Tools and Materials
30-by-80-inch paneled pine doors
Three 68 1/2-inch 1-by-4s
1- and 1 1/2-inch wood screws
Electric drill with screwdriver bit
One 78-inch piece and two 4 1/2-inch pieces cornice molding
Wood glue
1- and 1 1/4-inch finishing nails
Two 64-inch pieces astragal molding
Wood putty
120-grit sandpaper
1 quart each primer and paint
3 L brackets and wall anchors

Door Headboard How-To
1) At a home-supply store's lumber department, select a door; buy three for a king- or queen-size bed or two for a full-size bed. Have the doors cut to the height you'd like your headboard. Our headboard stands 66 1/2 inches high. At home, line up the doors side by side, and, using 1 1/2-inch screws, attach three 1-by-4s horizontally across the back near the top, bottom, and center.

2) Using the 45-degree-angle slot in a miter box, cut the ends of the long piece of cornice molding; use three right triangles (cut from the end of a 1-by-4) to hold the molding in the miter box at the same angle at which it will be attached to the headboard. The bottom, shorter side will be the same length as the width of the doors combined. For the two side pieces, cut the appropriate 45-degree angles: first out of a manageable length of molding, then make the square cut (the end that will abut the wall) so that the bottom, shorter dimension equals the thickness of the door. To attach the cornice molding, glue and nail (using 1 1/4-inch nails) the right triangles along the top of the doors, as shown: one a few inches in from each end and one in the middle. Attach the long piece of cornice molding to the three triangles using glue and 1 1/4-inch finishing nails; countersink nails through the molding and triangles. Attach cornice ends using glue and 1 1/4-inch finishing nails; countersink nails.

3) Measure and cut two pieces of astragal molding to the length of the doors from their bottom to the base of the cornice molding. To hide the joints where the doors meet, glue molding along the seams between the doors. Use 1-inch finishing nails countersunk every 8 inches, to secure astragal molding. Prep and paint your headboard: Fill all nail holes with wood putty. Let dry; sand flat. Sand, prime, and paint headboard. Let dry.

4) Determine where in the room you'd like to attach your headboard to the wall. Hold the headboard in place, and, with a pencil, mark three spots even with the top of the headboard, at the headboard's center and a few inches in from each end. Screw L brackets into the wall at those points (as shown) using appropriate anchors for your wall.

5) Place headboard against the wall in position, and screw through the three L brackets using 1-inch screws, attaching them to the top of the doors to secure the headboard.