Best way to attach a heavy headboard

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sam h

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Got a lovely headboard of solid wood. It didn't come with the "legs" (or what every they are called). It was a bargain, so I didn't really think how best to attach it.

It's going onto a new bed, so I don't want to damage the bed. The wall it is against is an internal wall (not brick).

Would I be best to:
- Create my own "legs" and have them go right down to the ground so the floor will carry some of the weight (or would standard "legs" be okay to support it
- Attach it to the wall....how??

Any ideas....I know there are load of DIYers out there, so any help to optimise my "bargain" would be appriciated.
 
If it is really heavy I dont think legs even if they touch the ground will hold the head board up unless you either also attach to the wall, bed or possibly bed side lockers. (head board will possibly fall over). Also, would the legs not create a nasty gap between wall and board?

Do you have bed side lockers, what are they made (at the rear) of and how much of the head board would you be attached to the lockers. ie do you think the lockers would be strong enough to act as "legs". Perhaps the head board is not long enough!

If you were to attach it to the wall are their any discrete places to drill etc. perhaps there is a large area that the mattress will cover.
 
Thanks Jack,

Maybe my bargain wasn't so hot!!

The board is not wide enough to touch the lockers

If I attached to the wall, I reckon you'd see the attachements at the top/side - might be able to hide them inside at the back (front is flat solid wood, it is about 4 cm's thick but at the back it recesses by 3 cms....does that make sense ?) So I might be able to bracket it from the back....somehow!!
 
sam h said:
Thanks Jack,

Maybe my bargain wasn't so hot!!

The board is not wide enough to touch the lockers

If I attached to the wall, I reckon you'd see the attachements at the top/side - might be able to hide them inside at the back (front is flat solid wood, it is about 4 cm's thick but at the back it recesses by 3 cms....does that make sense ?) So I might be able to bracket it from the back....somehow!!
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I think I understand you so, yes it sounds like the brackets might work and maybe just for safety screw through the head board below the matterss line.
 
It's hard to describe, but you should be able to attach it to the wall behind, using a 'French Cleat' I think it's called.

Basically you'd have two pieces of wood which lock into each other... one is screwed onto the headboard, the other onto the wall, then the headboard piece simply sits onto the wall piece... the headboard would be a certain distance away from the wall, perhaps 20mm or so..

You may need a second piece just to provide some balancing support...


Otherwise just get something from Woodies or the like, for hanging pictures... even if the headboard is very heavy it should still be possible to attach it, 'heavy' in your case is unlikely to mean half a tonne or anything...
 
It's hard to describe, but you should be able to attach it to the wall behind, using a 'French Cleat' I think it's called.
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Thanks Joe - I'll look into that.

The weight is about 3 & half stone (22kg) - hubby reckons the bed should be well able to take that weight - maybe I'll email the company and ask if there is a max weight to attach to the bed. Bed is devine, so I don't want to risk ruining it for a bargain headboard!!
 
Hi Sam,

The French Cleat is a very effective way to hold a heavy flat object onto a wall.

[broken link removed]

Bear in mind if you are doing this to make sure everything is square when you are putting them onto the head board and the wall or you'll end up with everything not looking plumb.

If you have concernes about your walls and their load bearing ability you could fix the wall cleats with screws and gun-o-prene but remember to be definite about where you want the bed to go for the next few years.
 
Thanks for the link.....that's one of the things I had in mind.....just didn't know the name. As there is a recess on the back of the headboard, I could do this and have it flush with the wall. As SLF say's, just a matter of ensuring that is exactly where I want the bed for the next X years!!

Thanks all - will go the French Cleat way if the bed manufacturers say it's too heavy to go directly onto the bed
 
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