DIY Rope Headboard

Roped In

Turn rope and plumbing parts into a custom headboard you can easily make in a weekend.

What You'll Need

1/2-inch-diameter steel electrical conduit (available at home centers or plumbing supply shops)

Handheld pipe cutter

Four 90-degree street elbows

Four tees

Four nipples

Four floor flanges

Rubber mallet

Construction adhesive

About 1,000 feet of 3⁄8-inch manila rope

Scrap wood about as long as the width of your headboard

Drywall molly bolts

Screws

Steps 1 and 2

Step 1:

Cut the pipes to size using a handheld pipe cutter. Cut two pieces to fit the width of the bed and two pieces to the headboard's desired height. (Ours is 50 inches wide and 30 inches tall.) (not pictured)

Step 2:

Assemble the flanges, nipples, tees, and elbows, (A and B), then join them with the cut pipes to create the headboard frame (C and D), using construction adhesive and a mallet to tap them into place

Step 3

Tie a clove hitch knot onto the bottom of the right-hand vertical pipe.

(Step 3 is continued on the next slide.)

Step 3, continued

Wrap the rope from one side of the frame to the other to create the base of your weave. When you get to the end of a roll of rope, tie it with a clove hitch to the side closest to you. Continue until you've filled the frame with an even number (pictured), noting how many you have. (Ours has 70.)

Steps 4-6

Step 4:

Divide the number of ropes so there is an equal amount in each weave. Weave the scrap wood through to create the pattern (pictured). Start weaving the second layer of rope through the pattern until you have the same number of rope strands as in the base pattern. (Ours has five.)

Step 5:

Switch the wood to the opposite weave and repeat Step 4. Continue weaving and alternating the pattern until the frame is filled. Tie off the rope and start a new roll whenever necessary (not pictured).

Step 6:

Install the headboard using the appropriate screws and bolts for the elbows and your walls. Screw into studs for stability (not pictured).