How to Make a Lighted Headboard

A headboard is often a focal point in a bedroom, but a lighted headboard will absolutely command attention. Build your own lighted headboard to suit your personal style. You need not have extensive building skills to create a decorative, lighted headboard. Have the wood components cut to size at the lumber store, then finish the project easily at home. Design a headboard with a large, single flower blossom that lights up on demand or make a headboard with a lighted outline of a city scape. You can even randomly add lights to the headboard and still have a captivating focal point in your bedroom.

1/2-inch thick plywood

Measuring tape

Saw

Decorative wood trim

Construction adhesive

Design template

Painter’s tape

Pencil

Twinkle lights

Drill

1/4-inch diameter drill bit

Primer/paint or stain

Painting supplies

Duct tape

Stud finder

Wall hangers

Measure the wall behind your bed to determine the desired height and width of the lighted headboard. Cut a 1/2-inch thick sheet of plywood to fit the desired dimensions.

Cut two pieces of decorative trim equal to the height of the headboard. Measure the thickness of the wood trim. Cut two pieces of decorative wood trim equal to the width of the headboard, plus the trim thickness measurement, doubled. Attach the wood trim to the edges of the plywood with construction adhesive. Allow the adhesive to dry. NOTE: This method results in the trim pieces abutting against each other. You can miter the corners if you prefer.

Place the trimmed out plywood face up on a flat surface. Tape a design template onto the wood and trace the outline with a pencil. You can have any type of printed image enlarged for the decorative headboard design, use templates or stencils from the craft store or freehand an outline for the lights.

Measure the space between each light on the twinkle light strand. Drill holes along the design outline to coordinate with the lights.

Prime and paint or stain the face and trimmed edges of the headboard. Allow the finish to dry completely.

Flip the headboard face down on a flat surface. Insert a twinkle light bulb into each drilled hole. Tape the light wires along the backside of the headboard between the holes as needed with duct tape.

Locate the wall studs behind the bed. Insert wall hangers onto the back side of the headboard and on the corresponding area of the wall. Make sure that at least one wall hanger goes into a stud. Hang the headboard.

Plug in the twinkle lights. The design outline on the front of the headboard will come to life in lights.

Tip: Plug the headboard lights into a socket that is connected to the bedroom light switch.