Cheap, easy, low-waste platform bed plans

Step 7: Admire and enjoy your work

Flip it back over, put a mattress on it, and try to fend off all your friends who want one too. I charge $30 plus a 12-pack of beer for mine, but you can work that out on your own.

Comments

[urbanalbino]

I made this today! Thank you for posting such awesome directions. I have never assembled anything this 'detailed' before. I had the help of tool identification and uses from my dad and an exceptionally smart 7 year old cousin. I haven't put my mattress on it yet, but I've got a feeling its going =)to be postiively splendiferous.

By the way --- using a saw leaves you with a very strange satisfying feeling!! =)

[aeray]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Any pictures?

[dandersen4]

AWESOME project! I have put together some name brand furniture with more difficulty and lesser quality. I asked the lumber yard to cut it for me and just assembled it when I got home. It took about 1 1/2 hours and an adjustment after I was finished as it set too high for my thick mattress. I used it until I moved and gave it to my niece who has been using it now for over a year with no problems. Thank you for a great, easy project.

[aeray]

I'm glad it worked for you, and thanks for the compliment.

[davidsidlinger]

I made this bed last weekend to get my wife and I up off the floor. We recently moved and are using our old bedroom furniture in the guest room. We couldn't be happier. The bed is sturdy and provides a lot of storage space. I was able to build a full (double) size bed for $61, including the purchase of a countersink bit. I had to buy the lumber from a big box store. I'm sure it could have been cheaper, if I had convenient access to a lumber yard.

Thank you so much for posting these plans.

[aeray]

Glad it worked for you.

[devells]

Just built this frame for the second time in a year. Thanks so much for the plans! I built it in Boston a year ago, then just moved to DC, and instead of moving it with me, since I had limited space, I decided just to build it again when I got here. It's cheaper than a cheap Ikea frame, it's pretty much just as easy to put together, and I can feel proud of building it myself. Thanks!

Also, second time around I shortened the slats a little bit, as well as the legs - slats are 4'5" and legs are 1'7", so I was able to buy 6' 1x4s and have no waste for 8 slats and all 8 legs! And my storage bins still fit underneath! I appreciate your attention to waste, I probably wouldn't have given it as much thought as it deserves, being an ultra beginner at this stuff.

[devells]

Oh and with the old frame, my roommates repurposed it by taking the legs off, adding boards in the spaces, staining it, and using it as a small deck in a small Boston yard. Pretty cool!

[Even-O]

Thanks for posting Devells! I'm looking to use the bed as a platform...has the deck been in place for a while? How is it doing?

[devells]

Yeah about 6 months when I left the house, closer to 9 now probably. One note - the "deck" is resting on ground on one side and I think cinder blocks or stones on the other, so it is not really suspended off the ground much at all. That being said it was incredibly sturdy and never once shifted or made any noises when walking over it. We spent the summer grilling while standing on it.

[aeray]

Extra points for reuse.

[bnolsen]

What does this look like with a mattress on it. A queen sized mattress by spec is 60x80, but the measurements of the slat width and frame are 55x74 (without the length overhang), which is more like a full sized matress at 54x75. Is this frame big enough to put a queen sized foam mattress on? How much will the mattress overhang this by? I'm just getting ready to pull the trigger on building one of these for my daughter's room. After that I'd build this in a king size, but add an extra 2x4 in the middle length wise and also perhaps add single 1x4 (or 2x4) legs at the ends of this piece for extra bracing of the slats. If there's a better suggestion for king?

[aeray]

This is for a queen size mattress. It hangs over 2-1/2" on either side so that the slat ends don't show to bump your legs on or look at. Scroll down through the comments and you can find answers to the rest of your questions, including exact king measurements and photos from Synaptic, and photos of "At29035ft"s bed with and without mattress.

[instructablesmar]

I would love to make this bed in a king size, but I have scrolled through as you mentioned and can not find the instructions/measurements for king size. I would greatly appreciate them.

[aeray]

Unfortunately, there are twenty-one pages of comments for this 'able, and no way to search them. Did you look at all of the comment pages?

[geargirl]

Awesome platform bed! Plan on building it tomorrow! :) We have a queen-sized bed with a box spring, mattress and memory foam, all which make our current bedframe (at 10" off the ground) too tall! We're planning on building this bed frame with only 2-3" of clearance--just enough for air to pass through and keep it ventilated, but allowing us to get into bed without using a pole vault! My question: We have split boxsprings, so we really need full coverage for the whole footprint of the bed: 60" x 80" I believe, and not the smaller "queen" footprint that allows the mattress to hang over the frame a smidge. Has anyone built this bed to true queen measurements? I would sure appreciate any quick measurement modifications in order to create the 60 x 80 frame. Thanks so much! geargirl

[ttru]

The platform is designed to just put the mattress on. you don't need a boxspring. if you got some rails you have yourself a bed already

[kechols]

I've seen the twin size posted... what is the size difference in making an XL twin? Thanks.

[bluestars]

Cool build! Very simple - even a complete novice like myself could follow it. I'm moving off-campus next week and I really don't want to drop $130 on a CHEAP platform from Ikea. I have two concerns, though. Firstly, because of my college co-op program, I may be moving as often as once every 6 months. How hard is it to disassemble and reassemble this bed? It seems pretty firmly screwed together. Secondly, I broke two of the dorm loft beds - the screws that held the support structure to the legs split the legs. I'm not exceptionally heavy or anything, but I am rather rough when I hop into bed. Is there anything I can do to strengthen this bed, or is it alright as is? Thanks a lot, aeray!

[itobor2525]

Great idea, kudos. Long ago, I had a similar wooden futon bed frame; I hated the feling of the 'gaps' between slats. On a walk through our old neighborhood; my wife and I spied a construction crew about to discard thick styrofoam (I know, I know styrofoam! - but it was free and repurposed) insulation board. We asked if we might have some of the larger pieces. The foreman gladly handed them over and several feet of duct tape, a fitted sheet for a cover and a few minutes of my time, voila, a substitute pad was born.

[salene75]

I've looked all through the comments, yet I can't find dimensions for a twin size bed. Am I missing them somewhere? I love this design and can't wait to get my kids' mattresses off the floor. Their room is really small and the mattresses have to make an "L", but standard metal frames just won't fit. Thanks for this great project!

[aeray]

From hardyoyo, page two of comments: "I built a twin version of this bed a while back, here's a modified shopping and cut list so you don't have to do the math. Buy: 3x 12' 1x4s, 1x 10' 1x4, 3x 6' 2x4s. Cut: from 2 12' 1x4s cut 4 2'10" slats; from 1 12' 1x4 cut 3 2'10" slats and 1 1'3" leg; from 1 10' 1x4 cut 7 1'3" legs; from 2 2x4s cut 2x 5'11" long frame pieces, from the last 2x4, cut 2x 2'3" short frames pieces."

[notblaine]

Very nice. I bet you it'd make a nice poolside bed with a couple coats of sealant - throw your towel down after you get out of the pool and sun dry.

[styledoc]

That is actually my plan, ie, poolside bed. Will cover futon mattress with plastic layer and sunbrella fabric and I'll have the coolest lounge ever, for way less than the $1K it would cost for me to buy it already done! I'll post once I've done it!

[aeray]

Speaking from experience: futons need to have air circulation, or the get mildew-y. Don't completely encase the futon in plastic. Leave as much of the bottom open as you can (think plastic fitted sheet). I look forward to seeing the photos.

[adoqpweoriuqwer]

That's a great idea! Though you may want to have less space between the slats as it may be slightly uncomfortable (without a mattress) as it is now.

[sethg]

Thanks for the awesome plan! I looked at the cheapest frames at Ikea, etc and they were all over $200 and you still have to assemble it. So I looked up 'build a bed frame' and I got this page right away. I knew I could do it, it looked so easy!
I went to Rona (Canada) and had to buy pretty much everything needed (square, screws, drill, bits, lumber), they cut it for me no charge. The only issue was that they didn't have 14 foot so they recalculated with 12 footers and it was still low waste.
Back at home with the loot I put the whole thing together in a couple hours! It's very sturdy and looks nice! I especially like the 1.5 feet of clearance for under the bed storage!
In total I spent under $100 ($35 drill, $35 lumber, $20 screws, $5 bits and square) plus I have a drill out of the deal so I think I came out way ahead!
My only suggestion would be to predrill the holes for the legs, the first one I tried cracked the leg so I predrilled the rest and they were fine. I still used the cracked leg.. Other than that it looks the same as the pictures!
Thanks again!!

[rtwitchy]

I have $30 and a 12-pack of beer! where do you live? lol. No I'm gonna try to build a full size version if I can get some tools...I was so spoiled with all my dad's tools but he moved....if you do happen to ive in Geaorgia though...

[aeray]

I actually built one, took it apart, and shipped it to Florida after someone saw it on this site (I even threw in a screwdriver). I suggested that he just print off the instructions and find someone local, but he paid me $175 to do it anyway. Over $80 was shipping. This bed could be built with a handsaw, a screwdriver, and a hand drill, so good luck.

[susieqaz1]

This is so perfect, and I'm going to build it with the handsaw and a hand drill. I moved to go to law school, and all my tools are in storage halfway across the country. I have a tiny apartment, and this is perfect! I wanted something that is simple, just the right size for the mattress and allows storage underneath. The bed will slide (like a trundle) under a bookshelf platform and be my couch during the daytime. The bedding will hide underneath. Other platform bed plans I've found were overkill, complicated and/or required purchasing storage cubbies. I sew, so I'll make a tailored dust 'ruffle' to cover the storage area. Thanks!

[lovesasa]

 Thank you for sharing your ideas!

I'm in a pretty similar situation. I really like the bookshelf platform idea. Do you have any details on this you would be willing to share?

I also like your dustruffle idea as a temporary solution, at least. I'm thinking of doing something similar but adding plywood hinged on top with handles on the bottom. I'll probably stain the whole thing to match the folding bookshelves and trunk I already have. :)

[tarala]

very nice, clean and cheap.... could also use the design with longer legs and slats closer together for a great table!

[Leeannvon]

Can someone give me the dimensions for the twin size...this is exactly what I am looking for to put in my daughters bedroom.

[aeray]

They are given several time in the comments...just scroll down.

[mspieg]

If you wanted to make it taller (not a loft bed, but a tall storage bed, big enough for two levels of drawers/shelves underneath, maybe 3' tall, do you think you'd need to add additional support to the legs? Or could you just make them taller?

[aeray]

I would just use 1 x 6 boards for the legs instead of 1 x 4's.

[tam017]

Awesome plan! I was looking for a cheap way to convert my two daughters' bedroom into a "cooler" room and they wanted this set from an expensive store:http://www.pbteen.com/products/p2415/popup.cfm?tool=vLarger&thissku=9349366&fromrgl= So, my questions are: can you give me dimensions for a twin bed? AND, you would be the most awesome carpenter ever is you had a plan for that little corner storage unit shown on the website. Nothing fancy, even a simple cube would work. I have the basic carpentry skills, but can't come up with something without *instructions*

[aeray]

Scroll down through the comments to find the twin conversion measurements in a few places, I think. As for the corner unit, if I get time I'll see what I can come up with, but it may take a while.

[patrick_b]

What size of bed does this exact design accommodate? i have a double bed so will i have to expand this template?

[aeray]

This is for a queen 60" x 80" mattress. For a double, 54" x 75", shrink the slats and the shorter 2x4's by 6" and shrink the longer 2x4's by 5". The layout dimensions I have given will be close enough, if you omit one slat.