Diamond Tufted Headboard

We've been wanting a tufted headboard for a while now and considered buying one but they are pretty pricey. I'd heard DIY tufting was pretty challenging but it was time for a new project, so we figured we'd give it a shot. I had a hard time finding a tutorial with complete steps and measurements, so the hardest part was figuring out how to actually do it. We're pleased with how it turned out!

Materials/Cost (king sized headboard):

• ⅝” half ball cover buttons (38): $30 
• Normal ¾” buttons: $5 
• 3” high density foam - I used almost an entire sheet from JoAnn’s, which was 90x24” (you could probably use medium density): $55 (60% off coupon) 
• Long upholstery needles: $4 
• Waxed button thread (3 rolls) - I’ve read you can use Roman shade cord which would probably be cheaper: $12 
• Wood (particle board, 3 4x4 boards): $25 
• Fabric (4 yards - I used almost all of it): $40 
• Hi-loft queen sized batting (so you can double and cover legs): $22 
• Nailhead (got mine on ebay b/c didn’t like the color options at JoAnn’s) = $25 
• Spray adhesive - had 
• Hot glue - had 

Total cost: ~$220

Measurements:
Frame 

• Posts: 57.5” 
• Frame: 76”x34” 
• Inside of frame: 72.5”x28.75”

Tufting

• Button spacing: 7” 
• 4 rows: 10 buttons on top and 3rd, 9 buttons on 2nd and 4th 
• Start top button row: 4” from top and in 4.75” from sides 
• Start second row: 7” down from 1st row and in 8.25” from sides 
• Start third row: 7” down from 2nd row and in 4.75” from sides 
• Start fourth row: 7” down from 3rd row and 8.25” from sides (ended up being only 3.75” up from the bottom of the frame) 

Hardest parts for me (i thought the tufting part would be most difficult but it actually wasn’t):

• Figuring out the measurements - I couldn’t find a good tutorial for this online so hopefully the info above and below on spacing the buttons will help someone else who attempts this. I also read that you needed 12-16” of extra fabric on all sides of the headboard frame to allow for enough fabric to go in the tufts. I didn’t need nearly this much. I only had ~9” extra on the top and bottom b/c the fabric I got was a normal bolt size (54”). This was still plenty. I was worried I wasn’t going to have enough, but it was fine. The extra I had was used to wrap the legs (and cover the buttons, but that doesn’t take much at all). 
• Figuring out a solution to the cheap cover buttons we had. The first 3 we tried to tuft completely broke (the wire loop in the back popped out). I think part of the problem was that the holes in our foam weren’t big enough and we didn’t have holes in the batting, both of which caused a ton of resistance/pressure on the buttons. Michael actually came-up with a genius solution - use regular buttons for the tufting and then super glue the fabric covered buttons on top (after pulling out the rest of the cheap wire loops in the back). 

Biggest mistakes:

1. Not making the foam holes bigger than the buttons 
2. Not cutting holes in the batting 
3. Buying Dritz cover buttons that ended up being super cheap 

A few helpful tutorials I found:

• This is the one we modeled ours after (true diamond tuft): SarahDorsey
• This has many helpful steps & pictures but it is a square tuft and she puts all tufts in a single row and then repeats rather than working from the inside out: Addicted2Decorating
• This one has a picture that shows a direction for tufting from inside out (but she just has 3 rows instead of 4): BlueRoofCabin
• Another square tuft: ShueLove

Steps:

Determine desired spacing of tufts. I like the look of true diamond shaped tufts rather than square tufts. Many tutorials I found online were for squares, so determine what you like before starting to plot out the measurements.

• We made our frame exactly as wide as our bed (76”) and 34” tall. We put ~2x2s at the top and sides of the headboard and a 4x4 at the bottom. Therefore, you need to subtract that from your inside rectangle. Remember a 2x2 is actually only 1.5” and a 4x4 is 3.5”. Our 2x2s were actually a little smaller than 1.5” so our inside rectangle ended up being 72.5”x28.75”. 
• I spaced all of my buttons 7” apart to get the diamond shape. If you’re doing a square shape, your second row would be 3.5” below the first instead of 7”. 
• I started the top row 4” from the top and 4.75” from the sides. This was to get 10 buttons in the row spaced 7” apart. 
• I started the second row 7” down from the top and 8.25” in from the sides. The bottom row ended up being 3.75” up from the bottom. 
• The 1st and 3rd rows had 10 buttons and the 2nd and 4th had 9.

Make frame by cutting the particle board to size and then attaching the 2x2s to the sides and 4x4 to the bottom. 

• Cover buttons. Our fabric was linen and you could see the silver glare of the button through it so I ended up spray painting them first with a tan colored spray paint.
• Mark circles for buttons on frame. I found it easiest to mark 4 lines all the way across then go back and mark my circles 7” apart. The second row’s first circle should be in the middle of the 1st and 3rd circles of the 1st row. 
• Drill holes on marked circles (we used a ¼” drill bit). 
• Measure and cut foam. Attach foam with spray adhesive. 

• Poke a long needle or meat thermometer through holes in back of frame through the foam. Keep in place and draw a circle on the foam with a permanent marker. 

• Cut circles in foam a bit larger than your buttons. You’ll find many different methods for this. Michael got some copper from Lowe’s and it was super fast and easy. Unfortunately, the holes were the same size as our buttons and we had to end-up going back and cutting them bigger with a knife. Don’t make this mistake. Make them bigger than your buttons the first time (too much resistance when tufting otherwise). 

• Put two layers of batting on top of the foam. Cut holes in batting that line-up with the foam holes. We did not do this the first time and it was a mistake. There is way too much pressure on the buttons if you try to tuft without putting holes in the batting. You don’t need to staple the batting at this point - it holds in place fine. 
• Lay fabric on top of batting. I started in the center of my headboard and worked my way out in a circular fashion when tufting. 
• String a normal button, doubling the thread. We used normal buttons because when we tried to use the fabric covered ones, they all broke. They were super cheap though and if you get an upholstery shop to make buttons for you you won’t have this problem. Thread the button through from the top of the headboard to the back. This is where it’s nice to have 2 people. Push down firmly from the top and have someone underneath staple the thread to the back of the headboard (automatic stapler is best). 

 

Repeat process until all buttons are through. Try to make them all the same depth in the foam.

• Crease the fabric in straight lines out from the buttons at the edges. Staple batting and fabric to back of headboard. Cut-off extra fabric and batting.
• Cover legs with extra batting and staple in place, then repeat with fabric. 
• Using a hot glue gun, glue the covered buttons on top of the normal buttons (I pulled the back wires out first with a wrench). Again, they were very cheap so the back wire popped right out. Apply nailhead - this was pretty easy since we had a strip of it. Cut at corners with a wire cutter.