DIY Platform Bed With Floating Night Stands

For the past year or so, I have been receiving many requests to make a platform bed. During this time, I actually needed one, but for whatever reason, I had been putting it off. Well, I finally gave in and went to work. So glad I did because I thought it actually enhanced the space and brought a luxury feel to it!

Be sure to check out the video for additional informAtion. I will also have a few lists of materials and things listed at the end of this article.

Step 1: Prepping the Lumber

After sorting through all the lumber at my local HD store. I managed to find enough lumber with which I could work. I started this project with a rough sketch of what I wanted.

Although this project can be made with a circular saw, I would highly suggest a miter saw to speed things up. The key to being successful is attacking all your projects with patience.

Let's get started.

If you would like to build this; I have a detailed set of PLANS for this project. After all the lumber was cut down to size, I set up shop outside to begin the sanding process. Prepare for hours of sanding, and be sure to wear a mask and safety glasses. I sanded the bed down with 80-grit sandpaper first, then120 grit followed by 220 grit to wrap things up.

Next, paint or stain the bed frame whatever color you prefer. I chose black.

Step 2: Tackling the Headboard

Due to the length of the headboard, I had to attach a small section to extend the 8-feet sheet of plywood. I then painted the bottom section of the plywood to match the bed frame.

If you have any assistance available to you, feel free to ask for help. I didn't have that luxury at the time, so I took advantage of the clamps I had on-hand. I started from the top down. It would have been easier to start from the bottom up. The reason I took the route I did was simply because I didn't want to be off by a fraction, which would result in making cuts later on, when approaching the end.

After, clamping the lumber in place, I then screwed a couple screws in place. I then checked that everything was visually OK, and then added two screws every 2 feet. I repeated this process until I reached the end.

I used one coat of dark walnut danish oil. Additional coats could be applied if a darker look is required.

Step 3: Constructing the Nightstand

With the headboard being so massive, it covered the existing wall receptacles. It made sense to add outlets in the nightstands. After identifying which piece looked less attractive I selected it to be the back of the nightstand. Then I cut out the opening for the electrical work box .

Building the floating nightstand

I used a dowel jig from Rockler to make accurate holes for the dowel pins. You have to be patient with dowels -- a fraction off could cause your workpiece to shift, which could be very frustrating. The next option is to use screws and fill the heads in with wood filler. Whichever route you take, just be sure to use wood glue and clamps.

Mounting the nightstand

After allowing enough time for the glue to dry, clamps the nightstand at the desired mounting height. I chose to mount them approximately 2 inches below the top of the mattress. Next, drill four pilot holes from the back of the headboard. These will be the mounting holes. To clarify, the pilot hole should not exit out the nightstand (this should only mark the back). While the nightstand is still mounted with the clamps, trace out the hole for the electric box on to the headboard, drill a hole for the small on/off switch, and drill an angled hole at the bottom into the headboard for the puck light. Repeat this process for the other nightstand.

Now, remove the nightstand and drill out a 1/4-inch hole for the bolts to pass through. Then, install threaded inserts into the in the back of the nightstand. Be sure to add a stop to the drill bit to prevent going all the way though.

Applying top coat

Appy whip on polyurethane or a top coat of your choice. I used two coats of this. A third coat would be even better. I sanded between each coat with 400-grit sand paper.

Step 4: Adding Power and Electronic

I then attached the strips of lumber to the back of the headboard. This is where I will place the LED strip.

Adding puck lights

After researching online trying to find low profile puck lights. I noticed all the wireless options had mixed reviews. I end up settling on a wired kit; t be honest, I'm not fond of maintenance replacing batteries etc. So, this worked out for me. The set I used can be found here on Amazon.

I cut the connector off the wire and passed the wire through the hole previously drilled. Then I screwed the lights in place. Next, I connected the power switch to some 2 conductors wire. Then, I install the LED strip on the lumber mounted to the back of the headboard.

Be sure to strap all wiring down, so nothing is loose. After wiring the receptacles, double-check your connections by using this receptacle tester.

As shown in the photos, there are two different plugs: one for the LEDS and another for the outlets. The LED and the puck lights are both wired from the same power supply. Be sure you check the rating of both the LED and the puck light current draw.

Step 5: Assembling the Bed Frame

I used corner brackets in all four corners to assemble the bed frame. Then, I installed the bed slats support. By the time I reached the middle frame, I realized that I had forgotten to pick up enough brackets. So, I used what I had on-hand.

Moving on to adding the slats, install two screws at each intersecting point.

Step 6: Attaching the Trim Around the Bed Frame

I use brackets on the inside and the outside of the bed. You could add as many as you like; four seems to do the job for me. Each trim had four 1.5-inch corner brackets on the interior and 4-inch brackets on the outside. At the foot of the bed, I used mending plates to attach the two intersecting lumbers. This method worked out very well, keeping the two lumbers even with each other.

Once the frame was done it was time to center it up and attach it to the headboard.

Step 7: End Results

Thanks for checking out this project. I would greatly appreciate a vote on this project for the woodworking content. :)

If you like to check out more of my projects be sure to look us up on youtube and Instagram

-----------------------------Price Breakdown-------------------------------------
King BED and electronics

- Wood $219
- Accessories brackets etc.. $65.00
- Electronics $165 Total investment = $449.00

--------------------------LED, Electrical, and wire------------------------------

Puck Lights
Led Strip
Round switch
(2) Outlet with USB ports

(2 ) outlet cover

(2) workbox
Electrical wire(for the outlet)
Receptacle Tester
22 gauge wire (for the puck light switch)
Extension cord

---------------------------------Wood -------------------------------------

2 by 8 Lumber (headboard, bed frame and bed trim)

(1) 2 by 12 lumber (top and bottom night stand) https://goo.gl/NAmx3O

(1) sheet or 3/4in (19.05mm) plywood a small piece
(2) sheet of 1/4in (6.35mm) plywood

(10) 1 by 4 (25.4mm by 101.6mm) lumber
(4) 2 by 4 (50.8mm by 101.6mm) Lumber

Comments

[ShanonM2]

Stumbled upon this while looking to do a headboard for my daughter - my hubby built this for us a year ago & I LOVE IT!
I can't even imagine how much something like this would cost from a store.

[1000065433]

Wow. Your bed looks great what king of wood did you use?

[sofiald]

Do the detailed set of plans come with the full size bed dimensions?

[grannyjones]

I agree that the outcrop around the mattress looks snazzy, but provides a minefield in any but a HUGE bedroom. My brother has something similar in a guest room, but the mattress is at the outer edge and the night stands are about twice as deep.

[kdk9mj]

awesome job!

[porschef]

I thought the bed is a good project...worthy of trying my hand at it. Plans were very good. Too bad about the SPAM which froze the screen, telling me that Samsung wanted to know I was a winner of $100.00........

[OliverS104]

From having slept on a bed that was made substantially this way for the last 30 years I have a few comments on the design.

1) doweling the night stands is an un-necessary heroic feat. There's a hardware product called a flush mount clip. Both halves are basically a steel plate that has the center 1/3 raised and half of it freed to form a flat finger. The two halves interlock. Rocker doesn't sell any, and the z-clips they do sell can slide sideways so they aren't an alternative. Make the nightstand with the mounting face slightly recessed or pocketed. It also works as a mount if you make a recessed inset back nightstand as sides of a box that receive a single drawer. (You only need 4 sides and can let the headboard be the 5th side if you heroically dowel it.) the clips look like these http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=40349...

2) There aren't enough mattress/foundation supporting slats, and they aren't tough enough. I know they seem great and everything is working fine and I know with some precision just how long they will last. At the spacing shown pine will last less than a year before one bows far enough down to pop out of the end and drop, and when you go to look you'll find others cracked and broken in place. Even a straight grained oak or maple will last less than 5 years. (Plywood has the grain in a useless direction for half of its layers and is weak for this purpose). If you decrease the spacing to reach 50% coverage you can use any straight grained species except for the pines and firs. A sealer, even sanding sealer, is strongly suggested for those who don't live in the desert southwest or Southern California.

3) The base outline box is much easier to handle when it's time to move the bed if you join them with bed rail brackets like these ones. http://www.rockler.com/5-surface-mounted-bed-rail-... The bed has to be moved far more often than its owner changes addresses. It has to come out of the room if the wall-to-wall carpet is changed or the floor is refinished and it's too much to work around when it's time to paint the room.

4) the center rail will cause less trouble if it isn't a heavy timber and it touches down on a few short posts with screw levelers. A house shifts both seasonally and over years. As much as I like solid construction, if the bed's outline box is too stiff it will teeter-totter when the house shifts the wrong way. Don't try to explain why that's OK to your spouse, it can't be done. Not even if it only does it when no one is in it. Also, attach the center rail with center rail clips as found on rockler. http://www.rockler.com/center-bed-rail-fasteners

5) the platform surround will become unloved in unprintable detail. Returning to bed in the middle of the night with the lights out, your shin, the long straight unpadded bone in the front of your lower leg, will be the part of you that finds the bed first. These days you can put a motion sensor and some led strip lights on a PWM dimmer to come on to automatically warn you of impending disaster. Even so, you will walk into the edge in full daylight once a year or more. Almost any kind of padding will help from now until you give up and rework the edge. Oh, and until then, ice the impact zone immediately, or the lump will be as impressive as it is painful, and last 5 days instead of 1 or 2.

6) there is no upright vacuum with a beater bar that will slip under the edge to clean the carpet. There is no canister vacuum with a good beater bar that would get that part of the carpet really clean for a price you want to pay. A roomba would work, but it doesn't really a good job on carpet. Sorry, there is no solution for this one. (Don't say "car nozzle" unless you're really willing to do that on your hands and knees forever more.)

7) purple black light also works where you have the rgb LEDs. LED black light doesn't produce a good glow effect at a price anyone would pay because 365 and 375nm LEDs are still very expensive and 385 or 395nm doesn't make stuff glow. 2 of the 12 watt fluorescent tube lights will work well and while there are still 40W T12 tubes that's really too bright.

[diycreators]

Basically a horrible design all the way around. No positive?

[cltcgroome]

Here is some positive for you. First, the video was outstanding. I have made a bed like this one and I know how very heavy it is. Did you do it by yourself? If so good job. Yes for the headboard 1x would do the trick. You also were quite humble in understating the amount of detail you folded into your design. It was well measured and over engineered to withstand children and pets or "athletic" sleeping. I am thinking that ripping your edge boards down the middle would give you a place to tie shoes or hide border lights, (a single red led in the middle of each side and end of bed would be very simple to wire in and not really wake you for a night trip to the bath and save your shins, and who lives where there is so little light pollution not to light the room?) Regardless, you produced a thought provoking project and you managed to do it in one day and for under $500 AND most importantly without an entire SHOP of TOOLS! For all of us who are not named NORM, We thank you!

[diycreators]

Thank you for your generous comment. :) It was a fun projcet and I can see mself doing something simular in the future.

[OliverS104]

no, it's a great design, like I said i've sleeping on one for 30 years. this particular implementation made some things more difficult to do and to use than they need to be and as long as people are considering making one they might as well have some helpful hints. Nothing difficult to amend. It seems to have been executed by a framing carpenter who has limited experience doing furniture. (The 2x10/2x12 framing timbers aren't needed for strength 1xn would have been plenty, it's familiar material, perrhaps some of it is left over material from paying jobs. Mending plates etc is also framing carpentry. A furniture person would have used 1xn strip edges on a veneered plywood, etc., and all that would be a very different implementation for more experience craftsmen.)

[diycreators]

It’s easy to pick apart the work that has already done. I’d have a hard time believing everything you do is done to perfection. I am no means a professional furniture maker. My profession is in Access control, Security and surveillance systems. This bed a temporary bed for my bedroom, at the same time I wanted it to be unique. With the idea of making it as inexpensive as possible. I am a DIYer that makes things inspire others. I want my projects to be achievable. I'm still in learning mode as well. Over time it will get better. Thanks for your comment, I appreciate the feedback.

[OliverS104]

Re:perfect: oh, by no means, nothing I've ever done has been perfect. Most of it has been satisfying anyway, i.e. It was good enough. As I've looked closer at your photos I continue to be impressed with your workmanship and skill not to mention your tidiness (my workshop is always ankle deep in chips and sawdust). You also appear to have the knack for glueing well without gallons of squeezeout to clean up, I've never managed that either.

I hadn't realized your bed project is temporary furniture. Your structural choices make good sense. If it isn't long-term permanent there's no need for the slats to last decades or for the frame to knock down when it time to paint.

Most importantly, I apologize for making you feel criticized or picked on. It's a great looking bed. Well done.

[OliverS104]

and to the positive side;

1) really excellent fit and trim, and without a jointer or a planer in sight.

2) I really appreciate how hard you must have worked to get such a nice surface on the end grain of those pieces.

3) I'm actually very impressed to managed to dowel the night stands to the headboard. It's quite a feat to execute it withiut any tooling or fixtures without tossing at least a few pieces that wouldn't line up.

4) I've already said I like the overall design style, it it's worth repeating.

5) the indirect color lighting is just the right amount of accent in just the right places.

6) the under-stand puck lights are as practical as they are attractive. I expect they look better in a dim room than your photos here captured.

[RigoC]

Looks lovely. I do think that shelf / outcrop will be a magnet for your shin though.

FYI, Looking at this in Chrome had a bunch of pictures missing. Not, not found, just like they didn't exist. I think it's the website "Show all items" feature. Work fine with Firefox though.

[Dougster54]

Beautiful! You are creative and a craftsman!

[Timothee Gillier]

Very Nice project!

[diycreators]

Thank you.

[jchesnut1973]

Nice project! I want to sell my wife on the idea that building a bed out of real wood makes way more sense than buying something at a 'big box' store. Your instructable will help!

[diycreators]

Thank you, I think she will love it.