Step-by-step instructions for making your own bed frame

How to decide on a design

Among the structures most used for self-production are:

• A frame made of edged boards and bars is the cheapest and easiest to assemble frame. Does not require special skills or expensive tools;
• A frame made of square metal pipes of various cross-sections is used less frequently than a wooden structure, as it requires welder skills and a good welding machine.

When choosing a particular frame design, the following factors should be taken into account:

• Dimensions and weight of the mattress - when using a large and heavy mattress (for example, 160x200 cm), the design should include various reinforcements and the use of more reliable and durable fastening elements;
• The height of the future structure - the bed, together with the mattress placed inside its frame, should have a height at which it would be comfortable for its owner to sit on it and just as easily get up;
• The presence of built-in drawers - if you plan to place pull-out drawers for bedding or other things under the bed, then this should be taken into account when planning the height of the frame.

In most cases, all the requirements for this furniture are met by structures made of wooden edged boards and bars.

Choosing a size

What will be the height

Decide whether there will be boxes

The benefits of making it yourself

Doing it yourself has the following benefits:

First of all, it's not as difficult as it seems.

Secondly, with independent production, under control, the selection of materials, the accuracy of preparation of parts, and assembly. You can make the bed the way you want, and not the one they offer. The choice of natural, healthy materials is very important, because a person spends a third of all time on the bed while sleeping.

Thirdly, a bed made by yourself will cost at least 2 times cheaper than a purchased one.

A simple wooden bed with a homemade orthopedic base

Design

Designing a bed frame consists of the following steps:

• Choosing a place where the bed will be located - this piece of furniture should be located in the room in such a way as not to interfere with the movement of people or the opening of entrance doors or cabinet doors. The bed should not be placed close to heating devices, radiators, or windows;
• Determining the dimensions of the future structure. To do this, take into account the dimensions of the mattress, convenience for people of non-standard height, and the availability of free space for installation. At this stage, the dimensions of the future structure are determined, the number and location of amplifiers and other supporting elements are provided;
• Frame drawings are made using simple computer programs or manually - linear dimensions are drawn up in the form of a visual drawing.

One of the simple graphic editors is the Graphite utility - an intuitively simple and understandable program that allows you to create easy-to-read, high-quality drawings. The last stage of design is especially important - drawing up a drawing. The result of the assembly depends on a correctly made and well-readable drawing. All sizes and locations of frame parts must be clearly visible, adjacent inscriptions and numbers must not merge.

Mattress base

The base is supported by a structure made of timber 50 x 50 mm. Buy 2 pieces of 4.5 m each.

Timber for the frame, suitable size

You should pay attention to the appearance of the timber and storage conditions. It should be stored under cover, supported by pads. A curved beam with high humidity will deform the bed. Blue or black spots indicate that the wood is infected with a fungus. It cannot be used to make a bed.

It can be left unplaned, since it will not be visible in the finished bed.

Rectangular box for bed frame

The base is a rectangular box. To make the finished product look attractive, each part should be treated with sandpaper or a sanding machine before assembly.

• The box elements are laid out in the form of a rectangle, perpendicularity is checked and they are secured to each other using metal corners and self-tapping screws.

  
  We fasten the corners using self-tapping screws

• Prepared timber is attached to the side parts from the inside for reinforcement.

  
  Prepared timber for fastening from the inside

• When connecting parts, for reliability, the joints are coated with wood glue. The length of the screws is selected so that it is less than the total thickness of the elements being connected. Otherwise, the screws will spoil the appearance.
• If the bed is very wide, then you should make a partition in the middle along the box.

  
  Partition in the middle to strengthen the frame

• It is recommended to deepen the mattress 5 cm from the upper surface of the side part. At this level, a rail is attached to the side parts.

  We select the lamellas for the base according to size

  The space between the slats should be the same

  The slats will rest on it. They are located across the frame, with an interval of no more than 15 cm. The slats are made of slats or plywood 2 cm thick. The length of the slats is measured along the width of the box.


You can make slats from boards to cover the entire width of the bed.
The next stage is the headboard. It is made from chipboard, the fibers are placed vertically across the workpiece. The bottom edge is processed with a milling cutter to make the back look more attractive. The passage of the cutter must be taken into account when drawing up drawings.

Stepping back from the lower edge of the headboard, 3 holders are attached to the glue with self-tapping screws along the edges and in the center. The holder is a block 20 cm long.

Bed frame made of chipboard with slats for the mattress and a beautiful headboard

Racks, pre-made from the slab, are attached to the sides of the headboard slab. The stands can be made chiseled, carved, and various decorative techniques can be used. It all depends on preferences, skills, and financial capabilities.

The profile is attached to the headboard with dowels set with glue.

The footboard is made and attached in the same way as the headboard. The only difference is that it is lower than the headboard. It is attached to the drawers using eccentric ties.

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Preparation of materials

In order to independently build a bed frame for a standard mattress measuring 1400x2000mm, you need the following materials:

• Dry edged pine or spruce board: 200×30×2000 mm – 2 pcs; 200×30×1400 mm – 3 pcs;
• Pine slats: 50×10×1380 mm – 15 pcs;
• Planed pine block: 50×50×2000 mm – 3 pcs; 50×50×700 mm – 2 pcs; 50×50×500 mm – 2 pcs; 50×50×300 mm – 1 pc.

All bars and boards must have a moisture content of no more than 10%, a healthy surface, free of falling knots and rot. In order to completely prevent deformation of the material, it is first left for several days in the room where the structure made from it will be located.

Materials
The required fastening elements are:

• Self-tapping screws for plasterboard, wood with rare threads 3×30, 4.5×40 mm;
• Fastening metal furniture corners sizes: 70×60 mm, 20×15 mm, 35×80 mm;
• Wooden furniture dowels 8×35 mm.

Podium bed

Design of a podium bed with drawers
The base of the podium bed is made of timber and boards 22 mm thick.

The entire structure consists of three blocks, which are manufactured separately. The side block is attached to the headboard strictly perpendicularly using wing nuts. This will make it easier to assemble and disassemble the structure. The blocks are assembled using pins with a diameter of 8 mm. The central block divides the entire structure into two parts, each with a drawer. For the walls of the boxes you need a board 16 mm thick, for the bottoms - plywood 10 mm thick. Skids are attached to the side walls of the manufactured boxes, which slide along the corresponding parts fixed to the frame partitions. The drawers should not be made very deep, otherwise it will be impossible to pull them out completely.

The blocks are held together by support bars, which are secured with screws or self-tapping screws. At the end of the work, install the front panel. The frame is primed and painted in a color that matches the interior. All joints, seams, and material defects must be carefully leveled before applying the coating.

If the podium bed is located next to a heating radiator, it is necessary to provide ventilation holes.

Ventilation holes for heat escape near the podium bed installed near the radiator

You should not place such a bed near a window if there are children in the family. The risk of a child falling out of a window is very high. If there is no other place for a bed, then the window is opened slightly only for ventilation.

Build process

A do-it-yourself bed frame is made like this:

• The headboard is assembled using the long ends of two boards 200×30×1400 mm. holes are drilled. The end surfaces and dowels inserted into the holes are treated with PVA glue and tightly connected;
• A rectangular frame frame is assembled from 2 boards measuring 200×30×2000 mm, 1 board 200×30×1400 mm and a headboard using corners 70×60 mm;
• Holes are drilled in 2 long bars 50x50x700 mm and the ends of the headboard. The headboard and legs are connected using dowels, which are inserted into drilled holes, and PVA glue;
• The long front legs are also attached to the main frame using self-tapping screws screwed through pre-drilled holes in the folds of the 70x60 mm corners;
• In a similar way, the rear legs made of 50x50x500 mm bars are attached to the frame;
• 2 bars measuring 50x50x2000 mm are attached to the long sidewalls using corners 35x80 mm. A third block of the same size is attached in the middle of the frame to the two end walls using 20x15 mm corners. In the middle of the bar, also using a corner, an additional leg made of a 50x50x300 mm bar is installed;
• 25 slats 50x10x1380mm are attached to the fixed bars at equal distances, thereby obtaining the bottom of the frame;
• The frame bottom slats are additionally connected with three long strips using a construction stapler.

The resulting frame, after fastening all the parts, requires minimal processing.

Connecting the elements of the box

We install longitudinal bars

We strengthen the frame with wooden blocks

We fasten the legs

Making a base from lamellas

Tools

The following tools are prepared for work:

• screwdriver;
• hammer;
• screwdriver;
• drill, drill bits;
• jigsaw, hacksaw;
• construction stapler;
• knife;
• pencil;
• ruler;
• laser level.

DIY bed making tools

Final processing

At the final stage, the bed base (frame) made in this way goes through the following stages of final processing:

• Grinding - using a grinding machine and a set of sandpaper, the surface of all parts of the frame is processed. It is preferable to use centrifugal grinders with a special container for collecting large sawdust generated during surface treatment;
• Sealing cracks and pits – cracks and pits formed during sanding are sealed with a special putty compound that is matched to the color of the wood. After the putty has hardened, the surface is sanded again;
• Application of stain – to protect wood from moisture and mold, acrylic or wax stains should be used. They are applied using a wide brush in several layers. The advantages of such stains are that they dry quickly enough, do not cause smudges or streaks, highlight the wood texture well, and have a uniform tone over the entire application surface;
• Applying several layers of varnish - after the stain has dried, apply 2-3 layers of transparent waterproof varnish. In order to hide all surface imperfections that remain even after sanding, it is better to use matte varnishes that can disguise small scratches and chips.

By learning how to quickly and easily make a bed frame with your own hands, you can not only save money on the purchase of this furniture, but also acquire useful skills in assembling such structures. In addition, unlike most beds made from chipboard or MDF, a homemade bed made from wood will last several times longer.

Sanding furniture

Repairing cracks

Cover with stain

Applying varnish

Planning

The choice of a mattress must be taken seriously.
Making a bed begins with choosing a mattress; the dimensions of the base and the entire bed depend on its size. Then materials are selected, drawings and cost estimates are drawn up.

The most durable and durable base will be made of beech, ash or oak. The wood of these trees is the hardest, but expensive. Spruce, larch, and pine are cheaper.

Wooden double bed with beech slats

You should be careful when purchasing a mattress. It is better to give preference to orthopedic. A bad mattress causes poor circulation and spinal diseases. The length of the mattress should be at least 15 cm greater than the height of the person sleeping on it.

The dimensions of the base depend on the parameters of the mattress. If the length of the mattress is 2 m, width 1.6 m, height 0.2 m, then add 1.5 cm for the base on each side.

The base of the bed is made of chipboard, wood or MDF. Wood is the most preferred.

Design and individual components of a homemade bed

Drawings and diagrams

Selection of lamellas

The first thing to start choosing is lamellas. They play an important role in the efficiency of the sleeping place itself. Assembly is carried out using elements based on various materials. But it’s optimal to use several.

At the same time, the lamellas themselves are made on the basis of:

• beech;
• nut;
• birch trees

My advice to you. Take birch. This is the optimal material in terms of its characteristics, which at the same time costs significantly less than its competitors. It makes no sense to overpay for lamellas. Inexpensive, but high quality and reliable.

As for the dimensions, the standard dimensions for lamellas have the following values:

• thickness varies from 6 to 8 millimeters;
• the optimal width is considered to be 63 mm;
• the length is chosen based on the size of the base;
• the distance between the lamellas themselves is from 70 to 80 mm;
• The optimal quantity is considered to be 11-13 pieces.

By adjusting the distance, the orthopedic effect changes.

Those who weigh a lot should be careful. The orthobase is less resistant to loads than a solid flat one. But the problem can be solved by using more durable and densely installed lamellas. Ask the seller or directly from the manufacturer what loads a particular bed model is designed for. To do this, you can visit stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, or simply contact them by phone.

The presented parameters are considered optimal. The bed turns out to be light, the base is elastic. They will perfectly complement the orthopedic properties of the mattress and together create maximum comfort.

Don't forget to look at what kind of lat holders are used on the bed. Also relevant for those who are thinking about how to assemble the structure themselves. Assembly always involves the use of fasteners for lamellas, which are called lath holders. They are made from plastic and rubber. The second option is more flexible, reliable and more expensive.