Wooden Bed Headboard Design: Slats, Carving, Plywood

A wooden bed headboard design ages better than almost any other kind. It does not hold dust like fabric, it does not peel like leatherette, and a scratch can be sanded and polished away.

This gallery shows nine wood bed headboard designs in three styles: modern slats and flutes, handmade carved boards, and plywood panels with veneer or laminate. Each one lists the wood, finish and storage. To compare with padded boards, see headboard cushion ideas, or browse full beds on our wooden bed design page.

Wooden Bed Headboard Design Modern: Slats and Flutes

Clean lines and visible grain are what make a wooden bed headboard design modern. These use slats, flutes and simple frames.

Wooden bed headboard design modern style with spaced vertical teak slats — SizeQueen 60 x 78 in
BuildTeak, clear matte PU
StorageLift-up box
A bed head design wooden and simple: spaced vertical teak slats on a hidden frame. Light and airy, and a quick sweep with a dusting brush keeps the gaps clean.
**Tell your carpenter**Ask for slats 2 inches wide with 1.5 inch gaps, rounded on the front edges.

Wood bed headboard design with deep oak flutes and rounded corners — SizeDouble 48 x 75 in
BuildOak veneer, natural PU
StorageHydraulic lift
Deep rounded flutes cut into a solid board give a soft ripple of shadow. A calm look for a minimal room.
**Tell your carpenter**Have the flutes cut on CNC in 25 mm ply before veneering for even depth.

Wood bed head design with horizontal walnut rails inside a slim frame — SizeKing 72 x 78 in
BuildSheesham, walnut PU
Storage4 drawers
Horizontal rails inside a slim frame make the bed look wider. Good in a narrow room where the bed sits on the short wall.
**Tell your carpenter**Join rails to the frame with mortise and tenon, not only screws, to stop rattles.

Handmade Wooden Bed Design With Headboard Carving

Hand carving brings out the craft of an Indian workshop. Keep carving to the headboard so the rest of the bed stays easy to clean.

Handmade wooden bed design with headboard carved with a floral crest — SizeKing 72 x 78 in
BuildSheesham, dark walnut PU
StorageHydraulic lift
A floral crest is hand carved at the top centre of a plain sheesham board. Rich but not crowded.
**Tell your carpenter**Ask to see the carver's sample block first and agree carving depth, around 10 mm.

Wooden headboard design for bed with a carved teak jali inset — SizeQueen 60 x 75 in
BuildTeak, honey melamine
StorageLift-up box
A carved jali (lattice) panel set into a teak frame. Light shows through the pattern and keeps the bed from feeling heavy.
**Tell your carpenter**Keep jali holes at least 1 inch wide so they can be dusted with a brush.

Wooden bed head design in mango wood with a leaf border in low relief — SizeDouble 48 x 75 in
BuildMango wood, natural oil
Storage2 drawers
A low relief leaf border runs around a mango wood board. Mango keeps the cost lower while still showing good grain.
**Tell your carpenter**Season mango wood well and ask for termite treatment before carving and polish.

Plywood Bed Headboard Design and Wooden Box Bed Design New Model With Headboard

Plywood is stable, does not crack in dry winters and takes veneer or laminate well. Most box beds use it for the headboard and sides.

Wooden box bed design new model with headboard shelf in walnut veneer — SizeQueen 60 x 78 in
BuildMR ply, walnut veneer
StorageLift-up box
This new model box bed has a veneered headboard with a shelf along the top. Storage below, display above.
**Tell your carpenter**Use 19 mm MR ply for the headboard so the shelf does not sag over time.

Bed headboard design plywood in two-tone laminate with a square grid — SizeDouble 48 x 75 in
BuildPly, two-tone laminate
Storage3 drawers
Plywood with two laminate shades cut in a grid. Cheap to make, easy to wipe and good for a kids or guest room.
**Tell your carpenter**Ask for edge banding in the same colour as each square for a neat finish.

King size bed design wooden with headboard extending into side wings — SizeKing 72 x 78 in
BuildPly, teak veneer, PU
StorageHydraulic lift
The plywood headboard stretches past the king bed into two veneered wings that hold lamps. One long piece of wood across the wall.
**Tell your carpenter**Make the headboard in two halves with a hidden joint so it passes a standard 3 ft doorway.

Woods for a Headboard Compared

Wood or board	Strength	Look	Termites	Spend
Teak (sagwan, segun)	Very stable	Honey toned, natural oils	Resists well	Highest
Sheesham	Hard and heavy	Dark streaks, rich	Treat it	High
Mango wood	Medium	Light, varied grain	Treat well	Lower
Rubberwood	Medium	Pale, even	Treat well	Lower
Plywood with veneer	Stable, no cracks	Real grain, any wood	Ask for treated ply	Medium
Plywood with laminate	Stable	Any print or colour	Ask for treated ply	Lower

For a whole bed in teak, see our teak and sagwan bed gallery.

Finishes and Joinery to Ask For

Melamine polish: good everyday finish, shows the grain, lower cost.
PU polish: harder and more water resistant; matte PU looks modern, gloss looks classic.
Natural oil: soft look on mango and teak; needs re-oiling once a year.
Joinery: ask for mortise and tenon or dowel joints on solid wood, with glue. Screws alone loosen in our humid summers.
Fixing to the bed: three bolts for a king headboard, two for a double, with metal inserts so bolts can be tightened again.

Caring for Wood Through the Monsoon

Keep the board 2 to 3 inches off an outer wall so damp cannot soak in. Dust it using a soft dry duster; water and wood polish do not mix. If white patches appear after rains, a light buff with wax usually clears them. Check the back and bottom edge for termite tunnels once a year, and get them treated early.

More headboard shapes and heights are on the bed headboard design page.

Questions people ask

For a bed headboard design wooden build, what timber should I pick?

Teak moves least with the seasons and termites leave it alone more than most. Sheesham is harder and darker, with lovely streaks. For a lower cost, mango wood or plywood with veneer give a good look.

Is a plywood bed headboard design strong enough?

Yes. A board made from 18 mm or thicker MR grade ply is strong and will not crack in dry months. Veneer on top gives real wood grain.

Is a carved bed headboard wooden design hard to clean?

Deep carving collects dust. Choose low relief or a carved crest only at the top, and use a soft paint brush to dust it once a week.

Can I fit a new wooden board on an existing bed frame?

Usually, yes. A carpenter can make a board to bolt onto the old frame or fix it on the wall behind. Bring the frame width and the bolt spacing when you order.

Which finish is best for a wooden headboard in humid cities?

PU polish handles humidity better than melamine. Matte PU also hides small scratches. Avoid plain oil finishes near the sea unless you re-oil often.