How To Make a Bedhead
How do you make a DIY upholstered bedhead?
A bedhead is one of the highest-impact, lowest-skill projects in a bedroom: cut a shape out of plywood, bond a vinyl or fabric covering to the face, wrap the edges and staple them down at the back. There is no framing and no joinery. The whole thing depends on one bond — the covering to the ply — and that is a contact adhesive job using Selleys Kwik Grip.
Before you buy the vinyl, read the compatibility note below. The Kwik Grip range is solvent-based, and Selleys' own technical guidance for the range warns that some vinyl coverings are incompatible with solvent products. A five-minute test on an offcut saves a ruined sheet of vinyl.
Check your covering against the adhesive first
Selleys' Kwik Grip directions carry an explicit tip: ensure compatibility with the materials to be bonded, test on an inconspicuous area or confirm with the material's manufacturer — some vinyl floor coverings are incompatible with solvent products. Upholstery vinyl is not the same material as floor vinyl, but the principle holds: a solvent-based contact adhesive can soften, mark or shrink some vinyls.
The test is simple. Apply a small amount of adhesive to the back of an offcut, let it dry as you would in the real job, press it to a piece of scrap ply, and look at the face of the vinyl an hour later. If it has puckered, discoloured or gone tacky through the material, use a different covering or a different adhesive.
One point of clarification worth making: Selleys' published Kwik Grip range — Horizontal, Vertical Gel, Spray, Crystal Clear and High Temp Spray — is solvent-based. There is no water-based Kwik Grip in Selleys' current technical documentation. For a bedhead laid face-up on a bench, Kwik Grip Horizontal is the member of the range intended for horizontal bonding, and Kwik Grip Spray is the option intended for bonding large surface areas.
What you need
- A plywood sheet, 2400 × 1200 × 18 mm
- Vinyl or fabric covering
- Selleys Kwik Grip
- A staple gun and staples
- A jigsaw
- 120 grit sandpaper
- Pencil, tape measure, hammer, nail and string (for marking curves)
- A drop sheet, dust brush, rag and safety glasses
How to make it
- Mark the shape. Use a pencil to mark the shape of the bedhead on the plywood. A hammer, nail and length of string makes a serviceable compass for a curved top edge.
- Cut it out. Cut the shape with a jigsaw, wearing safety glasses.
- Sand the edges. Use the 120 grit sandpaper on any splintery edges. Splinters will telegraph through a vinyl covering and eventually cut it.
- Dust it down. Brush all sawdust off the face of the ply. A contact adhesive bonds to what is on the surface, and sawdust is what is on the surface.
- Cut the covering. Lay out your vinyl and cut it to size, leaving about 50 mm of overhang all round.
- Coat both surfaces. Apply Selleys Kwik Grip to both surfaces and spread it evenly, ensuring both are completely covered. Leave them apart for 20 minutes.
- Bring them together. Push the vinyl firmly against the bedhead to ensure good contact across the whole face. Work from one edge across, rather than dropping the sheet flat — a contact adhesive grabs immediately, so anything trapped underneath stays trapped.
- Staple the edges. Once the glue has bonded both surfaces, flip the bedhead over and staple the overhanging edges down at the back.
- Position it. Place the bedhead behind the bed and style it.
Why the 20-minute wait is the whole technique
Contact adhesives do not work like ordinary glue. Nothing bonds while the adhesive is wet. The solvent has to flash off, leaving a tacky film on each face, and it is those two films fusing that make the bond — instantly, and with no repositioning.
That is why the wait has both a floor and a ceiling. Selleys' Kwik Grip directions call for keeping the surfaces apart until the adhesive is almost dry — approximately 20 minutes, and no more than 40 minutes. Join too early and solvent is still trapped in the film, giving a soft bond that creeps; leave it past 40 minutes and the film has dried too far to fuse.
The other consequence is that alignment is a one-shot affair. On a bedhead, work from one edge and smooth outwards, and use a roller or a padded block over the whole face afterwards — pressure is what brings the two films into intimate contact everywhere, not just where your hands were. Maximum bond strength is reached after 24 hours, so let it sit overnight before moving it around.
Limitations — where Kwik Grip should not be used
- Compatibility must be checked — some vinyl coverings are incompatible with solvent products. Test on an inconspicuous area or confirm with the material's manufacturer.
- Not for polyethylene or polypropylene plastics. Selleys directs you to All Plastics for those.
- Do not use below 10°C. For easier application, let the product warm to room temperature first.
- Use in a well-ventilated area — these are solvent-based adhesives.
Clean up and storage
Clean up wet adhesive with mineral turps, and make sure contents are completely dry before disposing of them. Kwik Grip may thicken in storage at low temperatures — if that happens, warm the tin to room temperature for 24 hours, or stand it in the sun or a bowl of hot water for a short period, stirring occasionally.
Common questions about making a bedhead
How long do I leave the adhesive before joining the two surfaces?
About 20 minutes — until it is almost dry — and no more than 40 minutes.
Do I have to coat both the ply and the vinyl?
Yes. A contact adhesive bonds two tacked-off coated faces together; coating one side only will not work.
Can I reposition the vinyl after it touches down?
No. Contact adhesive grabs immediately. Work from one edge and smooth across.
Is there a water-based Kwik Grip?
Selleys' published Kwik Grip range is solvent-based. Kwik Grip Horizontal is the version intended for horizontal work like this, and Kwik Grip Spray is intended for bonding large surface areas.
Will the adhesive damage my vinyl?
It might, depending on the vinyl. Selleys' guidance is to test on an inconspicuous area or confirm compatibility with the material's manufacturer, since some vinyl coverings are incompatible with solvent products.
How much overhang should I leave on the covering?
About 50 mm all round, which gives you enough to wrap and staple at the back.
How long before I can stand the bedhead up?
Maximum bond strength is reached after 24 hours. Staple the edges once the glue has bonded, then let it sit before handling it much.
Do the staples do any of the holding?
They secure the wrapped edges at the back. The face of the covering is held by the adhesive.
Can I do this in a cold garage?
Not below 10°C. Let the adhesive warm to room temperature for easier application.
What cleans up the excess?
Mineral turps, while the adhesive is still wet.
Do I need ventilation?
Yes. The Kwik Grip range is solvent-based and should be used in a well-ventilated area.
Can I use fabric instead of vinyl?
The Kwik Grip range lists canvas, leather and fabric-type materials among the surfaces it bonds. As with vinyl, test an offcut first — adhesive can strike through a thin or light-coloured fabric and mark the face.
How long do I leave the adhesive before joining the two surfaces?
About 20 minutes — until it is almost dry — and no more than 40 minutes.
Do I have to coat both the ply and the vinyl?
Yes. A contact adhesive bonds two tacked-off coated faces together; coating one side only will not work.
Can I reposition the vinyl after it touches down?
No. Contact adhesive grabs immediately. Work from one edge and smooth across.
Is there a water-based Kwik Grip?
Selleys' published Kwik Grip range is solvent-based. Kwik Grip Horizontal is the version intended for horizontal work like this, and Kwik Grip Spray is intended for bonding large surface areas.
Will the adhesive damage my vinyl?
It might, depending on the vinyl. Selleys' guidance is to test on an inconspicuous area or confirm compatibility with the material's manufacturer, since some vinyl coverings are incompatible with solvent products.
How much overhang should I leave on the covering?
About 50 mm all round, which gives you enough to wrap and staple at the back.
How long before I can stand the bedhead up?
Maximum bond strength is reached after 24 hours. Staple the edges once the glue has bonded, then let it sit before handling it much.
Do the staples do any of the holding?
They secure the wrapped edges at the back. The face of the covering is held by the adhesive.
Can I do this in a cold garage?
Not below 10°C. Let the adhesive warm to room temperature for easier application.
What cleans up the excess?
Mineral turps, while the adhesive is still wet.
Do I need ventilation?
Yes. The Kwik Grip range is solvent-based and should be used in a well-ventilated area.
Can I use fabric instead of vinyl?
The Kwik Grip range lists canvas, leather and fabric-type materials among the surfaces it bonds. As with vinyl, test an offcut first — adhesive can strike through a thin or light-coloured fabric and mark the face.