I'm currently living in a small room and needed some more storage space despite my bed frame being pretty high off the ground. What better place to store your things than under your bed? However, my bed needed an extra eight inches of lift as opposed to the 5-6 you'll get from cheap bed risers from the store. I chose to make my own out of concrete.

Maybe you have plenty of storage space and just want to sleep a little closer to the stars! That's cool too. Anything is possible when your bed is roughly 8 inches higher off the ground.

This Instructable isn't as complete and beautiful as I'd like it to be. I didn't take enough pictures because this was actually a side project while I was working on something else. Either way, hope you enjoy reading!

Index:
Step 1: Flow Build!
Step 2: Tools and Materials
Step 3: Mixing
Step 4: Pouring
Step 5: Remove and Raise

Step 1: Flow Build!

So I tried making a thing. This thing I've called a "Flow Build" because I'm not sure what else to call it. The purpose of a flow build is to describe a project in simple terms using a single image. The goal of these images is that they can be shared easily on social media, and read easily on a smart phone. I'm curious to see if you all love them, hate them, or think they could have potential.

Step 2: Tools and Materials

All of these can be found at the local hardware or home improvement store, or the dollar store.

Materials:

Portland Cement
Play Sand
Water
Pitcher
Mold release spray, cooking spray, vasoline (optional to grease mold)

Tools:

Something to stir with
Bucket

Step 3: Mixing

Place a ratio of one part portland cement to two parts water in the bucket. Exact measurements do not matter here, so this is just a rough estimate. Mix the powders together thoroughly then add water until a slightly thick mixture is achieved. It really is a good idea to mix the sand and portland cement together before adding water. It makes for a more homogeneous mixture, and makes the mixing easier.

Step 4: Pouring

There's no rocket science to pouring the concrete mixture into the pitcher, but here's a couple things to keep in mind:

Pay attention so that each time you pour the concrete, it reaches the same height in the pitcher.That way all of the risers will be the same height as well.
Also allow the mold to rest on a level surface while it sets, so that the top of the mold is also level. A slanted surface will cause the concrete to shift into a slant while it sets, causing the riser to be unlevel.

If desired, you can rub down the sides of the pitcher with vasoline, spray it with cooking spray, or buy some fancy mold-release spray. I chose not to. I was able to bend and shake the pitcher to easily remove three out of four of the bed risers without any lubrication, and the fourth was easily cut out using a utility knife.

Allow the concrete to set at least overnight. I waited at least 24 hours with mine.

Step 5: Remove and Raise

As stated previously, the risers were removed from the pitcher mold by bending the sides of the pitcher slightly, shaking, and sometimes tapping the mold with a piece of wood to cause air to move between the concrete and the mold. The process wasn't particularly difficult, and could have been even easier by using a mold-release agent.

Once four have been made, place them under the feet of your bed to give it some extra lift!

Thank you so much for reading! Leave a comment if you feel motivated. I like comments!