Want the look of a rustic headboard but not sure how to achieve it?  Look no further, this DIY shiplap headboard is just the thing that will set your bedroom apart and give it the beachy, farmhouse look you’ve been wanting. 

I recently refinished a few pieces of bedroom furniture for a client who wants a beachy vibe in her master bedroom (I’ll show you what a difference paint can make on those pieces in another post!).  She also wanted a shiplap headboard to complete the look.  So I built her one.  

This was one of those happy projects that was easier than I thought it would be – love those! – and it turned out to be a very do-able DIY project.  In fact I was so happy with how this turned out, I think I’ll be making a couple of these for our new house.  

I used a new (to me) product – Weaber Lumber Weathered Wall Boards (from Home Depot).  I priced out raw pine and these actually were less expensive, and they were already white washed!! 

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I built a queen size headboard, so I needed 2 boxes of wall boards, a piece of plywood cut to size (I made this headboard 68″w x 36″h), one piece of 1×3 pine for the cap, nail gun, and wood glue.  

It should be started by lining the ends with a vertical board.  Then I just started filling in the center.  Be sure to stagger your cuts so the boards look random.  

The shiplap look includes nails so I glued and nailed each board right to the plywood.  

The process didn’t take long at all.  I knew I wanted a cap for the top to finish it off.  I had a piece of raw pine, but I needed it to match – so I pulled out my trusty General Finishes.  

I grabbed Winter White Glaze and a chip brush, and just brushed on a coat.  It matched exactly.  

Once the glaze was dry I quickly sanded the whole piece with some 220 grit sandpaper.  I just wanted to knock down a few rough spots, and make it a little more pleasant to sit up against.

Then I made a wash with Antique White and water and went over the whole headboard to tie in a little better with my clients new furniture – done in Antique White.  

See the top cap matches perfectly!  I recommend hanging headboards directly on the wall.  My favorite way to do that is with a cleat hanger called a Hangman.  They can hold a lot of weight when screwed into the studs of the wall.  I installed one of these on the back and now it’s ready for it’s new beachy bedroom! 

See how quick and easy that was??  Imagine it on a navy wall with a pair of sconces on either side!!  Love it!

More fun projects coming your way!!

Jenni