Upholstered Bed - Nailhead Trim Success!

Last time I attempted the nailhead trim, I was left with a pile of bent nails.  I was beyond frustrated, and decided I'd order a nailhead trim kit.  I figured I'd still have the issues with bent nails, but at least it would be every fifth nail.

Let me tell you, the nailhead trim kit is AMAZING.  I have no idea why I attempted individual nails.

First things first.  I pulled the fabric taut while my dad stapled from underneath.

Next we laid down coated newspaper (i.e. the ads from the middle of the Sunday paper) so that we could unroll the nailhead trim and figure out where to make cuts.  The nailhead trim has SHARP edges, both on the bottom part of the trim as well as where there are cuts.  Laying down the coated newspaper helped prevent pulls in the fabric (yes, I got a couple).

After we made cuts, we used a metal file to "smooth" the cut edges)

Regular nails are your friend.  I used an inch and a half nail to space from the edge of the headboard.  The tip of the nail was the center of the hole.  To help the nailhead trim go in easier, we created a starter hole, by using a regular nail.  We gave it one whack, pulled it out, and it was enough of a starter hole for the trim to go in easily.

I missed the action shot, but the nailhead went in like butter.

Forty-five minutes later, the trim was done.

On to the bedframe - which we will be building in the actual bedroom, as it would be a tight fit to move it through the door.

Some tips

• When it comes to the corner, overlap two "holes, and use one "finish" nail in the corner.
• You most likely won't end with a hole falling where it should.  In the upper left corner (near my dad's hand) we pre-drilled a hole.  It's slightly raised higher than the other nails (the normal nails with "holes" are a little lower, to account for a finish nail)

Hopefully this makes sense.  Let me know if you have any questions I can attempt to answer :)