$50 DIY Nail Headboard

Please excused the un-styled bed, this headboard was the second step in the completion of the guest room, but there is still quite a bit to do. For this headboard, I wanted to do something simple and a bit rustic to keep the room from feeling too modern when it's all done. We are on a tight budget as of late, so I had to come up with something creative and different for under $50. 

Supplies:

1. Pine board from Home Depot 
2. Sand Paper
3. Stain 
4. Cotton rags for applying stain
5. Hammer
6. Nails (no longer than 3/4in)

Process:

1. Cut board to size: mine is the width of the bed and about 2.5ft high. If you're not comfortable with power tools, bring your measurements with you to Home Depot and they will cut it to size for free.
2. Sand:  you don't have to go crazy sanding, just get the edges and the top so it's smooth to the touch.
3. Stain: I went for a darker stain to bring out all the beautiful grain detail in the wood. I prefer rags to brushes when it comes to stain because its easier to spread the stain evenly and avoid pooling and drips.
4. Once the stain dried, I looked at the board and chose a line in the grain that I wanted to follow with the nails
5. Hammer Time! I went down the nail aisle at Home Depot and picked a variety of nails in different metals, head sizes and shapes, I just made sure they weren't any longer than the thickness of my board. I basically filled in the lighter grain line in the wood with the nails, varying types and spacing to make it feel organic. 
6. Attach it to your wall! I put in wall anchors and screwed the board into the wall in six places, better safe than sorry. If you're in an apartment or don't want to put holes in your walls, you can buy two 2x4s and screw them into the board and your bed frame.