How to Make a Diamond Tufted Headboard

Using a ruler and a right corner ruler I planned out where I wanted the buttons to be. The more buttons you have the more tufting there is involved.

Sand any really rough edges and clean off all dust from the wood. This is really important as the spray adhesive needs a clean surface in order to stick.

Using a spray adhesive, spray the entire surface of your wood. This is really important as you don’t want the foam shifting around as you tuft.

 (I used camping foam – much cheaper than ordering it from a fabric or upholstery shop)

Thread the first button.
{I doubled up the thread and tied a knot at the base of the button}

Starting on the button placement in the middle of the headboard, thread the button through headboard starting from the front pulling the threads through to the back.

You start in the middle working your way to the edges.

Guide the button deep into the hole with your fingers while pulling the thread taut in the back. This is where being an octopus would come in handy:)

Next you will work horizontally. After you are finished the first row, the next row to tuft will be the one parallel and vertical to the row you just finished. After tufting with each button, smooth and arrange the fabric, being careful not to pull the fabric too tight. You need it loose in order to create the pleats once you work on the diagonal holes. Do the diagonal button holes last.{I worked vertically as I chose not to have many buttons – you want to work on parallel rows first, then diagonal last}

Finally tuft the diagonal holes.

Once all the buttons are in and stapled securely in the back, you are ready to staple the edges. Turning the headboard over begin staples the sides, pulling the fabric tight to create a smooth finish in the front.

This will be easier if you use a rectangular shape than a curved headboard. It took some manipulating the fabric around the curves to make the front side look smooth. You will find that there is “extra” fabric that you will simply fold and create a pleat at the edge. I re-did this step many times as I was unsatisfied with the way the fabric looked in the front. A flat screwdriver came in handy to pop put the staples when I decided to fix an edge. This is the part when patience comes in handy (along with a strong drink coffee)

I added an extra row of staples in the back to help the fabric lay flat, then trimmed any excess fabric and batting.

When hanging up the headboard I used  D hooks screwed into the back of the wood to hang it to the wall. Using a stud finder I located the studs in the wall and placed the hooks to line up with the studs so that the headboard was secure to the wall. The headboard will be heavy. Alternately, you can attach “legs” to the headboard and screw the “legs” to the boxspring bed frame if you are using one.