Building Your Own Bed Frame: Getting Started

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

You’ve spent weeks looking for the perfect bed frame, and have simply had no luck. You want something that is just right, artistic, comfortable, and functional. So, why not build your own? It isn’t as hard as it might seem. Inspiration can come from various places like nature, websites, and magazines.

Simple pictures found on Facebook or Pinterest shows beds constructed from everyday materials like shipping pallets of all things can turn into a dream bed. Half the fun is deciding to design your very own unique bed frame so get creative and really think outside the box.  You can do this by customizing look, shape, and features. If you want to tackle this project, keep reading. We’ll give you some hints on how to get started.

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Look Up Tutorials

If you hit up websites such as Pinterest or Instructables, you’ll find posts with detailed instructions outlining how to build and create a bed frame from a variety of materials. Select a project that you are confident that you can complete successfully. but don’t be afraid to push and challenge yourself. Once you have found your inspiration or project make a detailed list of the materials and tools that you will need. If you are going to purchase lumber or pipe, be sure to mark down the exact measurements.

Measure Your Mattress

This is a common mistake when making a bed frame. All mattresses can be bigger or smaller by a few centimeters or inches. This can result in issues if your mattress does not correlate to the size of the frame you built. Also do not forget to consider the finished bed height from the floor to the surface of the mattress. Perhaps you want a modern look of a low sitting platform bed. Remember to consider the thickness of both the mattress and the boxspring if you are using both pieces for your new bed.

Go To Home Improvement Stores

You’ll find all of the materials you need, and you may even get some new ideas for décor. If you are building a bed frame from basic wood, stop by the tile aisles, for example. You may find some cool back splash tiles that would be great on your head- and foot-boards or your side rails. And that unique décor feature or raise motif that only requires some strong glue! In the pre-made cabinets and storage aisles, the idea may strike that you could put together a platform bed with these units and have the extra storage space for books or bedding. And if you push that bed against a wall, you can use wall paper or paint to fashion your own “headboard” right on the wall.

Second-Hand Stores And Garage Sales

Seeking out old beds, doors, window shutters, sheet metal, gates, fencing, windows, trim and molding. These items can be used as is, stained, or painted the sky is the limit and the cost is down to earth.

Choose The Stain Or Paint

If you plan to sleep on a bed made of raw wood, or silvery metal pipes, and you want that effect, obviously and skip this step. Choosing the stain or paint color can be rather difficult. However, if you think about how your room, it will help. For example, if you are building a bed for a child whose room consists of whites, then you have a completely blank palette of colors to use – get creative and have a multi-colored bed based upon the child’s favorites.

Or if your bed is being made for a room where the furniture is all wood think about the color of the stain – a cherry stain will give your wood a dark red like color, while a maple type of stain can give your wood a very light color. And if you are going to go with tile accents, obviously choose a background color that will blend well.

You have found your inspiration, you have your plan and you have shopped for your materials, now lets put this dream bed together. All you need now is a clean work space, free of little hands and paws.