How to Make a Headboard With Night Stands Attached

Old Door

Make your own headboard with attached night stands from an old door, wood panels and decorative trim. You only need minimal building skills, a drill and a screwdriver to make a headboard for your full size bed. Your door will not need cutting and the wood panels for the night stands may be cut for you at your local home improvement store.

Things You'll Need

• Old wooden door
• 2 Wood panels, 20" x 14"
• Decorative wood trim (2 20" pieces and 4 14" pieces)
• Sandpaper
• Primer
• Paint or stain
• Brush or sponge
• Paint tray
• 2 "L" Brackets
• Drill and small bit
• Screwdriver
• Wood screws
• Measuring tape
• Stud finder
• Level
• 2 Wall brackets
• Wood glue
• Finishing nails
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Find an old wooden door at your local thrift store, antique store or architectural salvage yard. You could purchase a new door, but old wooden doors are much more charming. Doors are six feet tall and, when turned sideways and centered behind your 54-inch-wide double bed, will have nine inches on either side to attach your night stands. Have the home store clerk cut your wood panels to size and the decorative wood trim to piece around the edges of the panels. This time saver also eliminates the need for a saw on this project.

2. Remove the door knob and lightly sand the door to prepare it for painting, staining or sprucing with a coat of polyurethane. Apply your choice of finish to the door, the wood panels and the trim. The patina of an old door is not easy to match, so finish the wood for the nightstands as a contrast or complement to the wood of the door.

3. Place the finished door face down on a flat surface, lengthwise with the door knob hole on the bottom. Find the wall studs and attach the wall brackets to the wall and to the corresponding spot on the back of the door. The door should hang behind your bed so that the bottom edge falls even with or just below the top of the mattress. Hang the headboard on the wall and center your mattress in front of it.

4. Decide how high you wish to place your night stands. Attach an "L" bracket on either side of the mattress, closer to the edge of the door. Make sure the brackets are level. Attach the wood panels to the brackets, positioning them to suit your needs. You will have at least 12 inches of the night stands hanging over the outside edges of the headboard.

5. Attach the decorative trim to the edges of each night stand with a line of adhesive and finishing nails. You will have one 20-inch piece across the front and two 14-inch pieces for the side edges.

Tips & Warnings

• Cover the night stands with fabric that matches your bed linens.

• Protect your hands with gloves when working with wood.

Resources

• Local Home Improvement Store