I have been focusing so much of my energy on our outdoor projects that my indoor projects have been kinda left in the shadows. Tuesday, I took a break from the outdoors and decided to make a herringbone pallet headboard for our master bedroom.
Materials
2 Pallets
Circular Saw/Miter Saw
1/4 inch Plywood
1×4 Boards (to frame the headboard)
Nail Gun or Nails to attach 1×4 frame
Creating the Base
The first thing to do is disassemble your pallets. My favorite way to tackle this task is to grab the circular saw and cut along the support boards, cutting off all of the nails. I have found that it is nearly impossible to pry pallets apart without destroying the slats. For a herringbone pallet headboard you will need short boards anyways, so thumbs up to the “easy way.”
For our queen size bed, I cut a piece of plywood to 62 in x 25 1/2 in. Then I drew a straight line in the center of the board (31in). Use this line as a guide for your first pieces of wood. cut a 45 degree angle as the end of both pieces and bring them together at the center line.
To get the length for my pieces, I cut 45 degree angles at each end of my shortest pallet board. I wanted to use the longest length I could with the boards I had. My boards ended up being 13 1/4 inches in length.
Using one board as a template to make cuts on your other boards can save time.
I also used a square to make sure my lines would be nice and straight. Squares are super handy little tools to have when working on projects with lots of precise cuts.
After I had the pieces of one section cut out, I glued each board down to the plywood. I also didn’t worry about pieces that were hanging over the edge of the plywood. I’ll show how I dealt with those in a later step.
I used my scrap pieces to fill in all of the tiny spots around the edges.
Once all of my pieces were placed, I gave the base a few hours to dry. I only clamped the edges, but you can follow the rules and clamp the whole thing with a large board if you like.
After the glue dried, I flipped the headboard and trimmed all of the edge pieces from the back, using the plywood as a guide. You don’t have to do it this way, but I find it easier to get a straight edge using this method.
Don’t forget to sand, sand, sand!
Frame, Seal and Finish
When I was done sanding, I framed my herringbone piece, cutting 45 degree angles at all four corners. Here is where I would suggest using 1×4 boards as apposed to the 2×4’s I used.
Line the frame boards up so that they are flush with the back of the plywood, but covering all of the seams.
To finish my headboard, I sprayed the entire thing with a spray finish. Then you can attach some easy mounting hardware to the back. Be sure you are attaching your hardware into the studs of your wall.
Enjoy!
Find more of my pallet projects here.
