Removable Wood Block Headboard

In trying to figure out a headboard that was cool but also could be easily removed, I hit upon a wood block idea. The husband was all in so I set to work.

We have a king size bed so I based the dimensions off of that but really, you could make this oversized if you wanted.

Supplies:

2 4x4x8' (untreated) wood posts

1 sheet 3/8" plywood cut to size for me as I don't have a table saw

Liquid Nails

Watco Dark Walnut stain

wood conditioner

lots of sandpaper

1 can satin spray polyurethane

chip brushes and rags

First step was staining the wood whole rather than staining each and every side of the block by hand.

Next was the super messy step of cutting the blocks which I used my spiffy miter saw for. I opted to cut three different size blocks so the look would be textural, provide some shadows and depth.

Because one size block was so small and my table is set up a certain way meaning I couldn't put the length of the post the other way to use a locking guide, I used painters tape as a guide for the smallest of blocks. Hey, it worked.

For more specific details about this project, you can check out the blog post at Flipping the Flip. Here I just want to provide you more with ideas and inspiration.

Next it was time to stain the faces of the blocks. Well. Of course that's end grain, right? Harder to stain evenly. Trying to do so resulted in a, let's just say, less than desirable effect.

So after hours and hours of sanding the block faces, hours yeah sorry, I coated each block face with wood conditioner. It is stinky stuff so be sure to ventilate.

After the conditioner sat for about a half hour, I then applied the Watco Dark Walnut stain.

Time to glue the blocks.

First though, I found the studs in the wall where we were hanging this headboard and made sure to measure onto the headboard itself where they were.

I randomly placed the blocks on the plywood (you might consider staining the plywood first in case of being able to see the bare wood) and glued them down with construction adhesive, leaving open four blocks where the wall studs will be.

Once all the blocks were on, I gave a quick spray with some satin polyurethane.

Here's the cool removable trick -- we screwed the headboard directly to the wall into the studs and used velcro on the blocks to cover. This way we have the "to the wall" look we wanted but we're able to remove it if need be.

We love it -- it adds lots of texture, the wood is a nice warm color, and it's super stylish, all for about eighty bucks or so.