Introduction: Queen Storage Bed Frame Upcycled From Pine Shelf Unit

I started my project with two pine shelving units; one I had previously used as a bookshelf, the other as a pantry.

After sleeping on my mattress on the bedroom floor for well over a year, I started looking at ideas for building my own bed frame. I love the concept of upcycling, so began to research.

There were lots of photos and projects to be found via 'Google' and I was leaning toward using shipping pallets. But after buying a proper bookshelf and pantry cupboard at very reasonable prices locally, I now had two unneeded pine shelf units taking up space in my tiny apartment. While pondering my pallet bed frame project, an idea came suddenly, along with the question, 'I wonder how strong these pine shelves would be?'

Turns out, I found they were pretty dang strong, when I lay them down on the living room carpet! I instantly saw the under-bed storage potential and my plan began to develop.

1) To begin, I laid the shelves down on the floor to use as the base for my bed frame and reinforced with spare parts from two more shelving units I bought second hand.

2) I also used these spare parts to build an extra 18 inch section to attach to the end of the frame, in order to accommodate the length of a queen size mattress.

3) The shelves of the base were spaced so that they created storage areas.

4) I used the shelves from spare parts to make the platform.

5) I've placed 6 large crates, one in each section for storage, accessible from either side of the bed frame.

Tools needed: skil saw, drill, screw driver, tape measure, screws, L brackets and flat brackets.

The two shelves I began with were purchased retail for $20.00 each. The two spare shelves, purchased second hand cost me $10.00 each. There was minimal cost for hardware to assemble the frame.

Of all the cool upcycling projects and ideas I found while researching, some were somewhat similar, in that they used old cupboards, plastic crates, pallets, cement blocks and boards, etc. to create storage space under the bed frame. But I did not find a frame built from a shelf unit, like I've done. Some family and friends who've seen my finished bed frame have said it reminded them of IKEA furniture designs. I've been very happy with the way it turned out.

Step 1:

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