How to Upholster a Headboard

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Give your headboard a new look with this easy no-sew DIY. Adding new foam and fabric to your headboard is an easy way to transform the look of your bedroom. All it takes to update a headboard is some high-quality vinyl fabric from Sailrite®, sew foam, a stapler and some basic sewing supplies. Let's get started on this easy DIY project.

Video Chapters:

Measuring for Required Fabric — 0:27 min.
Removing Old Fabric & Foam — 1:19 min.
Adding New Foam — 3:29 min.
Cutting & Stapling New Fabric — 7:37 min.
Installing Headboard — 22:08 min.
Materials & Tools List — 24:02 min.

Materials List:

Fabric Backed 1/2" Sew Foam 58" (#124306)
Headliner Adhesive 13 oz. (#123288)
EverSoft™ Indoor/Outdoor Denim 54" Vinyl Fabric (#122216)
21 Gauge 3/8" (10mm) Staples 10,000/Box (Galvanized) (#8010GZ)
Snap Together Screw Covers Black (Diameter 1/2") (#123382)
#8 - #10 Flathead Screws

Tools List:

Staple Lifter (#120037)
Gingher^® 8" Scissors Right Handed (#19104)
Sailrite^® Long Nose Upholstery Staple Gun (#121411)
Chalk Pencil Cartridge Set (#121669)
12" Upholstery Regulator (5 Gauge Shaft) (#120036)
Hammer, Drill

How to Upholster Headboard 2 — The padded vinyl headboard in our RV's bedroom adds comfort and style.

This project is part of our RV Renovation Series. Though this headboard is for the bed in an RV, you can apply these same techniques to the headboard in your bedroom at home. The first step is measuring how much fabric we’ll need. We chose EverSoft Indoor/Outdoor Upholstery Vinyl for our RV headboard. EverSoft is a four-way stretch vinyl, which makes it very easy to contour and shape during upholstery work. It’s easy to clean, mold and mildew resistant, and has the look of real leather with an incredibly soft hand. It’s a great choice for headboards as well as a variety of RV, home and marine upholstery applications.

The existing foam on our RV headboard was old, so we replaced it with new 1/2-inch sew foam. This fabric-backed foam is easy to work with, and it adds a nice softness and cushion to our headboard. To glue the foam to our headboard frame, we used Headliner Adhesive spray. It’s a great choice for automotive, marine and upholstery applications. Finally, the Sailrite^® Long Nose Upholstery Staple Gun makes quick work of attaching the vinyl fabric to the wooden headboard. This tool is a must-have for upholstery work. The long nose is crucial for stapling into those hard-to-reach corners and nooks in your upholstery pieces.

We hope you enjoyed this DIY tutorial. Be sure to explore the other project videos in our RV Renovation Series. We’re redoing an RV from top to bottom, inside and out! If you want to view more projects in our RV Renovation Series, click here!