How to Make an Upholstered Bed and Headboard 

Thanks James. I was desperately trying to keep it below 10 minutes but rarely succeed with that. I think general watch time is around the 6 to 7 minute mark but stats like that don't give the full picture so it's great to get feedback like that 👍🏻

I 2nd this, good video but would have preferred it a bit longer with a bit more detail. While I know that's me you can't please everyone which I appreciate. I know the missus wants me to do something like this so given me a few good pointers.

I 3rd this. Not because I wanted more detail, I just find it really interesting and compelling to watch.

@@CharlieDIYte You're welcome. You've done me numerous favours with your videos in the past. Recently moved into a house and the kitchen mixer was dripping. I had no idea who manufactured the tap or where to start. Low and behold, you have the same tap in one of your videos! Regarding their length, I suspect you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. I watch them because my house needs a lot of work and I might learn something useful for the future. Others, I guess, come to the channel for very specific reasons.

Long videos are good, many similar RU-vidrs do it in the US

They're awesome, aren't they!

But you could do my friend. Just got to start with the smaller tasks and gradually build up your confidence and skill 👍🏻

Thanks buddy 👊🏻

Thanks and you're absolutely right - it is more commonly called a French cleat as discussed in this update vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-onKMEe8KeJ0.html. Thanks for that 👊

Can't thank you enough for that 👍🏻 This one in particular has been a killer to edit, taking nearly 2 weeks, and I honestly don't know how I'd do it without this sort of encouragement. Really humbled that you're both finding my videos useful. Drop me an email if you've ever got any questions 👍🏻

@@CharlieDIYte will do :) thank you for your productivity!

Oh, I love this video. Just wanted to make me the same style headboard, so that will help alot.

Thanks John. As I've said to another comment, I've been doing the day job for 10 years now and I never knew it was called that 😏 👍🏻

@@CharlieDIYte .... you are welcome Charlie, I’m still finding out things at 71😉 Thoroughly enjoy your vlogs.

What a wonderful post, Richard, and something that really resonates with me. Funnily enough my Mum once said that DIY was therapy to me. I think it was in reference to the fact that when I had a stressful city job in my earlier years, the thing that kept me sane was DIY. I bought a wreck of a (terraced house) in south east London and my mate Roger (Dodge) came round most weekends to help me renovate it. He was recommended to me as a plasterer but had an encyclopaedic knowledge of most trades and was a perfectionist to boot. We ended up literally gutting the house together and became good friends as a result. It was hard work (the entire place needed deep cleaning every Sunday evening as I had a friend living with me at the time) but cleared my mind of all the rubbish from the day job, leaving me recharged by Monday morning. I learnt a huge amount from him as, before that I only had basic carpentry skills. The truth is though, many of the jobs I take on are things I haven't done before and so there's a huge amount of research before I start, to make sure I get it mostly right and don't attract too much criticism. But that's another one ticked off and the learning curve continues, and I guess the confidence grows. I really think DIY is cathartic and very empowering, helping to build up one's confidence that may not always be in plentiful supply. I'm probably a bit sad, but I do many a fist pump when I walk into a room and see something I've created or fixed, and that feeling of empowerment is your point about doing DIY on yourself. It sounds like the Mens Shed Movement was the best of both worlds because it combined DIY with camaraderie. The thing I've missed most in lockdown is the opportunity to talk rubbish with my mates down at the pub. You come back feeling so energised afterwards, so I can really see the benefit of the Shed Movement. What a fantastic idea, and such a shame it hasn't got more traction over here. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I'm humbled by the feedback that people cram into their busy lives to give me, and the photos I get sent of the things they've created. I genuinely couldn't do this without the constant encouragement. The weeks of editing (the bed video took a week and a half) often leaves me feeling a bit deflated, and then almost immediately I have a wonderful comment like yours which reminds me that all the hard work is so worthwhile. Thanks again 👍👊🙏

Thanks Steve. It's humbling to hear that. Thanks for the comment mate 👍🏻

You're welcome. Thanks for the comment Lucie 👍🏻

Aw, thanks for that, Mykel 👍

Thanks Patricia 👍🏻

Thanks 👍

Massive thanks for the comment, Owain. Really humbled that you've found my vids useful. It's a combination of the learning curve and confidence at the end of the day, isn't it. But nothing beats that feeling of elation when you fix or create something 👍

You're very welcome. Thanks for the comment 👍

Thanks 👍🏻

Thanks for that and also for subscribing - I really appreciate your support 👊🏻

Go for it mate. You'll do a great job and you never know what DIY jobs it will lead onto...

You're welcome. The mattress is incredibly comfortable but it has a rather convex shape in the middle now where you don't sleep, and not being able to turn it is a bit of a downside.

You're welcome. Thanks for the comment 👍🏻

jh

Thanks mate, good to hear from you. Yes, much harder than you'd have thought. I think that's why dowels are on the decline. Biscuit joints would be so much easier but they don't do the right job here. 👍🏻

Thanks Alan, I really appreciate that. If you've got a moment it would be great to hear what you would have done differently 👍

Thanks mate I really appreciate that 👊🏻

Thanks Shev 👍

Agreed Craig and I've heard good things about those Emma's, too 👍🏻

Thanks mate 👍🏻

Thanks Ollie 👍

Aw thanks Mohammad, can't thanks you enough for that. I desperately try to get at least one video out a week but it often doesn't happen because of how long it takes me to edit them. This one took nearly 2 weeks pretty much solid editing!! Really appreciate the feedback and you taking the time to comment 👍🏻

@@CharlieDIYte Good content worth waiting for!

Thanks Andrew 👍

Fair point, particularly given it dwarfed the cost of the wood. There are some very good cheap fabrics out there though.

You get what you pay for with velvet - and remember that every time you touch it there will be fingermarks left behind if it’s not upholstery grade. I would personally have made sure to run the pile the same way as the headboard and made joins; the colour difference can be immense when two different directions adjoin one another. But that’s my day job! And I would stress more about that than all the palaver of getting the bolts in perfectly perpendicular! 😀

PS I love my Kreg pocket hole jig! Might be worth a video, Charlie?

That's good to hear. My views haven't changed - it's still so comfortable 👍🏻

Thanks Afnan. You've just got to give it a go, my friend 👊

Please check your instagram messages

Ah, good work. 👍

Thanks. Yes that's a good technique. My way on the sander does a similar job and eliminates any sharp edges you may sooner your finger with.

Thanks for that, also I really appreciate you watching my vids 👊

Thanks. That's a damn good point Craig. 👌

Thanks for that. Makes sense. I think if I had seen those brackets I may have done it this way.

Thanks so much for that. Yes, I should have done two videos, split as you say, and I've got a wardrobe build coming up reasonably soon that I will definitely need to do like that 👍

Thanks so much Ann 🙏

Can't remember but you've basically got to run it lengthways around the base, so measure the perimeter of your base adding a bit for the join and that's your length.

Thanks Chris. This was Designers Guild Varese which is lovely but expensive. I think Googling is your best bet as you can get near trade prices on a lot of fabrics on-line anyway - companies like www.justfabrics.co.uk. You don't need to buy Designers Guild though as there are a lot of good quality velvets out there. Order a sample first so you can check the colour and quality.

Thomas you're the second person who's called them French cleats. I've been in the soft furnishings business for 10 years and I never knew that's what they were called! Tool storage, kitchen cupboards.. I can see lots of applications so long as you've got the space above to lift them down onto the cleats.

Yes, absolutely fine. I only used MR MDf because that's all my builders merchants had.

Thanks, I really appreciate that. Yes, very sensible on the beds! The radiators definitely won't be as efficient as, say a convector radiator, but I've massively insulated the wall and installed new double glazed windows, so we never really have a problem with warmth in the room. The radiators aren't traditional cast iron - I got them from Screwfix. They are cast iron but may be not as thick as those massive old school ones, so maybe that helps. They do heat up pretty quickly. It probably also helps that I have a relatively new 2 pipe central heating system and spend quite a lot of time desludging it. Have you seen my Magnaclean video? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wDK3e0Sj-mg.html

@@CharlieDIYte Thanks Charlie. That makes sense. Someone I know had cast iron radiators & he said they took forever to heat up esp in the winter. He thought they were a big waste of money. I will look into the Screwfix radiators & follow up on your tips before deciding on whether or not to go ahead. Thanks, again. You’re a star!

Thanks Paul 👍🏻 I think they probably would although it's not something I've experimented with yet (but it's on my list!) They wouldn't be as strong as the bolts but combined with those corner pieces they'd do the job.

@@CharlieDIYte good point, with the M8 bolts there is no doubt it's incredibly strong. Better if you do have to dismantle and reassemble also.

Thanks mate. The mattress is a King (we now wish we'd made it super king). So 150 wide give or take a few cms, courtesy of Simba!! and the finished internal width of the frame is 1523mm. The internal length is 2040mm. There's no obvious gap when the mattress is in position, so I think these tolerances are about right.

@@CharlieDIYte yeah.... I did the same. I didn't know if i should undersize the frame a tad in relation to mattress size so you compress the mattress into the frame a tad....if that makes sense! I just wondered how you planned it out too 👍

It's a Leica Disto D2 which has been enormously useful over the years, although it has just given me a bit of a headache on the current wardrobe build, where it's caused me to over egg since critical drawer width measurements by 2mm! Yes, can't recommend the trim router highly enough. I'm using it all the time on the current build ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lXs-4iXO874.html

Probably more than 18. I'd say 22 to 25mm.

I'll let you into a secret. I made an almighty mistake here. On the bed the velvet (is it the weft?) runs from top to bottom, and when I went over to the upholsterer's, it was after a long day making the headboard and he never asked me which way it was running and I totally forgot to tell him. We had a 50:50 chance of getting it right and of course we got it wrong. So there's a very slight colour difference when you look at the bed and headboard from one side depending on how the light hits it. I'm gutted but it's something I'm learning to live with! I should have put it in the video (I'm not proud and like people learning from my mistakes) but after a week and a half of editing, by the end I just wanted to get it posted and it missed the final edit.

One of the best things about your videos is that you share your mistakes and lessons learned. Bravo! Also you show that you can get a great result with normal DIY tools and some lateral thinking

With my jigsaw, sanding the there layers once assembled, with my belt sander.

😂😂😂👊

Bud Flanagan at his very best.

@@markharrisllb My landlady wasn't called bud. She also asked if I had a good memory and I said yes why? There's no mirror for shaving she replied.

Oooo...one more. You list where you buy timber but where do you buy your MDF...any recommendations?

I should have done a bit more on the headboard but the video was long enough by then! I suspect (though I'm not 100% sure) the harder foam at the back gives it is structure and the softer foam, the comfort. Also on a thinner fabric the darker foam might show through the fabric. We've had that happen on one occasion in the day job. However I wouldn't worry about that on your daughter's - you could just buy one piece of foam, and yes if you're not using the nails you don't need to worry about the lip being soft wood. Good luck with it🤞🏻

You can get it from B&Q and they'll cut it to size for you, failing that see if you've got any local timber merchants (Wickes/ Travis Perkins etc. It's 18mm but you could also use chipboard or OSB as it will be completely covered. The spray he used is a spray adhesive. Worth getting some to stick the foam down to the board but be careful as it's messy stuff. Probably best to do it outside.

At current prices plywood wouldn't have been much cheaper, but I hear what you say. I did think this at the time.

You are correct. I hadn't factored in the current prices of plywood. In fact, I am now planning to further compromise by gluing 18mm plywood and either 12 or 18 mm MDF together for the sides and bottom. The plywood on the inside to provide better mechanical anchor and the mdf is just to help me achieve the desired thickness - all will eventually be covered in fabrics as in yours. Then just mdf for the headboard with supporting/bracing timber round the edges (just as you did in yours). Anyway, thanks for replying. It is much appreciated, and thanks for all the videos teaching us DIYers very useful skills