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How to attach a headboard to a bed frame

Headboards fix on in one of three ways: bolted to brackets on a metal frame, bolted to a divan base through pre-drilled holes, or hung on the wall behind the bed. Check which your headboard and bed support before you buy bolts or drill anything.

Time
about 30 min
Difficulty
Easy
People
2 people
Steps
7

Tools needed

  • Spanner or socket set
  • Cross-head screwdriver
  • Tape measure
  • Spirit level

Parts to check first

Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.

  • Headboard with its leg struts
  • Bolts, washers and nuts in the size your bed takes
  • Headboard brackets or modesty plates, if needed
  • Wall cleat and fixings, for a wall-hung headboard

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Pull the bed away from the wall and find the fixing points: slotted brackets on a metal frame, or threaded holes near the top corners of a divan base.

  2. Step 2: Measure the distance between those fixings and compare it with the headboard's struts; many struts have several holes or a long slot for different bed widths.

  3. Step 3: Bolt the struts to the back of the headboard first if they come loose, setting the height so the board sits the right distance above the mattress.

  4. Step 4: With a helper holding the headboard centred against the bed, push a bolt through each strut into the bracket or divan hole and do it up finger-tight.

  5. Step 5: Check the headboard is level with a spirit level, adjust the strut height if needed, then tighten both bolts with the spanner.

  6. Step 6: For a wall-hung board, screw the cleat to the wall into studs or with fixings rated for the wall and the load, then hang the board on it.

  7. Step 7: Push the bed back so the headboard does not knock against the wall, and add felt pads if it touches.

Common mistakes

  • Forcing a bolt of the wrong thread into a divan's threaded insert, which strips it.
  • Tightening one side fully first, which leaves the headboard skewed.
  • Drilling into a wall without checking for pipes and cables first.

Safety notes

  • Use a cable and pipe detector before drilling a wall, and fixings suited to the wall material.
  • A heavy headboard needs two people to hold it until both bolts are in.

This is general guidance for this type of product. Your product's own manual comes first: follow its order, fittings and torque values where they differ from this page.

Tags

Updated 2026-09-30

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