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How to build a wooden bedhead with floating shelves?

eryn_lara

Hello everyone, I’m really in love with the idea of a wall to wall wooden headboard/bedhead with small floating shelves and haven’t been very successful finding one that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

I have never built anything before but I figured this shouldn’t be too difficult as a first project as it is essentially a large piece of wood (plywood?) that is secured to the wall. I would love some advice as to:

what materials/wood to use
how to prep and seal (I imagine sand, stain, seal with a type of oil or polyurethane top coat?)
how to attach the shelves and the wood to the wall.

Thanks everyone!

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EricL

Hello @eryn_lara

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about building a bed head.

Let's talk about materials first, using plywood is definitely a good choice but I also suggest looking at using the Specrite 2200 x 600 x 26mm Timber Multi Use Pine Panel. This is a kiln dried, defect free, radiata pine, with a clean appearance. It's suitable for indoor applications including tabletops, shelving and furniture. Its finger jointed and laminated for stability and a high-quality finish.

The shelves can be cut to size but only to limited size so that it does not droop when hung in a free-floating manner as seen in your sample photo. The pine panel gives you that expensive look without the expensive price tag and when properly stained and varnished can produce an outstanding finish. Designing it will depend on the size of your bed. If you can provide us with height, width and length of your bed (this includes the bed frame), we'll be able to provide you with an accurate plan in regard to the size of the bed head.

You'll notice that your sample photo has a low-level bed frame where the bed head is attached to. Your plan is to screw it into your wall which is possible. But it is also possible to design it as a free-standing piece so that you won't have to screw it to your wall. Once you provide us with the size of your bed, we'll be able to offer you a design for your bed head that includes a proposed cutting pattern, what screws to use and a recommendation on what stain and varnish to use. I can then also call on our other members to offer insight on design options and building techniques.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

eryn_lara

Hi @EricL,

Thank you for your response, these are such helpful insights already. My bed frame will be a queen size, I was planning on getting this bed base in a walnut finish, which I’d like to match to the headboard as closely as possible

JacobZ

Hi @eryn_lara,

The 160cm width is the main measurement we're looking at. The height of the bed would also be handy, but not 100% necessary.

Given the 160cm width, I'd be looking at using a full-size sheet of AA marine grade plywood, such as this https://www.bunnings.com.au/2440-x-1220-x-18mm-plywood-hardwood-marine-aa-grade_p0320025 for your headboard. If you were to simply use one piece, it would give you 40cm on each side of the bed for the floating shelves.

You could then use smaller pieces of https://www.bunnings.com.au/products/building-hardware/timber/timber-boards/plywood/marine-plywood , at least 18mm thick for the shelves. You could then attach the shelves to the plywood using these https://www.bunnings.com.au/carinya-189-x-39mm-black-floating-shelf-bracket_p0431936 .

To match the rest of the bed you can use a walnut finish such as this https://www.bunnings.com.au/bondall-1l-monocel-walnut-stain-and-varnish_p1580825 which would work nicely with the AA grade plywood.

While building it separate from the wall would be possible, it would mean you need to either attach it to the bed for support, or add perpendicular members to prevent the headboard from falling over. This means it would either need to sit off of the wall a bit, or have an actual frame behind the headboard to support it. Either option is possible, but it would obviously make the bedhead thicker and heavier.

For this reason, if it is possible for you, I actually think attaching it to the wall might be the best way to go. If so, you could simply locate the studs using a studfinder, then screw the sheet through the plasterboard into those studs using suitably long timber screws such as these https://www.bunnings.com.au/zenith-10-8-x-75mm-galvanised-countersunk-rib-head-timber-screws-50-pack_p2420885 , which can be countersunk and covered with a walnut coloured timber filler such as this https://www.bunnings.com.au/timbermate-250g-walnut-wood-filler_p1560708 .

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Also, allow me to tag some helpful members such as @Noyade, @Dave-1, @DIY4Knuckleheds and @TedBear to see what they think.

Jacob

Dave-1

Good Afternoon @eryn_lara

That bedhead will be stylish :)

I am also thinking of not attaching the bedhead to the wall directly. Rooms get moved about, styles change and an attached bedhead locks you into certain styles.

A freestanding one, even one that is attached to the base of the bed would be much more manageable.

Using the timber that @JacobZ has suggested, you could build up a frame and attach feet to the base, these would sit under the bed and stop the bedhead from pivoting forwards as well as give weight to stop it wanting to tilt backwards as well.

If you are not confident of notching timber you could just go for but joins and use heavy duty right angles to attach the feet under the bed.

As for the floating shelves, these could be attached from behind the bedhead with long timber screws. I would drill pilot holes first to help against the shelf timber splitting.

The reason I have gone for the long feet is for balance of the bedhead. If you use the right angle brackets then the whole bedhead could be dismantled and moved easily to a new location if needed.

Dave

eryn_lara

Hi @JacobZ ,

Thank you for those very detailed steps!
For the floating shelves, should those brackets be attached after the headboard is attached to the wall? (I.e, they will be attached to both the headboard and the wall)

JacobZ

Hi @eryn_lara,

Any time you can use the studs in the wall, you are going to have much more strength than if you don't, so ideally, they would be screwed through the headboard into the studs.

Jacob

Noyade

AI says your top photo is the - "Andes Acacia Wood Platform Queen Bed with Nightstands". The site shows the back is made of three sections. You can see the lower 4(?) bolts that hold the middle section to the bed and then 'wings' (with the shelves) attach to that with outrigger supports. These wings have the floating shelves attached at the back with cutouts for the electrical cabling - bedside lamps/clocks. Not a bad idea. And as per @EricL's thoughts, I would be going with Specrite boards @eryn_lara,

eryn_lara

Hi @Dave-1

Thanks so much for the diagram, that definitely helped me visualise it as I wasn’t sure how this headboard could be free standing. This is definitely an approach that I’d consider as the freedom to move it around would be quite convenient.

For this approach, the headboard and legs would be 18mm (made from the same board) correct? Regarding the right angle brackets for the legs, is something like this sturdy enough? https://www.bunnings.com.au/dunnings-50-x-100-x-50-x-5mm-m12-galvanised-angle-bracket_p1070089

Dave-1

Good Evening @eryn_lara

I was thinking of chunkier and more substantial arms for the bracket more like this Carinya 200 x 150mm Zinc Plated Heavy Duty Angle Bracket

The actual support feet I was thinking more along the lines of Porta 70 x 70mm 1.8m Primed FJ Pine Dressed Board More for the overall weight than the physical size, you could go for a non structual pine of 75*35mm tho I like the heavier weight for a cantileaver foot.

I would go with a thicker headboard as well, the 26mm one that @EricL first mentions, mainly because the thicker the timber the less likely the floating shelves will tilt with weight as the base of the shelf will be connected to something more solid.

Dave

EricL

Hello @eryn_lara

I've rendered a sample image below with measurements included. Please note that these are for reference only, please adjust them to your needs. Please keep in mind that the 2400x1200x18 plywood panel is very heavy so getting an extra pair of hands to lift the panel will be necessary.

Please remember to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and mask when working on your project.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

eryn_lara

@Dave-1 You’ve definitely given me something to think about! I was hoping to just use a large single sheet of plywood as I wanted it to be as seamless as possible. This is little different from the sample image but I wanted it to be atleast 2.5 times taller (~950mm) than the actual bed frame (which is 280mm) itself to almost give the appearance of a wood wall, but there doesn’t seem to be a single sheet that large at that thickness.

I did see this spectrite panel at a close 900mm wide, but I’m wondering if it’s too heavy for the legs that you and @EricL suggested since it’s 33mm

@EricL This rendering is amazing and really helps me plan all the pieces properly. I’ll definitely consider every information and tip you’ve given me and really appreciate your help.

EricL

Hello @eryn_lara

If you are after a larger bed head just keep in mind that you can join two mid-sized pieces together to create that larger piece. Please remember that it will get heavier as it gets bigger.

Eric

Dave-1

Good Evening @eryn_lara

One other thing to remember is actually getting a large single sheet into the house and then the room :) I have almost been caught out with large pieces of furniture and getting them into the room before.

I would have a think and see what sizes you may reduce sections to, what lines you may end up showing on timber joins and how to secure the joins.

Sketching it out helps me solve issues, the feet can be switched around, shortened or even shorter and go for 3 of them. Think seesaw and balancing is all.

Dave