Cane Headboard Dupe

One of my projects during the One Room Challenge (ORC) for Fall 2022 was glamming up a basic headboard into a chic cane headboard.

As you probably can tell by now, I love bringing in natural elements in my home. Cane is no different. I knew we wanted to upgrade our queen to a king. I had my eyes on these beds from my favorite companies:

I adore the crisp white frame with the natural cane material on the headboard. I was planning on doing a full bedroom revamp so I had to find a look for less. I did find a few alternatives under $1000 but I couldn’t find one I was sold on. This became the perfect opportunity to create my own cane headboard dupe! My initial thought was to build this entirely myself, until it dawned on me that I was building a closet, too. I only had 8 weeks! So why not create a new headboard dupe using basic tools so anyone could make it!? Challenge accepted!

The best part about this dupe is the headboard and frame can be completely your choice! Maybe you want a more modern look in your bedroom? No problem! Just find the headboard and get after it!

The first step is to use a bed you already have or to purchase a new bed in a style you like. I picked a simple white flat panel headboard from Home Depot. I got it on sale for $350. The exact bed I used can be found here. Decide on a cane webbing you like and order a roll. I decided to go with a square cane over the circle cane webbing. It was slightly more expensive than the circle-style webbing.

1. Soak your cane in warm water for 30 minutes until it becomes less brittle. I did this in the bathtub.
2. Meanwhile, start taking your measurements of your headboard where you want to put the cane webbing.
3. Lay out a towel and dry off your cane webbing. It will be slightly damp while you work.
4. Measure and cut your cane to size.
5. Lay the cane over the area on your headboard.
6. Attach the cane using a staple gun. I found this combo of a staple gun/brad nailer that would be perfect for this project if you need both. This is under $40!
7. Carefully, hammer in any staples sticking up. I used a towel to protect the headboard as I stapled.
8. Next measure and cut your trim to size. I used my miter saw but you could also use these handheld miter trimmers for under $30!
9. I primed and painted my trim white to match my headboard. You can get a custom color match from Sherwin Williams if needed.
10. Attach your trim with a brad nailer.
11. Add wood filler over nail holes and caulk around the edges of trim.
12. Sand wood filler and touch up paint as needed.

This beautiful cane bed was made for under $500 in materials!

There are many different styles of beds this cane would compliment. I can’t wait to see your cane headboard!