Adjustable beds are an ideal investment for people who are recovering from certain injuries, want to add extra comfort and customization to their bedroom, or are simply a senior who needs more agility and ease to sleep and get out of bed. Adjustable beds come in metal frames but often ship without a headboard for easier installation and use.
However, even though many bed manufacturers are letting go of the headboards for good, or want to save an extra buck, there are still people who prefer headboards on their beds. Perhaps, you’re used to seeing a headboard on a wooden bed or a box spring, but it’s not often seen with a headboard, except maybe in hospitals.
Still, for many people, headboards serve a purpose. For some that purpose is only aesthetical, in the sense that it will make their room look better and more fitting with the rest of the furniture.
For others, there is also a functional purpose, where the headboard will allow people to have an easier time bending back to watch their favorite show in the bed when the upper half of the bed is not extended.
That said, if you expect a headboard to ship with your adjustable bed, you may get disappointed as usually, they don’t ship together.
Many manufacturers also don’t make headboards that will accompany your adjustable frames. Still, some of them, like Amerisleep, will provide the necessary tools and parts that will make attaching one a piece of cake.
With that being said, yes, it’s possible to put a headboard on an adjustable bed. However, the process of placing it depends on what kind of adjustable bed you have and what tools it comes with.
In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at what you need to place a headboard on your adjustable bed frame. For some people who are savvy with home improvement tools, and also take the time to measure their bed and prefer working on their DIY skills, this will be a super-easy feat.
For other people, it’s best to either work super-carefully or ask for help in assembling the headboard on the bed.
Preparing Your Adjustable Bed For The Headboard
Theoretically, as we mentioned above, it’s possible to place a headboard and a footboard on most of the adjustable beds, for better looks and more functionality. However, depending on the brand you purchased, and extra tools provided it also depends on what headboard you will use.
It’s safe to say that most high-end adjustable beds like Yaasa and Amerisleep provide their customers with a choice to explore their choices and bedroom designs while also providing the brackets and other necessary tools to provide your bed with a good-looking headboard. Those cheaper models, however, may not come with brackets and other tools necessary to add the headboard.
Let’s make sure that your bed will support a headboard or a footboard if you want to get one.
Search For The Headboard Brackets
Like we mentioned above, most high-end adjustable beds ship with headboards brackets that are either already attached to the rear side of your adjustable frame or tucked in the packaging where your bed arrived. We hope that you checked the box for extra parts if they’re not attached, or at least kept the box after receiving the package.
If they’re not attached yet, and you threw away the box before you decided you wanted a headboard on your bed, it’d be best to contact your bed manufacturer and ask for a new one. Adjustable beds usually come with a lengthy warranty, so this might just work.
Editor’s notes: If your bed doesn’t have a headboard attachment support, you need to go to the shop and buy the one that is compatible with your headboard, if your bed supports it.
Check The Mount For Your Headboard
Whether you already bought the headboard or have plans to order one, you have to do a little research on your own and see whether it can connect to your bed frame. There are two types of mounts:
- Bolt-on
- Hook-on
The difference between the two is the type of attachment. The former has holes that are drilled for the screws to sit in. The latter one is equipped with slits for the hooks.
Editor’s notes: If you have to go and buy the brackets necessary for you to attach the headboard, always make sure that it comes with all the necessary tools you need, including the bracket flanges and channels as well as hardware kit used for assembling like nuts, bolts, and other equipment.
Assembling The Headboard
If you checked your bed for brackets and confirmed your headboard is compatible or bought the parts you were missing, it’s time to assemble the headboard with the bed. Let’s dig in!
Step 1: Elevate The Adjustable Bed – When working with mounts and small hardware, it’s always important to make enough space for yourself. That being said, you will need to raise the head of your adjustable bed to make the brackets more accessible.
Step 2: Add the bracket channels on the rear of the adjustable bed.
Step 3: After attaching the necessary channels, grab the headboard flanges and attach them against the bracket channels. If there are bolts, tighten them, so that everything can sit firmly in place and your headboard doesn’t flap against the frame.
Step 4: Make sure that there’s enough space between the mounting holes and the headboard so that we can add it in. After that, you’ll need to compare whether the measurements between the holes and the bracket flanges are properly installed. The second measurements need to be center-to-center, and you will also need to compare the measurements with the former ones.
Step 5: Tighten the bolts to ensure that the headboard is aligned with the bed frame and standing firmly.
Step 6: Make sure that there is enough space between the adjustable bed and the headboard once that you lower down the bed into the flat position.
Editor’s notes: If you’re still struggling, here’s a good-quality video that demonstrates how to attach the headboard to your adjustable bed frame.
What If Your Adjustable Bed Isn’t Compatible With Headboards
If you can’t attach the headboard to your adjustable bed, don’t worry. There are alternatives, and those alternatives are known as “floating headboards.”
The term refers to the headboards that are attached to the wall behind the bed. That way, your bed can be leaned against the wall, and your headboard will be “floating” behind it. A similar design is used in hospitals.
How to attach the headboard to the wall?
- Step 1: Make measurements on the wall behind your bed frame and draw lines over how they’ll align with the frame.
- Step 2: Find the studs on the line you just drew. You can also use a stud finder.
- Step 3: Add brackets to the wall.
- Step 4: Attach the headboard over the brackets.
Editor’s notes: If this also looks like a lot of tedious work, there’s one more type of headboard that doesn’t require bolts and brackets. Free-standing headboards can stand on their own and are a great alternative to the headboards that require mounting.
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