mattress all the way to the ceiling.

2. Have your local home improvement store cut a piece of plywood to your dimensions. Buy enough cork squares to cover the entire piece of plywood. For a seamless look, choose cork-grade adhesive to attach the cork squares to the plywood and let dry according to the glue's instructions. For a rustic or traditional look, use decorative nail head trim or small finishing nails.

3. Paint or stain your precut/mitered molding a complementary color to your bedroom's scheme. Only buy enough molding to surround the top and sides of your headboard. Let dry according to instructions.

4. Hammer the molding to the top and sides of your cork-covered plywood.

5. Attach the plywood to the wall with heavy-duty mounting brackets. Get the appropriate bracket for the estimated weight of your finished headboard. Install according to instructions.

Tips & Warnings

• For kids' rooms: If you already have a decent-sized cork bulletin board, consider painting the trim and hanging it vertically above a twin bed. For extra pop, paint the bulletin board's trim a fun color and let your child decorate the bulletin board with her own artwork.

• This headboard, depending on your dimensions, may be quite heavy. Ask a friend or family member to help you hang it.