Wood Slat Headboard Diy . Sand and apply finish (the stain combination we used is below). I spaced them out about 3/4 inch, using a piece of 1x2 to space the 2x2s evenly. DIY Minimal, Horizontal Wood Slat Headboard + Floating Nightstands from www.pinterest.com Easy diy mud bench slat wall. Generally wood slay walls are made with 1x2s, but while at the store we saw these boards and fell in love with the dark knots in them.first we cut. Hold the wood in place with bar clamps, screw the 1×4 braces at the back of the headboard to the wood planks using 1″ to 1.25″ wood screws, 2 for each slat on each end.