DIY Wood Plank Lighted Headboard

Our recent foyer console table build provided motivation to create a wood plank lighted headboard for our guest room.



Materials used for queen size headboard:

  •  Four 1"x10" boards cut to 5' long
  •  Two 1"x4" boards cut to 37" long
  •  Brad nailer and 2" brads
  •  2" screws to attach support boards to wall studs
  •  Two wall lamps with wall plugs
  •  2-1/2" hole saw
  •  Two 1" wood screws (for mounting lamps to headboard)
  •  Level
  •  Wood stain
  •  Fine sandpaper




Four boards were found in our stash of scrap wood.  They were 1" x 10" and each had a totally different wood tone.  The shortest was actually a 1" piece of plywood (looked like a board to me!).  I was unsure if wood stain would unify these but took a chance that they would blend together once stained. 



LOTS of hand sanding and two coats of Minwax Dark Walnut stain resulted in a beautiful and smooth finish.  And, thankfully the stain looked even and uniform - or as close as possible.




For lighting, we searched Lowe's and Home Depot and looked in all departments - interior, exterior and utility lighting.  While there were lots of awesome options, many were too large.  

We selected two of these from Home Depot in brushed nickel:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-5-1-in-Brushed-Nickel-LED-Spotlight-Desk-Lamp-19274-002/205749849?cm_mmc=shopping-_-bingpa-_-27-_-205749849&ci_src=328768002&ci_sku=205749849&gclid=CIny3MSry8wCFeSAMgodyjgCPg&gclsrc=ds
Hampton Bay Brushed Nickel Lamp
Hubby drilled holes in the top board and dropped each lamp's wall plug through the hole.  These would be hidden behind the headboard.  The lamps were attached to the top board with a 1" wood screw - each lamp had a predrilled hole in the back plate and these slipped easily and snugly onto the mounting screws.





We chose to attach the headboard directly to the wall and first installed two 37" 1x4's vertically, using 2" screws to attach them to wall studs.  




The stained boards were then attached horizontally to the support boards using a brad nailer and 2" brads.  For a more rustic look, you could use wood screws to attach the boards, but I wanted a sleeker look with no exposed screw or nail heads.

Even though the board below looks deceivingly slanted, it's all an illusion - it really is level.  









The finished dimensions are 5' wide x 37" tall.  It was tempting to add even more boards for a much taller headboard, but I wanted space above to hang a piece of metal art.


This was a fun project and I love how a few scrap boards can provide such impact and function in our guest room!   




Your comments are greatly appreciated and I look forward to your thoughts and ideas!  I try to respond to comments via email as soon as I can. If your email address isn't available, I will comment here. Thanks so much for visiting! 


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21 comments:

  1. Julie's LifestyleMay 9, 2016 at 7:28 AM

    Wow you did a great job with this wood plank headboard!!
    Thanks for sharing this at Cooking and Crafting with J & J.
    Enjoy the week.
    Julie xo

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  2. JessMay 9, 2016 at 11:07 AM

    Wow...this is just so beautiful! I love it!

    I would love for you to share this with my Recipes, Crafts, Tips and Tricks Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  3. UnknownMay 10, 2016 at 12:31 PM

    Very cool! I love those light fixutres

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  4. Sew Blessed Maw [Judy]May 11, 2016 at 9:36 AM

    oh my Carolyn.. this is gorgeous.. You took wood scraps you already had and made the most lovely headboard.. You amaze me with your talented work.. Know you are enjoying it.
    on the lights....did you run electricity into the walls or just use plug ins to light them??
    Love it.. looks so pretty..
    [so happy I have finally got my internet back.. since the move]

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    Replies
    1. Carolyn @ Our Gilded AbodeMay 11, 2016 at 8:40 PM

      It's still difficult for me to believe the stain somehow evened out the variation in wood tones - was so afraid all that time sanding was going to be wasted. The fixtures came with wall plugs and after we drilled holes in the board, dropped the plugs thru the holes and they hang hidden on the back side of the headboard and plug into the wall - I put them on a wireless remote. The holes only have to be wide enough in diameter to drop the plugs thru. Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. BlessMay 11, 2016 at 11:55 AM

    I love it! Especially how you have the lights set into it. Very nice! I would love to have a headboard like that in my guest room! I don't have the wood or the tools, though! So I'll just admire what you make and drool over it!

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    Replies
    1. Carolyn @ Our Gilded AbodeMay 11, 2016 at 8:43 PM

      Thanks, Bless! If you lived closer, we'd help you! Hmmm ... Texas to California would make a nice road trip. :)

      Delete
  6. Karren HallerMay 12, 2016 at 4:08 PM

    THis is such a nice headboard and a space saver too. I love the lighting, great fixtures.Thank you for sharing on the #OMHGFF, happy to have you stop by!
    Pinned and Im following on bloglovin.

    Have a great week!
    Karren

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  7. Paula @ Penelope & BellaMay 15, 2016 at 3:22 PM

    Wow this turned out beautifully! You really have some gorgeous ideas :)

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  8. Julie's LifestyleMay 16, 2016 at 7:51 AM

    I'm so happy to inform you that I featured this at our Monday Cooking and Crafting with J & J. We hope to see you again. Thanks.
    Julie xo

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  9. MustlovehomeMay 19, 2016 at 11:21 AM

    Loved your project!!What a fabulous headboard..and I love the style of the lights!You have been Pinned, Tweeted and Posted to facebook! Congratulations -Your post will be featured this week at the Friday Favorites Link Party. The party goes LIVE on Thursdays at 7PM at mustlovehome.com I hope to see your there! Hugs - Christine at Must Love Home

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  10. Jennifer@MyFlagstaffHomeMay 19, 2016 at 9:54 PM

    Wow, I love this project! Thanks for sharing at My Flagstaff Home.

    Jennifer

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  11. LauraMay 20, 2016 at 8:19 PM

    What a stunning headboard!
    Thank you for joining us at Thoughts of Home on Thursday!
    We are so glad you are here.

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  12. Decor To AdoreMay 21, 2016 at 8:34 PM

    The addition of the lights is SO smart! I love it. We so appreciate you joining the Thoughts of Home on Thursday gathering. May you have a delightfully lovely weekend.

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  13. StaceyMay 21, 2016 at 9:44 PM

    I absolutely love this and think we might need to do this in our son's bedroom. Incorporating the lights was such a good idea. Pinning. :)

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  14. Jennifer@MyFlagstaffHomeMay 24, 2016 at 10:29 AM

    Congratulations! Your post will be featured this week at My Flagstaff Home!

    Jennifer

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  15. Becky@Beyond The Picket FenceMay 25, 2016 at 10:18 AM

    Love this so much, the lights are perfect! Thanks for linking up to the Talk of the Town party!

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  16. Betsy@My Salvaged TreasuresMay 25, 2016 at 10:34 AM

    I LOVE this idea, it actually looks easy enough for me to try it, lol. Great idea to hide the lamp cords in the back. Thanks for sharing with us at Talk of the Town.

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  17. The Painted DrawerMay 26, 2016 at 8:35 PM

    Fantastic! Sharing tonight on The Painted Drawer Link Party!

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  18. UnknownJune 1, 2016 at 9:28 PM

    This is so gorgeous! Thanks for sharing at Think Tank Thursday.

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  19. Italian design bedJuly 31, 2016 at 2:28 AM

    I would like to praise your idea of making head board just from scrap wood. Using the brushed nickel lamps is so creative and goes well with that headboard.

    ReplyDelete

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