It is relatively easy and affordable to transform a mantelpiece into a headboard for a bed. Most mantles can accommodate a full-size bed, which is 54 inches wide.

Tools and Materials
Mantle
Semi-gloss paint
Paintbrush
Batting
Scissors
Staple gun
Drill
Plywood
Linen fabric
Buttons
Fabric circles, optional
Pinking shears, optional
20-gauge brass wire
Shanks
Mending brackets
Screwdriver
"L" brackets

Mantle Headboard How-To
1. Clean the mantle with some semi-gloss paint. Let dry completely.

2. Cover the board with batting. Cut the batting 4 inches larger all around than the plywood, then secure it to the board with a staple gun.

3. Drill holes in the plywood for the decorative buttons.

4. Take a piece of 1/2-inch plywood and cover it with fabric. Cut fabric 6 inches larger all around than the dimensions of the plywood. Center plywood, batting side down, over fabric, pull fabric around edges, and staple to back. Fold edges under before stapling.

5. Add the buttons. We used both buttons and fabric circles, which we've cut with pinking shears from contrasting fabric 1 inch larger in diameter than the buttons; we've folded the circles in the middle and snipped a slit for our button shank to fit through. Insert an 8-inch length of 20-gauge brass wire back to front through each hole in the board. On fabric side of board, thread a button with a shank through the slit in the fabric circle. Bend wire and push it back through the hole so both ends of wire are on back of board. Place board facedown on work surface. To secure button to board, thread it through a plain button on the back of the board and knot the wire by pulling it tight, causing the fabric to form a rosette. Repeat for each tuft.

6. Attach this to the mantle using 4 mending brackets, screwed into the back of the plywood on each of the four sides. The corresponding side gets screwed into the mantle.

7. Attach this to the wall using "L" brackets.

Special Thanks
Brian Harter-Andriola