Making Upholstered Waterbed Rails

Give your waterbed a chic new look by adding color and pattern to the bed frame. Creating a new look for your bed’s rails is a simple project when you have a flat, wooden bed frame. Upholstering the waterbed’s frame helps you infuse color, pattern and personality into the bedroom. This project is an easy DIY fix and can be completed in an afternoon. Choose a fabric that coordinates with the colors already in your bedroom, or use this project as a jumping-off point for a complete bedroom makeover.

Give your waterbed a makeover by choosing bold, modern fabrics.

Step 1

Use your screwdriver to disassemble your waterbed’s frame. Place the screws into a disposable cup as you disassemble the frame.

Step 2

Take one of the bed rails and cover the front of the board with a spray adhesive product. Unroll your batting onto a flat work surface. Place the board adhesive-side down on to the batting, about 4 inches inside of the bottom edge. Cut the batting so it is 4 inches longer than the wood plank on all sides.

Step 3

Wrap the batting around to the back of the board using the same method you would use to wrap a gift. Secure the batting by stapling it in place around the perimeter of the back of the board. Locate any holes where the rails screw into each other or other pieces of the bed frame. Use your scissors or a thin, sharp tool to poke holes in the batting where those holes are located.

Step 4

Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the remaining boards. Place the wrapped boards into a neat pile.

Step 5

Unroll the fabric face down on the work surface. Take one of your batting-covered boards and place it on the fabric staple-side up. Center the board so it sits about 4 inches from the bottom edge of the fabric. Cut a rectangle of fabric measuring 4 inches longer than the board on all sides.

Step 6

Wrap the fabric around the batting-covered board using the same method described in step 3. Secure the fabric in place by stapling around the perimeter of the board. Poke your scissors or sharp tool through the screw holes in the back of the board, leaving a hole in the front of the fabric.

Step 7

Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all of the boards are covered with fabric.

Step 8

Use a hammer to gently tap in any staples that are protruding from the boards. Reassemble the bed frame. Use the screws you placed in your cup to put the frame back together.

Step 9

Count the number of visible screw heads around the bed frame. Cut out an equal number of small circles from the fabric. Spray the edges of the fabric circles with an anti-fray product. Place a small dot of fabric glue on the back of one fabric circle. Press it to the screw head, covering it up. When using patterned fabric, it is important to make sure the fabric circles coordinate with the existing pattern. Repeat with the remaining circles and screws.