I have had this idea floating around in my head since before we moved last year! So when I made it to CWTS Round 4 and decided to re-do my bedroom, I knew the opportunity had finally come to make my DIY Wood-round Headboard.
This is such an easy tutorial, but takes a little forethought to get the wood rounds.
You want to make sure that your wood rounds are completely dried out, or you’ll have a little mold situation on your hands. Not fun in any case, but definitely not in a headboard.
These wood rounds dried out in a garage for a year and a half, but that is way overkill. My parents had a tree fall down on their farm and I asked them to cut it into wood rounds when they were cleaning it up. They stored them until I was ready for them and this was the first use!
I’ve looked into it, though, and have heard that if you store them inside for a month, they should be completely dried out.
So, it takes a little planning, but once your rounds are dried out, this is a really easy tutorial!
Here’s how we made ours.
Step 1: Cut Your Plywood to Size
We cut the plywood down to 5 ft. wide (standard queen width) and left the 4 ft. height.
We wanted a tall headboard that would really make a statement in the room. We measured and planned for the plywood section to begin right where the mattress stopped.
Step 2: Build a Frame
We built a rectangular frame out of 2×4’s for the plywood to attach to.
The first step of the frame are cutting two legs out of 2×4’s. We ran the legs all the way up the side of the headboard.
We inset them two inches so that from most views in the room, you wouldn’t see them. We wanted the plywood to hang over on the sides.
We ran cross pieces between the legs at the top and bottom.
That provides more stability, which you really want when attaching heavy wood rounds.
The dimensions of the frame will need to be customized for the look you want. Ours was 7 ft. tall x 4’8″ wide (leaving room for a two-inch inset on each side of the 5′ wide plywood). But again, we wanted a really tall headboard.
Step 3: Stain your Wood
After you have your frame built, you need to stain your wood. I chose a dark ebony stain as you can see in this picture below.
You want to make sure that the background is dark so that anything that shows between the wood rounds will blend in with the dark bark.
I stained the legs and the sides of the legs. You won’t really see any of that, but I wanted it to blend in if you did.
Step 4: Prepare Wood Rounds
I wanted a rustic look, so I didn’t sand them down. However, I did wipe them really good to get the remaining sawdust off.
Step 5: Arrange Your Wood-Rounds
This part was the most difficult part for me. It didn’t take forever, but it was a little bit like doing a puzzle and took some re-work.
I wanted to have the wood rounds as close together as possible. I had mainly two sizes of wood rounds, so I kept playing with it. If you have even smaller ones than I used that would be really helpful because you could fill in more of the gaps in between.
Step 6: Glue Your Wood Rounds
Once they’re arranged and you’re happy with the placement, it’s time to attach them.
We used Liquid Nails and put a generous amount onto the back of the wood and then pressed it firmly back into place.
It’s a little bit difficult to have them all in place and then glue because you have to remember which ones you did already and not miss any. The last thing you want is a wood round falling on your head in the middle of the night!
So, my husband and I did this part together. One of us spread the glue and the other pressed it back into place, keeping track of what had been done, etc.
Step 7: Screw the Rounds into the Wood
We had planned to just glue them, but decided since this is a headboard we’ll be sleeping under, we wanted those babies secure!
So, we propped up the headboard. My husband screwed the wood in from behind the plywood so that you wouldn’t see the screws. I pressed firmly on each round as he drilled.
Again, this is a job for two people. You do need someone to press on the front of the rounds as you screw them, but it also helps to have someone in front keeping track of which ones have been screwed already.
Step 8: Polyurethane your Headboard
This part is totally up to personal preference, but I really wanted a more finished look.
With a headboard, I liked the idea of a still rustic, but cleaner appearance where any remaining dust or anything is sealed in.
I brushed the poly on and only did one coat.
It did darken it the wood some, but once it dried, it was fine. Darker than the raw wood, but still light enough to see the bark and dimension clearly.
This project made me so excited about wood rounds! The possibilities are endless!
It adds such a gorgeous rustic texture to the room and I love how it pops off of the white walls.
A wall treatment? Maybe that’s my next project…
Now go and make your own!
LOVE this so much, lindsay! pinned it! π
OOh thanks for the pin, Cassie!!! And so glad you love it. I love your style, so huge compliment π
Very awesome Lindsay!! xo Kristin
Thank you, Kristin π
Love how earthy and hippie it is!!
Caroline, you made my day!!! Hippie!!! Yay! I love when something translates that way because that’s exactly who I am, haha. Thank you!
This is SO creative & Beautiful!! You ROCK!!!
Thank you, Chelle! You’re the sweetest π
This is just so you, I can’t even stand it!!
Thank you, Gabbi!!!! I’m so glad that translated. That’s how it feels to me, which is really all that matters, I guess, but so cool that others see that!
Such a clever idea! I thought there was something in between the wood rounds but now I see it’s the back piece stained a dark color. Turned out lovely.
Thank you Jennifer π I had a picture in my head and for a minute there, I wasn’t sure it was actually going to work out. But thankfully, it turned out better than I’d hoped!
Such a wonderful project, Lindsay! I’m so impressed with how it turned out. I’m sure you’re loving your new bedroom!
Thank you, Jennifer! I LOVE our new bedroom. We never really spend time in there other than sleeping. We hang out outside this time of year or in the living room, but now I want to just sit in here all the time!
I love your style so much! Do you have source lists or anything? I love your throw pillows!
I’m working on adding sources for these new rooms now (like the bedroom). But I’m finishing a post now on the pillows π
Words can’t even describe just how much I absolutely LOVE this. This is sooooo awesome!! Pinned π
Ahh, thanks Katie! That’s so sweet. So glad you like it and thanks for pinning!
I’m just now reading the full tutorial and I love it! I still can’t believe how you dreamed this up π Everything you do is so true to your style and this is no exception. Well done friend!
Do you have a source for the wood rounds? Thanks! This is a lovely idea!
What kind of wood/tree did you use? Sometimes my wood splits and sometimes the bark dries and falls off…….
These were pine. They were dried out for a year in a garage π
This is so beautiful. What was the size range of the wood rounds you used?
Thank you Evangeline! They were all around 6-8 inches in diameter.
Hi there. Awesome project!! Thinking of making one myself. I just want to know, how did you attach the headboard to the bed? Or is the headboard just free standing?
HI! On this one, the headboard was free-standing, but you could easily screw it into the bedframe or attach to the wall π
This is truly gorgeous. A definite must do for me! Thank you