When my son requested a new house bed, I was inspired to come up with a budget friendly DIY twin size pallet headboard to compliment his industrial style bedroom. Since I would need to make two pallet headboards for this shared boys bedroom, I made sure the project was quick, easy and inexpensive. Keep reading and find out how you can make your own DIY twin size pallet headboard.
Disassemble Your Pallets
Depending on how many headboards you plan to make, you will need to gather some pallets. You should be able to collect these for free from building supply stores or find them laying around near the roadside behind businesses. I would recommend having at least two pallets to complete one headboard, or one really sturdy pallet with good planks.
Create the Frame
Using the 2×4’s salvaged from the pallets, I created my twin size headboard frame. I cut each 2×4 to the dimensions in the photo with the “roof’ pieces having opposite facing 45 degree angles.
Lining my pieces up, I used 1.5 inch wood screws to secure the pieces. Be sure to drill holes first to prevent splitting. Slightly angling the screws so that they follow the angle of the wood will keep the screws from poking through the opposite side of the wood.
Time For Planks
Before you attach your pallet pieces, sand them down to your desired smoothness.
Cut down the pallet wood to overlap the frame pieces by 1.5 inches. You can tailor the length of these boards to suite your fancy. My pallet pieces were 39.5 inches long.
I used a scrap piece of 2×4 as a spacer between each plank on the headboard.
If you have a handheld circular saw such as a Skillsaw, you can trim off your overhanging planks after they are attached. Conveniently the saw width is 1.5 inches, so you can simply use the pallet headboard frame as a guide for the saw.
Finishing Touches
You will want to finish your twin size pallet headboard to some capacity. For a rustic look use stain, sealer or both. This will let the character of the pallet wood shine through. Finish off your headboard with paint for a more modern look.
For added functionality, you can add a little shelf to your headboard. I attached the shelf with metal L brackets. Check out my video tutorial for more details on adding a shelf.
I attached my twin size pallet headboards directly into the wall studs using two inch wood screws. You can grab some heavy duty hanging hardware if you like.
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