How to Make a DIY Channel-Tufted Upholstered Headboard With Wood Trim

This DIY channel-tufted headboard combines soft velvet panels with black wood trim for a custom, floor-to-ceiling look.

I wanted to create a striking presence in my son’s bedroom with the headboard. So I designed a floor-to-ceiling upholstered headboard with a wood trim border flanking each side.

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We built it for a full-size bed using four individually upholstered plywood panels, which made the channel effect much easier to create. This design can be easily adjusted for a twin, queen, or king-size bed.

Then I had to decide how to place it on the wall: should it rest on the floor, hang on the wall, use French cleats, or secure it to the bed frame?

Because of the massive size of the headboard, I decided to bolt it to the frame and secure it to the wall on top with screws into the beams.

We made this channel-tufted upholstered headboard for my son’s room while participating in the One Room Challenge.

I’ll show you how to create this upholstered headboard for a fraction of the cost of a store-bought version. It may look complicated, but the process is easier than you might think and the finished result is stunning. Best of all, you can customize the size, fabric, and design to perfectly fit your room.

We’ve made upholstered headboards before, but this was our first channel-tufted design. A few years ago, we created a DIY upholstered headboard for our primary bedroom, and it still looks great today. See my previous DIY upholstered headboard with a mirrored border.

For that design, I added mirrored panels and wood trim around the border to give it a more custom, high-end look. The project was so easy and turned out so well that I decided to create another upholstered headboard for my son’s room.

INEXPENSIVE, EASY DIY CHANNEL UPHOLSTERED HEADBOARD WITH WOOD BORDER

Project detail	Information
Bed size shown	Full
Finished dimensions	Add exact width × height
Skill level	Beginner/intermediate
Time required	Can be done in 4 hours
Estimated cost	$100
Main tools	Drill, staple gun, saw or store-cut lumber
Installation	Attached to bed frame and wall studs

CHOOSING FABRIC

There is an array of fabrics you can choose from, like plush velvet, linen, suede, dupioni silk, cotton, vinyl, and even leather. Choices of colors and patterns are endless.

It’s best to pick up a few samples from a fabric store and see what you prefer.

I chose grey velvet because it worked well with the overall color scheme of the room. But when I brought it home, I realized it’s the same fabric I used for the master bedroom headboard. I must really like this fabric, haha.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE A CHANNEL UPHOLSTERED HEADBOARD…

I wanted to create a channel headboard with wood trim on the sides. First, we measured the height and width of the size we wanted for the headboard.

*The following sizes can be adjusted to the individual headboard

-Five 1×4 pine boards, 96 inches long, for horizontal frame supports

-Four ½-inch plywood panels, each approximately 14 inches wide × 96 inches tall

-Two 1×4×8-foot pine boards for the side trim

–1-inch upholstery foam

-Polyester batting

-6 yards of upholstery-weight velvet

-Spray adhesive

-Wood screws, with sizes listed

-Wall-mounting screws or anchors appropriate for the wall

-Staple gun (I used a pneumatic staple gun; An electric or standard staple gun will also work)

-Staples, with recommended length

-Paint or stain for the wood trim

-Paint brush

-Wood filler

HOW TO MAKE THIS EASY DIY UPHOLSTERED HEADBOARD

1. Measure the bed and design the headboard – Desired upholstered width ÷ number of panels = finished width of each panel.
2. Calculate the panel widths – I found the easiest way to make the channel look was to make separate panels. We cut down 1/2″ plywood into 4 -14″ panels for the full-size bed.
3. Cut the plywood and frame pieces -You can have Home Depot or Lowe’s cut the wood down to size for free.
4. Paint the wood trim – Paint the wood trim first so that it is drying while the upholstered section is being made.
5. Attach foam to each panel
6. Wrap the panels with batting
7. Upholster each panel with fabric
8. Build the support frame
9. Attach the upholstered panels
10. Add the second side trim piece
11. Secure the headboard to the bed and wall

HOW TO WRAP THE WOOD PANELS

I glued the foam to the plywood with spray adhesives.

Then I laid the batting down on the table and placed the plywood with the foam side down. Starting at the center of the board, I stapled the batting to the back of the plywood while pulling the batting taut. Do this all the way around the board.

Fold the corners neatly and staple, making sure not to bunch the batting. Once completed, I laid down the fabric face down and the plywood with batting face down.

Starting from the center of the board, I pulled the fabric taut and stapled, continuing the same process as the batting. Now just three more to go…

ATTACHING THE PANELS TO THE FRAME

Once all the panels have been upholstered, it’s time to start attaching them to the frame.

Predrill the holes in one of the 8ft pieces of painted border trim and attach the five 1″ X 4″ wood pieces across. We predrill the holes so the wood doesn’t split.

By the way, we placed the frame on top of the base of the bed frame so that it would be easier to work with. Also, it was easier to build it in place, so we didn’t have to carry such a large frame.

Place the upholstered panels under the frame, making sure it’s aligned properly with the frame. Then fasten it with screws; the panel will grab the screw and attach it to the frame.

Once all the panels are screwed onto the back, attach the second painted wood border to the opposite side. You can use wood filler and paint to cover up the holes from the screws.

Now it’s time to hang this headboard on the wall… First, we screwed the headboard to the base of the bed and then screwed it directly onto the wall beams on top. If the headboard doesn’t align with a stud, I would use anchors on the top of the bedframe to attach to the wall.

We are so thrilled with this easy DIY upholstered headboard; it turned out beyond what I expected.

I’ve always loved upholstered headboards; there are so many options, like tufted, channel-tufted, trimmed with nailheads, French seam, and so on.

You can search Google to find a myriad of upholstered headboards to see the style that appeals to you.

There are so many tutorials available on easy DIY upholstered headboards that you’ll be able to find one that fits your style.

This project can work for any size bed: king, queen, full, and twin. You determine how tall and wide you want the headboard to be.

I wanted to create a striking presence in the room with the headboard. So I designed a floor-to-ceiling upholstered headboard with a wood trim border flanking each side.

Then I had to decide how to place it on the wall: should it rest on the floor, hang on the wall, use French cleats, or secure it to the bed frame?

Because of the massive size of the headboard, I decided to bolt it to the frame and secure it to the wall on top with screws into the beams.

Thank you for stopping by!