How to Make a Bunk Bed Castle

Most kids think that a bunk bed is one of the coolest beds they can have. Not only can they sleep on the bed, they can use the other bunk for sleepovers or for a play area. Treat your child to a customized castle bunk bed to really encourage his imagination.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Jigsaw
• Plywood
• Graph paper
• Paint
• Paint applicators

1. Get a bunk bed. You can use a bunk bed that you already have or you can buy a new bunk bed. When you look for the bunk bed, you need to find one that has heavy duty parts and hardware that can support the additional things you will be adding. Assemble the bunk bed and test its stability.

2. Draw out plans. You must take the time to draw out exactly what the castle looks like. Be sure to include the towers, the drawbridge and any additional items the castle has. You need to measure the area and draw the plans to scale.

3. Build the castle front. Use ½ inch plywood to cut out the front of the castle. Cut out a large drawbridge and an arched window on each side of the drawbridge. Attach this to the long side of the bunk bed on the side that faces the room.

4. Add watch towers to the edges of the front of the castle. You should make them square tubes that are large enough for your child to stand inside. Cut an opening in the back by each bunk bed to allow access into the towers. You also need to cut out a small arched window in the front of the tower.

5. Install accessories. You may want to add a drawbridge to the castle that can close off the bunk bed and create a solid castle wall. Other accessories can include a spiral staircase, a slide or flags.

6. Paint the castle. You can paint stones, ivy, wood, crests or other details onto the plywood. You need to pick a paint color that will match the décor of the room as well as resemble a rock facade.

[zippielu]

on 11/15/2008 pictures would be nice with this - I'm just not that creative to imagine it ....