How to Make an Easy Foam Headboard for Your Bed

Foam headboards are lightweight and give a bedroom another focal point of interest. These homemade headboards can be made specifically to suit your tastes and design preferences, as well as colors and fabrics for aesthetics. A headboard that matches the quilt on your bed or the curtains in the room will not only bring the room together, but will also help absorb sound if you are a light sleeper.

Materials you will need to make a foam headboard:

3 sheets of plastic foam, 2 inches thick by 12 inches wide by 36 inches long
3 yards of fabric, a maximum of 45 inches wide
2 yards of 10 oz. flame retardant blanket batting
1 inch putty knife
Glue gun and glue sticks
Serrated knife
Old candle
2 ½ inch white wood picks
Scissors and a marker

Step #1:
Sand the edges of your foam by rubbing the ends together. This will get rid of burrs and rough areas on your edges. Place three of your wood picks in the outer edge of one of the pieces you will join together. Using your glue gun, place glue on the picks and push the pieces of foam together. Make sure to hold the pieces in place for 4 minutes, as this gives the glue time to dry.

Step #2:
Coat the knife on the edges with melted wax from the used candle to keep the blade from tearing the foam, and then lay the foam on a hard surface. Decide what shape your headboard will take. Use the knife to cut away corners or edges to shape to your desired tastes.

Step #3:
Draw a line with the marker where you want your fabric to be tucked in at, and the "seams" to be hidden. Now cut your fabric into a square a minimum of ½ inch larger than you actually need so that you can cut away or hide any fabric not used.

Step #4:
Lay your fabric out on the foam over the line you marked. Use the putty knife to push the material straight into the line you drew on the foam on two sides.

Step #5:
Place the batting evenly underneath the material and smooth out with your hand. Now fit the other two sides of fabric down onto the line you drew on the foam and secure them in place with the putty knife. Run a line of glue with the glue gun around the entire edge of the last ½ inch of material to secure it around the outer edge of the headboard for a finished appearance.

A quick tip for you when making a foam headboard is you can always run a line of glue inside the material before pushing it into the foam with the putty knife to ensure its place. This will help hold your fabric in more securely. By following these simple tips you will be able to make a foam headboard for your bedroom quickly and easily.