Sprinter Van Conversion DIY Headboard and Nightstand

Armed with a few 2x3s, and a tentative sketch in his head for a diy headboard, The Husband asked what I thought about adding a wood headboard to our bed? I like it!  Looking through the back doors of most vans, the view always displays some sort of mattress and disheveled sheets.  A sleek headboard would not only offer a cleaner look, but also stop our pillows from squishing into that awkward crack between the bed and the doors.

It was fairly simple to assemble, however I won’t give you exact measurements.  We have been finding this van to be just a little off, for trying to follow any type of premeasured design.  Or maybe that’s just the standard for a used van?  Anyone else noticing this?

At any rate, The Husband has been enjoying a bit of, shall we say, free building. Each new build project has to be made completely custom, to fit it’s appropriate space.

Oh, and don’t mind all the gear, we are still traveling while building out the van.  I’m sure at some point everything will have a place.  Then maybe I won’t have to move the BBQ to get a vitamin, or pull out a long board to reach my computer.  I hope!

Headboard Ingredients 

5 2×3’s
Screws
Drill
Skill saw/ jigsaw/ some sort of saw

Instructions

1. Cut 2x3s to the width of your bed
2. Secure the 1st board to the bed with screws
3. Screw the 2nd board into the 1st board
4. Screw the 3rd board into the 2nd board
5. Measure length from the van floor, to the top of the headboard and cut the last 2 boards to size for vertical support
6. Secure the vertical support boards to the headboard, and the bedframe until nice and sturdy (not wibbly wobbly)

After securing the headboard in place, we noticed a decent little space in the center.  Going with the rule of “no wasted space”, we enclosed the two boards to make a shelf.  Now we have easy grab and go access to some smaller basic essential items.  Like sunscreen, diaper wipes, a hammer, shampoo and caulking glue.

To finish out the headboard, we screwed a few 1×4 boards horizontally.  This gives the illusion of one single board, going all the way across from wall to wall.  At least, that’s the idea.

Shelf add-on Ingredients

• Left over 2×3
• 1×4
• Drill, screws, saw

Shelf add-on Instructions

1. Measure space between vertical supports, and cut 2×3 to fit as a base for the shelf. Then secure in place with screws
2. Next, measure, cut and secure 2 pieces of 1×4 to front side of shelf (as shown in picture)
3. Then, measure, cut, and secure pieces of 1×4 to the bottom of the headboard, along either side of the shelf

Later in the build we opted to raise the bed to make room for new sleeping arrangements for our little one. The Husband changed the headboard to a vertical design. I like the original horizontal design best, but what do you think?

Check more of the Bed Build Out on this post about our Under the Bed Storage Design

If you see any ideas that interest you, it would be super awesome of you to pin it to your Pinterest. 🙂

Thanks for following our scenic route!