Someone who purchased a pallet wood dining table from me last year contacted me and asked me to build them a full-size headboard and asked that I stain it Early American and finish with satin polyurethane.
I used 2x4s for the frame and a piece of scrap 1/2″ plywood for the backboard which I attached all of my pallet deck boards to. As you can see from one of the pics I cut another 2×4 and ran it across the back from one top corner to the other bottom corner for extra support.
She asked for a chevron style design so I used my miter saw to cut the angles after I used my table saw to square off all of the deck boards. I used wood glue and trim nails with my air nailer to attach the deck boards to the plywood backboard.
Then I sanded with coarse, medium, and fine-grit sandpaper before staining with the Early American stain. I finished the project with two coats of satin polyurethane. It is a fairly simple way to make a very nice headboard for very little cost.