Cheap headboards come in various designs and styles and the quality varies greatly. Choosing a headboard is – thankfully – a bit easier than choosing a mattress. There are only really four types of headboard:
- Upholstered headboards or fabric headboards are available cheaply and they look classy but they can start to look a bit grubby after a while. Upholstered headboards are also an effort to clean. However, they’re comfier for sitting up and watching telly than a wood or metal headboard.
- Wooden headboards are easy to clean but there’s an increased risk of walloping your head on them or them banging against the wall. Oak headboards are expensive but pine ones are a bit cheaper.
- Metal headboards tend to come attached to a metal bed frame, but you can buy them separately from a few places.
- Leather and faux leather headboards are a bit easier to clean than upholstered or fabric headboards but they feel cold. Faux leather headboards are a similar price to upholstered headboards.
Basically though, I would pick the type of headboard you like the look of.
Cheap headboards are better than cheap mattresses
I would think twice before spending loads of money on a headboard, unless you’ve recently inherited millions from a generous great aunt. Obviously you want something that looks nice and which won’t fall to pieces, but you would be much better to spend a bit more on a better mattress if you can afford to upgrade.
We’ve picked out 5 of the best cheap headboards in the UK. They’re all headboards which are under £100 for a double size and some of the headboards are less than £50. Prices are correct at the time of writing and are for double bed sized headboards
1. Amazon Linen Fabric Headboard – £56
There are loads of billy bargain fabric headboards sold by third parties on Amazon. This ‘linen fabric’ one makes our list as it gets great reviews and comes in a good choice of sizes. Options include single, small double (sometimes known as a queen size headboard), double, king size and super king size.
It comes in a good range of eleven different colours, although other cheap headboards on Amazon offer a better choice of bold colours.
It’s sold by a company based in Yorkshire and is made in the UK.
Customers score it at 4.4/5 from 200+ reviews. Some reviewers say that the supporting wooden struts were not long enough for the fittings on their bed. Instead, they just attached it to the higher bolts. Most divan bases have two bolts on each side for holding a headboard in place. If you can only attach it to one then it tends to be a little wobbly.
Pros: positive reviews, made in the UK, good choice of sizes, fairly good choice of colours, very cheap
Cons: short wooden struts for attaching, unknown brand
2. Happy Beds Cotton/Suede Headboard – £109
Happy Beds headboards are made to order, so you can choose from seven different shapes and 20 different colours. There are plenty of bold shades if you’re trying to match a headboard with your new wallpaper. Personally, I like buttoned headboards like the one in the picture. You can choose it without those if you prefer.
Some of the colours on offer are suede or velvet material headboards whilst others are cotton. As well as the usual neutral shades there are also red, purple and duck egg blue headboards in the range.
It’s made by a company called Happy Beds and comes with a five year guarantee and free delivery. Overall, Happy Beds scores 4.7/5 on Feefo and 4.4/5 on TrustPilot although those scores are for the overall brand rather than this particular product.
Pros: big range of colours available, several styles, longer warranty than usual
Cons: fabric headboards are a bit trickier to clean than some materials, there are cheaper options on the market.
This headboard can be tweaked to seven different shapes and 20 different colours
3. Argos Home Aubrey Headboard – £100
Most wooden headboards cost well over £100, but this Aubrey Headboard from Argos is more reasonably priced.
It’s made from pine with an ‘oak stain’. Pine is a softer and cheaper wood than oak but it is very commonly used in furniture and makes for perfectly decent and affordable furniture. They also sell a similar wooden headboard which is painted white.
Customer reviews are very good with an average of 4.7/5 at the time of typing.
It comes with a two year guarantee and is available in single, small double (also known as queen size), double or king size. You can’t buy this head board in super king size unfortunately.
Pros: big name brand, outstanding customer reviews, made from pine which is a softwood
Cons: not available in super king size, two year warranty is shorter than some, wooden headboards aren’t so comfortable for sitting up in bed
4. Dreams Classic Newark Fabric Headboard – £109
This Dreams Newark headboard is a popular one at the budget end of the market.
It only comes in one simple style. It isn’t one for a trendy wendy who is trying to impress everyone with their wacky furniture. However, it’s a design which won’t look dated in five years and you can choose from three different colours.
Some cheap headboards get great reviews
We’ve included it because it’s got an average review score of 4.7/5 from more than 1000 customers.
It also comes in a wider range of sizes than most cheap headboards that we’ve found. Options include small single and small double (i.e. a Queen size headboard) as well as the more common bed sizes of single, double, king size and super king size.
It comes with free delivery.
Pros: good choice of colours, range of sizes available, respected bed retailer
Cons: fairly dull design, more expensive than some headboards, fabric headboards are more likely to stain than wooden or metal models.
