Have you ever thought about building a wooden step stool yourself? Perhaps you’ve pictured a basic two pieces of wood with a platform across it . . . but let me “kick that up a notch” for you.

I’m going to encourage you to go outside the box a bit and build a DIY wood step stool that also doubles as a chair for a little one.

This DIY step stool is perfect if you have tall cabinets like we do in the kitchen, or if you want something fun for your children’s room that they can use to reach books and sit in.

What I love about this step stool is that it looks good for adult purposes, and then works in a nursery as well. It’s a pretty simple woodworking project, so let’s get started with the cut list.

CUT LIST

• Out of your 1/2″ thick MDF (you can organize the cuts as shown above on the two pieces):
  • Three (3) pieces – (1) 17”x 18” and (2) 13 1/2” x 18”
  • Six (6) pieces – (2) 5 1/2” x 8”, (2) 8” x 10 1/2”,  and (2) 8” x 16”
• Interior stair tread, cut two pieces: one (1) 11 1/2” x 17” and one (1) 6 1/2” x 17”

Tip: before gluing the stair treads in place we used a mineral oil with wax formula to protect the steps on the stool.

Your wooden step stool is ready to roll! As you can see, it’s a stool . . . . but then you flip it over . . .

And it’s a chair. For a small bum (not mine). Learn how to make it below:

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Wooden Step Stool Chair

Learn how to build a step stool with a modern look – that doubles as a chair! This DIY step stool can be painted any colors you like.

Course DIY Projects

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1 stool

Cost $30

Equipment

• Ruler
• Table Saw
• Drill with drill bits
• 1” wood boring drill bit
• Jigsaw
• Clamps
• Paintbrush(es)
• 1 paint roller
• 1 Round lid

Ingredients

• 2 pieces 1/2” thick 24” x 48” MDF
• 1 piece 1” thick interior stair tread
• Wood glue
• 1 can Paint and primer white
• Mineral oil with wax
• 1 120-grit sanding block
• Sandpaper
• Pencil

Instructions

• Using a table saw, cut three (3) pieces of 1/2” thick MDF – one (1) 17”x 18” and two (2) 13 1/2” x 18”.
  
• Using a table saw, cut six (6) pieces of 1/2” thick MDF – two (2) 5 1/2” x 8”, two (2) 8” x 10 1/2”,  and two (2) 8” x 16”.
  
• Using a table saw, cut two (2) pieces from your interior stair tread. Cut one (1) piece 11 1/2” x 17” and one (1) 6 1/2” x 17”.
  
• Use a round object to draw a round pencil mark the top front corners of your (2) 13 1/2” x 18” MDF pieces. These will be the side pieces of your stool.
  
• Use a jigsaw to round off the corners. Use the sanding block to smooth the edges.
  
• At the rounded corners, use a pencil to put two dots 1 1/2” from the top edge. One is at 1 3/4” from the front edge and the second is 4 3/4” in from the front edge.
  
• Using a 1” drill bit (and using the dot as center guides), drill two holes. Repeat with the other piece of the same size.
  
• Draw straight lines connecting the two round holes using your pencil and ruler. Use a jigsaw to cut on those lines and form the handle.
  
• Sand with 120-grit sandpaper to make the edges smooth.
  
• Take the 17”x 18” piece of MDF and glue the two pieces of 8”x 16” MDF to it. Glue one of the pieces flush with a 17″ side, leaving a 1/2” gap on both sides. Then give a 1” gap above that and glue the next board, leaving a 1/2” gap on each side and a 1” gap at the top.
  
• On each side, glue one piece of the 8″ x 10 1/2″ MDF flush with the bottom and 1/2″ from the non-handle side (the back of the stool). Then glue one piece of the 5 1/2″ x 8″ MDF 1 inch above the bottom piece you just glued down . . . leaving 1/2″ gap from the non-handle side (the back of the stool). Each side needs to be the reverse of the other.
  
• Prime and paint both side pieces as well as the back piece. I used paint and primer in one, with a roller.
  
• Glue the larger stair tread into the bottom 1” gap on your back piece. The stair tread should go edge to edge on the back piece.
  
• Glue your sides on and glue the top stair tread in place.
  
• Clamp, letting the glue set and dry for at least 24 hours before using.
  

Notes

CUT LIST

Out of your 1/2″ thick MDF (you can organize the cuts as shown above on the two pieces):

• Three (3) pieces – (1) 17”x 18” and (2) 13 1/2” x 18”
• Six (6) pieces – (2) 5 1/2” x 8”, (2) 8” x 10 1/2”,  and (2) 8” x 16”
• Interior stair tread, cut two pieces: one (1) 11 1/2” x 17” and one (1) 6 1/2” x 17”

Step 15: If you have felt, you can place it on the top and bottom to protect your wood floors – we’ll leave that up to you.

For more DIY furniture projects, click here. I’d also love for you to check out these other beginner projects:

Coffee Table • Coffee Table with Storage • Industrial Pipe Shelving • Lack Endtable Hack • Mirror Frame • Modern Headboard • Nolmyra Chair Hack • Outdoor Bench • Pallet Shelf • Platform Bed • Poster Hanger • Stacked Wood Bench • Table Lamp • Table Revamp with Vinyl • TV Riser • Wood Doormat

The post Make a 2-in-1 Step Stool Chair with These Simple Plans appeared first on DIY Candy.

Skills Required: Beginner. You’ll learn how to make a bench the easiest way possible. I believe the most difficult part of this DIY project is using a table saw, which isn’t really hard (take your time!).

Every porch or outdoor space needs a bench, at least that’s what Steve and I decided the other day. Actually Steve has had the concept for this beautiful bench in his head for a while.

He had looked around at garden benches and wanted to make something without screws and hardware . . . completely with adhesive.

Yet he had some other qualifications as well – the bench had to be modern, inexpensive, load bearing (no falling apart please), and look great. We also wanted it to be an easy woodworking project so anyone could do it.

This DIY outdoor bench project meets all those qualifications and more!

Here’s how this bench came about. It was quite a coincidence that we were flipping through a Williams Sonoma Home catalog the other day and found this Larnaca Outdoor Coffee Table that looks somewhat similar . .

yet has one BIG difference. The Larnaca coffee table costs $1,295, while Steve’s version is $35. Now, ours is outdoor seating while the Larnaca is technically a coffee table, but the idea is the same. You can always modify the size of this DIY outdoor bench to fit your desired specifications.

So here’s how to build this bench, with a finished size of 16″ high x 40″ long x 13.5″ deep. You’ll find that building a bench is much easier than you think! Here’s how we built this piece of furniture.

We already had a rain here so I also wanted to show you how well the stain works – the water just pools on top and comes right off . . . no soaking into the wood!

We hope you enjoy our DIY outdoor bench! The printable tutorial is below. Also I keep getting questions about the planters – I did make those as well! Find them here.

Print

DIY Bench

Make a DIY wood bench without any screws or nails. This modern build is very easy for beginners.

Course DIY Projects

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Dry Time 24 hours hours

Total Time 31 hours hours

Servings 1 bench

Cost $50

Equipment

• 1 Table Saw
• Bar clamps
• 1 Belt sander
• Paintbrush(es)
• 1 T-Square

Ingredients

• Regular 2 x 4s – pine see cut list in notes
• Wood glue we used Titebond III
• Thompson's WaterSeal
• Rag(s)
• Sanding block 80-grit and 120-grit
• Cardboard box or other surface protection

Instructions

• Using the table saw, “mill” the 2″ edges of every piece of wood so that you get a very square edge (as opposed to the rounded edges that come on a 2×4). This will give your bench a more modern look.
  
• Cut the pieces of wood according to the cut list in the notes. Keep in mind, these measurements produced a finished bench that is 16″ high x 40″ long x 13.5″ deep . . . AND a little extra was left for the milling and sanding process. If you want to customize the size of your bench, you’ll need to adjust these cut lengths.
  
• Use your pieces to create a box joint. Place a 40″ piece of wood on the ground, with a 33.5″ piece in the center. On each end, you’ll place a 16″ long piece perpendicular to the other two pieces, as shown in the photo above. Make sure everything is even and as flush as possible (and use a t-square or other item if necessary to for a right angle), then glue into place and clamp.
  
• Add Liquid Nails to the wood, setting it up in your pattern as shown in the final image then adding clamps to hold it together. Remember that you’re doing a modified box joint, so you’ll have one long piece of wood, then one short piece, then long, then short, and so on.
  
• Once your bench is full assembled, keep it clamped and let it dry overnight.
  
• Undo the clamps and sand with the belt sander to get everything even. Don’t forget to sand with the grain! Sand until it’s completely smooth and flat. Do this on the legs, too. Then wipe away all of the sanding dust.
  
• Use stain to paint the bench. Applying stain is relatively easy. You can use a brush, paint it on, then wipe it off. Seal with Thompson's Water Seal.
  
• Add furniture feet to keep your bench off of the ground. Drill a hole, insert the foot, and repeat on all four corners of the bench bottom.
  

Video

Notes

Cut List

• 33.5″ long (five pieces)
• 40″ long (four pieces)
• 16″ long (ten pieces)
• 12.75″ long (eight pieces)

Step One: You can also use a planer to create perfectly parallel faces on your wood. Wood purchased from the hardware store is hardly ever even, hence the need to cut it down as Steve has done.

Step Four: Your best bet is to follow this process.

1. organize the pieces of wood without gluing FIRST so that you understand how the bench goes together;
2. begin at one end of your bench and start assembling with the Liquid Nails, using the clamps as placeholders as you go along;
3. continue add Liquid Nails, wood, and increase the size of your box clamps until the bench is fully assembled

Step Seven: Steve used two coats of stain and the stain lifted the grain of the wood slightly so that it doesn’t feel 100% smooth as it did right after sanding. To prevent this, you’ll probably want to apply a coat of stain, then sand with 120-grit, then stain again. Our stain was outdoor stain AND sealer, and our project is currently under a porch covering (though it is exposed to the elements).

What do you think? If you have any similar projects or if you’ve done something like this and would like to share your tips, we’d love to hear them in the comments! Thank you!

If you love DIY benches, I’ve got another one you’re going to want to check out: Crate and Barrel Inspired Modern Wooden Bench. AND if you want to see another inspired knockoff we did – check out our West Elm DIY coffee table. We made it for $45 . . . original price of $999!

The post DIY Outdoor Bench: Stylish and Simple on a Budget appeared first on DIY Candy.

Skills Required: Intermediate Beginner. I wouldn’t try this as your first woodworking project ever, because I think you should have a bit of experience with power tools. Maybe build something really simple first before trying this project.

Sometimes you see a piece of furniture in a catalog you HAVE to have (remember my DIY outdoor bench?). You know what I’m talking about, right?

For us it was a West Elm Plank Coffee Table, with the price tag of $1,155. But then we realized something – we could make our own coffee table, for a lot less, out of pallet wood.

We’ve worked with pallet wood before, but this was the biggest project we decided to tackle with it. The good news? It wasn’t as hard as we thought . . . and this table ended up being less than $50 to make! $45 total.

To give you a frame of reference, this is the table on the West Elm site that we liked:

Find it here listed for $1,155. We weren’t about to be intimidated by a table and we knew we could make a DIY coffee table ourselves! Here’s how we made ours. First you’ll need to gather your supplies.

The finished dimensions of this table are 16″ tall x 30″ wide (square).

Gather These Supplies

• 3 – 4 old pallets – let pallet wood sit for several weeks before using (see first step); see Cut List for how to cut the pallet wood
• 4′ x 4′ piece of pine plywood – (cut to 30″ x 30″, see Cut List)
• 2″ x 2″ x 8′ lengths of pine (4) – (4 are cut to 27″, 8 are cut to 30″, see Cut List)
• 2″ x 4″ x 6′ (or 8′) length of pine (1) – (cut into four 12″ pieces, see Cut List)
• Wood screws (32) – 2 1/2″ long
• Wood screws (8) – 1″ long
• Corner braces (12 total, 2 in each package) – 2″
• Miscellaneous clamps
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Wood glue – we swear by Titebond III
• Wood stain – we used FolkArt Home Decor Antiquing Wax
• Cloth
• Goggles to use with your tools

Tools

• Small table saw
• Miter saw
• Planer
• Nail gun with 1 1/4″ nails
• Drill with selection of bits

Tips and Thoughts for This Project

Cut List – you can download the entire cut list HERE or each page separately: Cut List 1, Cut List 2, Cut List 3. I highly recommend downloading the cut lists and printing to follow along with the instructions.

The cut list will help you purchase the right amount of wood assuming you don’t buy the same lengths as listed in the Supplies above.

We learned a lesson on this project right away! Once you find your pallets, YOUR FIRST STEP needs to be to strip excess wood off of the pallet and plane the pieces to a uniform thickness of 1/2″.

Then let it sit for several weeks to dry in a non-humid environment (at least inside a garage or basement) so that the drying doesn’t occur after your table is assembled. We assumed our wood was already dry because it felt dry – we learned the hard way.

For step 12, the top wood planks are 31″ because they overhang on each side by 1/2″.

You may or may not have six middle pieces depending on a variety of factors (like how big you decided to make your table or how wide the pieces were to begin with).

Steve cut and glued as he went along. He started at one end. He cut the end piece using his table saw (with the 31″ length and the 45º angle), then glued it down (clamped). Once he got close to the end, he did the end piece first, THEN went back and cut the last piece to fit in the remaining gap with his table saw.

When you glue the side boards on, they will meet the top boards and the two 45º angles will fit right together. It might not be perfect . . . but it will be close enough for government work, if you know that saying? (tee hee)

You might be asking if the wood glue is enough to hold all four sides and the top on – the answer is yes. We’ve done a lot of sitting and dancing on the table (you think I’m kidding) and it’s really sturdy. You’re in the home stretch!

It’s really amazing how the stain soaks into the pallet wood on the table and gives a beautiful finish . . . with gorgeous variations in color. The nail holes and knots add character as well.

Take a look at the details – we’re so happy with how our coffee table DIY turned out! It looks amazing in a living room.

The pallet wood helped with the cost and also helped with the character. If you want to make something with pallets but aren’t sure where to find them or where to start, check out this article.

Get the printable how to card for this project below.

Print

DIY Coffee Table

Transform pallet wood into a stylish coffee table DIY with our step-by-step guide. Perfect for budget-friendly, rustic home decor enthusiasts!

Course DIY Projects

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Dry Time 24 hours hours

Total Time 33 hours hours

Servings 1 table

Cost $55

Equipment

• Table Saw
• Miter saw
• Planer
• Nail gun with 1 1/4" nails
• Drill with drill bits
• Clamps
• Tape measure
• Pencil(s)
• Safety goggles and other safety equipment
• Staining rags

Ingredients

• 3 – 4 old pallets
• 1 4' x 4' piece of pine plywood
• 4 2" x 2" x 8' lengths of pine
• 2" x 4" x 6' or 8′ length of pine (1)
• 32 Wood screws 2 1/2" long
• 8 Wood screws 1" long
• 12 Corner braces 12 total, 2 in each package – 2″
• Titebond III
• FolkArt Home Decor Antiquing Wax

Instructions

• Grab 2 x 2s and trim them down to eight 30" pieces. Make 45º cuts at each end using the miter saw (Fig 1 on the Cut List).
  
• Use the corner braces with a drill to join the 2 x 2s into two frames.
  
• Cut down the remaining 2 x 2 wood into 27" long pieces (see Fig. 3 on the Cut List). You're going to add two cross pieces to each frame.
• Use your tape measure to add the cross pieces at 10" and 20" – so equidistant across the frame on the top and bottom. Mark with a pencil, drill two pilot holes, and then screw in 2 1/2" wood screws. If they aren't EXACTLY at 10" and 20" – you'll be fine.
  
• Cut your plywood down to 30" x 30" using a table saw (or a circular saw – anything you can cut a straight line with, see Fig. 4 on the Cut List).
• Attach the plywood to one of the frames (it doesn't matter which one you pick) using the bottom sides of the corner brackets and your drill. The plywood piece is going to sit on the base of your table, which you'll make shortly.
  
• Cut the 2 x 4 into four 12" pieces (see Fig. 2 on the Cut List).
  
• Attach the four 12" pieces as shown using wood screws and a drill to complete the frame. Notice that the slats on your 30" top frame are perpendicular to the frame on the bottom with the plywood attached. This is on purpose to add some rigidity to the piece.
  
• Turn the table skeleton over so the plywood base is facing up. Cut four pieces of pallet wood to 3.5" wide by 22" long (see Fig. 5 on the Cut List). We used a table saw to cut the length and the miter saw to quickly cut the ends. Use whatever saw works best for you.
  
• Form a table base by making a frame out of the four 22" pieces. Put wood glue on the end of each board, attach to another board as shown, then nail the ends with the nail gun.
  
• Use the four remaining corner brackets to add the base to the bottom of the plywood – use a measuring tape to center the base. Add about eight additional 1" wood screws to attach the plywood to the frame. Add them in the middle, randomly. Flip the table back over.
  
• Now you need to cover the skeleton frame with pallet wood, starting with the top. Cut the end pieces first. The two end pieces need 45º angles down three sides – two short sides and one long side – cut with a table saw. The middle pieces need 45º angles on each end. Our table top has two end pieces (shown as Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 on the Cut List) and SIX pieces in between (the top wood planks shown as Fig. 6 on the Cut List) of varying widths.
  
• Keep cutting, varying the width of the boards. As the boards are cut, glue them down.
  
• Let the table top dry for several hours.
  
• Cut and glue down the side pieces. The side pieces are shorter (12.5" long), the end pieces need two sides with 45º angles (instead of three), and the middle pieces only need one short end with a 45º angle instead of both. Cut and glue as you did in steps 12 and 13. Repeat with the other three sides.
  
• Do a light sanding with 120 grit sandpaper. Wipe away the sanding dust.
  
• Stain and wax the table. Glop it on as shown, then rub in with a cloth. Work about 1/3 of the table top at a time, then the sides, then the base. Don't leave the wax on for too long before wiping away with the rag because it will soak in. Let dry for several hours before using.
  

Video

Notes

This project was originally done in 2017. Costs will definitely vary.

Let me know what you thought of this project in the comments! For some related DIYs you might also enjoy, check out these posts:

Camper Pallet Art • Coffee Table with Storage • DIY Coffee Tables • Hose Holder and Planter • Industrial Pipe Shelving • IKEA Coffee Table Hacks • Lack Endtable Hack • Mirror Frame • Outdoor Bench • Outdoor Drink Station • Outdoor Table • Pallet Shelf • Platform Bed • Stacked Wood Bench • Table Revamp with Vinyl • Wood Step Stool Chair

The post DIY Coffee Table Inspired By West Elm appeared first on DIY Candy.

Skills Required: Intermediate. You have to be able to use a miter saw, table saw, sander, drill, planer, and possibly a router. You’ll be doing some gluing and screwing and lots of measuring. This is not a hard project, but it can take time.

If you saw our DIY platform bed frame, you might be wondering how to make a headboard that goes with it. Well today is your lucky day – this is the tutorial! This king headboard can obviously be modified to any size. We’ll leave that up to you.

Our inspiration for this DIY wood headboard was mid-century modern design. We love original pieces like this one that are made with various sizes and layers of awesome teak.

While we didn’t use teak for this project, we did use the mid-century modern era for our king headboard inspiration. The different layers and thicknesses of wood give this project a really unique look.

Just to give you a preview of how this project comes together, you’ll start by making support pieces for the bed. You might have to alter these a bit depending on what you’re attaching the headboard to.

Then you’ll make a frame out of popular, and cut plywood that you’ll glue within the frame as your backer. That all gets glued together and then wood pieces are cut and glued to make your mosaic on the front. There are also support pieces made of oak.

Tools and Hardware

• Compound miter saw with laser
• Table saw
• Belt sander
• Router with bits (optional, see step 4)
• Drill with bits
• Planer
• Wood – as specified on cut list below
• Wood glue – we recommend Titebond III
• Wood screws – 1 1/4″ length (about 24 – 30)
• Clamps
• Measuring tape

Cut List*

• Support pieces (see step 1; you may be able to use scraps)
• 1 – 1″ x 6″ x 8′ board trimmed to two 1” x 5 ½” x 37” lengths (mounting boards)
• 2 – 1″ x 2″ x 8′ boards trimmed to 1″ x 1/2″ x 84 3/8″ each
• 1 – 1″ x 2″ x 8″ board trimmed to two 1″ x 1/2″ x 25 1/4″ lengths
• 2 – 1/4″ x 2′ x 4′ oak plywood pieces trimmed to 41 ⅜” x 23 ¾”
• Boards to use for the mosaic area (see steps 11 & 12) – we used six (5) 1″ x 4″ x 8′ boards
• 3 – 2 ½” x ¼” x 24” pieces of finished oak trimmed to 2 ½” x ¼” x 23 ½” (1/2″ cut off one end)

*if you are a newbie woodworker, remember that wood sizes are given as the cut from a log. For example, a 2″ x 4″ is cut that size, from a rough log but then it dries smaller (around 1.5″ x 3.5″). So your EXACT measurements may vary, though they will be close.

Wood and Where to Purchase

We purchased poplar from Home Depot. We wanted a hard wood that was easy to work with, and we like the grain. Our cost for this DIY mcm headboard was about $200, but you could reduce the cost by using a less expensive wood.

Note: this original project was done in 2018, so project costs are going to be higher! If you try it, I’d love to know how much you spent to buy the wood.

Tips and Thoughts for This Project

Don’t get frustrated if your wood mosaic doesn’t fit the first time you lay it out. Lay out the remaining rows, and then do your adjusting (cutting) on the final row. If it’s just a little bit of width here and there on a few pieces, no one is going to notice they are slightly smaller.

Important Note: stain will not stick to any areas of the headboard where you have left glue to dry. Try to sand away any areas like this if you are staining. If you happen upon these areas WHILE you are staining, let the stain dry, sand away the area and blend in.

Get the printable how to card for this DIY below!

Print

DIY Modern Headboard

This DIY mid century modern headboard will be the perfect addition to your decor! The blocks are easier to make than you think.

Course Furniture

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Dry Time 12 hours hours

Total Time 20 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1 headboard

Cost $200

Equipment

• 1 Compound Miter Saw with Laser
• 1 Table Saw
• Belt sander
• Router and bit(s) optional, see step 4
• Drill with drill bits
• Planer
• Clamps
• Measuring tape

Ingredients

• Poplar wood as specified on cut list in Notes
• Wood glue we recommend Titebond III
• 30 Wood screws 1 1/4" length, about 24 – 30

Instructions

• Fashion mounting pieces using this method or a similar method IF your bed frame requires them. Mine were cut (using a miter saw) from a  1″ x 4″ x 8′ board – they have 3" sides and were all cut a 45º angle.
  
• Glue five (5) triangles together to make one support piece, then repeat to make two. Sand the mounting pieces smooth and trim the ends off square.
  
• Mount these support pieces on the underside of the head rail of the bed frame. The outside edge of each support piece should be 15" from the outside of the frame. Using (3) screws to mount each piece to the underside of the head rail as shown.
  
• Cut one piece of 1”x 6” x 8' wood to two (2) 37" lengths. These will be your headboard support rails. Using a round-over router bit, round over the top and bottom edges of the headboard mounting pieces. You don't HAVE to do the rounding over, but we just though it looked nice so we took the extra step.
  
• Using six (6) screws on each side, mount the headboard boards to the outside edge of the head rail with them touching the ground. Four screws will go into the bed frame and two will go into the supports as shown.
  
• Cut trim pieces using a miter saw. Cut two (2) 1" x 2" x 8' boards into 1" x 1 1/2" x 84 3/8" length pieces. Then cut one (1) 1" x 2" x 8" board into two (2) 1" x 1/2" x 25 1/4" pieces.
• Using the miter saw, cut an inward-leaning 45º angle cut on each end of each 1" x 2" – so you'll be making eight cuts total.
  
• Using a table saw, angle the blade to 15 degrees. do a 15º bevel cut all the way down the length of one edge of each of the frame pieces.
  
• Reset the table saw from Step 8. Set the blade to a 1/4” cutting depth and move the gate 1/4” away from the blade. Flip the frame pieces over and cut a 1/4” deep groove the length of each frame piece.

  NOTE: this groove needs to be cut on the OPPOSITE side from the bevel cut – see the picture. You want the groove to be on the flat side of the wood.
  
• Move the gate 1/8” (or a blade’s width) further from the blade and cut another groove. This should make one 1/4” inch groove (that you see in the picture).
  
• Take two (2) pieces of 1/4” thick x 2’ x 4’ oak plywood and, using a table saw, cut both pieces of plywood to a 41 3/8” x 23 3/4” size. These will be the back of your headboard.
• You might need help with this step since this is a king size! Take both pieces of cut plywood and slide them end to end down into the groove of one of the 1" x 2" x 84 3/8" pieces. You're going to test the fitment to make sure that all the pieces will fit together before adding any glue.
  
• Separate the pieces, then reassemble – this time gluing them together. Clamping and glue with scrap wood in the edges to keep everything square and tight.
  
• After the glue has set up, measure the inside area you will be covering with blocks. The inside dimensions should be approximately 23 1/2” x 82 3/4”. It's fine if they're not exact – you can make the blocks fit. The corners are only tacked in place at this point and you will be glueing in cut block pieces to reinforce the frame and create the design.
  
• You're going to create the wood mosaic on top of the plywood, so you need to determine your design. First, determine how many horizontal rows you want in your mosaic. We used six rows, and we recommend picking a number of rows that is divisible by 3 (ie. 6, 9, 12) as you are going to be using three thicknesses of wood to create your mosaic.
• Using a planer, you are going to create three thicknesses of wood boards, so you’ll have two boards of each thickness (if you do it the same way we did it). Keep one board at 3/4" thick. Run two boards through the planer and remove 3/16". Run those same board through the second time. Then pick two additional boards and run them through, removing 3/16". You'll then have six boards of three varying thicknesses.
  
• You'll know how wide your wood needs to be by taking the vertical measurement (top to bottom) of the headboard. For example, the inner area of our king headboard is 23 1/2” x 82 3/4”. So each board needs to be about 3 7/8" inches wide (23 1/2" divided by six rows). Use a table saw to cut the boards to the width you like, if you need to. We didn't need to trim much at all.
• Using a miter saw to cut each board into lengths of 2”, 4”, and 6”. Try and cut an equal amount of each length from each board as you are going to make a random mosaic.
• Take your mosaic wood pieces and lay them out in the headboard frame to make sure you get a nice mosaic pattern using the different thicknesses and lengths. When you get the pattern the way you like it, glue all the pieces in place and clamp the frame. Try really hard not to get any excess glue on the surface of the wood if you are staining as it acts as a resist (so wipe it up immediately). Let dry overnight.
  
• Cut three 2 1/2” x 1/4” x 24” pieces of finished oak down by 1/2" inches on one end to 2 1/2” x 1/4” x 23 1/2”. Flip the headboard over and measure 18" from each end. Glue the support pieces of oak in place at those points. Then place your third piece of oak in the middle and glue. Clamp everything as shown above.
  
• I mounted the headboard 7” above the bed frame at this time. I raised it up on some wood to hold it in place for mounting. When you get it into place, use 1 1/2” wood screws to mount the headboard to the frame – the holes should match the support piece holes. You might need assistance for this step – someone to hold up the headboard so that it's even while you screw it in.
  
• Decide whether you are going to stain or paint your headboard! I used Minwax waterbase stain (a custom color to match the existing furniture). Then coated with a Minwax waterbase polycrylic and let dry for 24 hours.
  

Notes

The triangle pieces in step 1 were left over from the corner braces of our platform bed. If you completed that project, you might have ten (10) of these triangles, which is what you need.

Cut List*

• Support pieces (see step 1; you may be able to use scraps)
• 1 – 1″ x 6″ x 8′ board trimmed to two 1” x 5 ½” x 37” lengths (mounting boards)
• 2 – 1″ x 2″ x 8′ boards trimmed to 1" x 1/2" x 84 3/8" each
• 1 – 1" x 2" x 8" board trimmed to two 1" x 1/2" x 25 1/4" lengths
• 2 – 1/4" x 2' x 4' oak plywood pieces trimmed to 41 ⅜” x 23 ¾”
• Boards to use for the mosaic area (see steps 11 & 12) – we used six (5) 1" x 4" x 8' boards
• 3 – 2 ½” x ¼” x 24” pieces of finished oak trimmed to 2 ½” x ¼” x 23 ½” (1/2" cut off one end)

Note: You likely do not need to cut the board width for most of the cuts in this tutorial – just the board length. The boards will probably have dried to about 5 1/2″ wide (but check). Use a table saw to cut the width if you need to.

If you like this DIY MCM headboard project, let me know in the comments! Plus please check out our other popular furniture tutorials:

Coffee Table • Coffee Table with Storage • Industrial Pipe Shelving • Lack Endtable Hack • Nolmyra Chair Hack • Outdoor Bench • Outdoor Table • Pallet Shelf • Platform Bed • Stacked Wood Bench • Table Revamp with Vinyl • Wood Step Stool Chair

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