My Tongue and Groove Bookcase Headboard

Some of you might remember my little bathroom shelf that I made a while back. Well, I am reorganizing my bathroom so the shelf was sitting on the floor and honestly has been for some time. I moved it when I was vacuuming and suddenly it dawned on me that on a much larger scale, this would make an awesome but simple headboard. And so it began... Now, while this was the inspiration, the headboard isn't an exact clone. This project used 1 by 4's and thin wall planks and the headboard uses 1 by 6's and a very thick tongue and groove, almost like a shiplap.

First, I decided how tall I wanted my headboard to be. I decided 55 inches seemed like a good height. Then when I was shopping, I realized if I cut one 8 foot board in half, 48 inches wasn't too far from 55 inches and I could save money. I bought four 1 by 6 by 8 ft whiteboards from Lowes. I propped up the two sides on where I wanted them to be.

Then I measured across and cut a board to that measurement. My son has a full size bed.

The tools required for this are quite simple. I used a power miter box to cut the wood. (not shown) Then I used wood glue, corner clamps, a hammer and 1 1/2 inch finishing nails. You could absolutely use a power nailer if you wanted but I did it the old fashioned way. Those clamps surprising get terrible reviews online but they were AWESOME! It was the first time I used them for a project and it was like having extra hands.

I placed my piece on top.

Added glue...

Added clamps...

Nailed it securely. I put three nails across each side. When this was dry I added five pieces of the tongue and groove boards across the back.

I started at the top and went down five boards, glueing and nailing into place. I would tap the next board to try to make it slide into the groove correctly. I think some of the tongue and groove boards were warped because they didn't seem to stay very well but I am still happy with it. Just adds more rustic charm when it isn't perfect. But, if you are a perfectionist, make sure you select straight, not warped boards.

This is how it looks at this point. I did a lot of building on the floor and then sliding it into position and standing back and admiring the progress. On each side I added a 5 1/2 inch piece of 1 by 2 for a shelf to sit on.

I bought a poplar board (because they didn't really have anything else in the size I needed and it is a pretty wood.) that was 1 by 8 by 8 ft to go on top of the 1 by 6. I measured equal overhang on each side and cut this piece with my power miter box saw. Here is a little side view of how everything kind of lines up. You can see the tongue and groove to the back and I will probably cover that with a piece of trim moulding.

I added the 1 by 8 with glue, nails and then clamped it tight and let it dry overnight.

I added another shelf that is somewhat level with the mattress. I may add a board across the front if needed but for now it seems perfect.

Super simple to make. Now I am planning on painting it. He wants gray. I was hoping for white. I have had a lot of gray wood in my projects lately but it is HIS bed. I guess gray is really on trend these days.