Without a doubt a headboard and footboard make a bed feel complete. The addition of a headboard, or swapping an old headboard for one with a new style, can instantly spruce up even the drabbest of rooms. Pallet headboards are an absolute favorite and were the original intention for the new room design; however, when we stumbled upon an opportunity to upcycle what-accidentally-became a broken, and at that point seemingly useless, futon frame, a new idea was born!
The idea to create a simple, yet sophisticated, headboard was the goal and the futon frame, with it’s neutral stained wood, and simplistic slat look leant itself to a quick and easy transformation into a low cost bed set!
For the Headboard:
Creating the headboard was as easy as measure, cut and hang! Wanting to save the nice end caps on each side of the futon frame, we measured the headboard just wider than the width of the bed, making sure that the end pieces would fit within that measurement. Simply cut the frame down with a jig-saw and re-attach with the screws already fitted in the futon. Really, it is just that easy!
If you are set on a rather permanent positioning of your bed, go ahead and attach the headboard directly to the wall. If you are unsure of the positioning of your bed over a long period of time, consider, building a bit more of a frame with inexpensive wood and connect that with the medal frame of the bed.
Using a few, small L brackets (2 on top and 2 underneath) attach the headboard to the wall.
For the Footboard:
To be honest, this will be the trickiest part! The footboard can be a focal point, and a very exposed, part of the bed; therefore, some careful thought must be put into cutting, re-assembling and attaching the footboard. This piece of the futon offered plenty of length to cut down for the footboard; however, it was a bit more tedious to measure from each side so that the slats stay equal widths from each other when the end pieces were reattached.
Then comes attaching the footboard to the bed. You will have to adjust the placement of the footboard to cover as much of the not-so-attractive medal bed frame you may see. Shop your local hardware store for a bolt that will fit through the bed frames pre-cut hole and attach through the bed frame into the futon. Once completed, you will have an almost no-cost, simple, and modern headboard that will finish off any bed with the right amount sophistication and comfort!
