How to Build a Queen Platform Bed
Building a platform bed consists of little more than fashioning a box with braces across the center and setting a solid piece on top. Queen-size mattresses are approximately 60 inches wide and 80 inches long. The platform should support those dimensions with approximately 2 inches extra along the sides and at the foot of the bed to account for manufacturer differences. With the basic technique in mind, you can customize the plan and build a platform bed to suit your taste. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 2 2-by-12 boards, 60 inches long
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Straight edge or carpenter's square
- Power drill
- Drill bit
- 2 boards, 2-by-12, 78 inches long
- 2 1/2-inch wood screws
- Phillips head bit
- Hand-held power sander
- Sandpaper, medium, fine, and ultra-fine grit
- Wood putty
- 2 2-by-12 boards, 8 feet long
- 2 32-by-82-inch sheets 3/4-inch furniture-grade plywood
Instructions
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1
Lay one 60-inch-long board flat. Measure in 1 inch from the end and mark it with a pencil. Repeat the mark at the opposite end of the board. Repeat on both ends of the other 60-inch-long board.
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2
Draw a straight line across the ends of the boards at the marks using a straight edge or a carpenter's square.
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3
Select a drill bit that is the same diameter or slightly smaller than the solid shank of the screws. Connect the drill bit to the drill.
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4
Drill three pilot holes, spaced equally apart, through both 60-inch-long boards at each line.
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5
Stand one 60-inch-long board upright on a long edge. Stand a 78-inch-long board upright on a long edge. Butt a cut end of the longer board against the side of the shorter board at a row of pilot holes, forming an L or a 90-degree angle. Insert wood screws through the pilot holes and into the longer board with a power drill. Fasten a longer board to the opposite end of the shorter board in the same manner, forming a squared U.
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6
Stand the remaining shorter board on edge and butt it against the free ends of the two longer boards. Insert wood screws through the pilot holes and into the longer boards, finishing a square-framed open box.
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7
Measure the space between the two longer boards of the square frame from inside edge to inside edge. Measure and cut four 2-by-12 boards to that length.
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8
Insert each 2-by-12 board upright into the space inside the frame between the two longer boards. Space these support braces at least 1 foot apart.
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9
Drill three pilot holes through the side of the longer boards and into the ends of each of support brace. Insert screws through the pilot holes to fasten the braces to the frame on both sides.
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10
Sand the frame using a power sander and medium-grit sandpaper. Sand again with fine sandpaper and once more with fine sandpaper.
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11
Fill the screw holes with wood putty and let it dry. Smooth the dry putty by hand with ultra-fine sandpaper.
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12
Set the two plywood sheets on the frame. Adjust them to give 2 inches of overhang on three of the four sides of the frame.
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13
Drill pilot holes through the plywood and into the frame around the square perimeter and across each of the braces. Space the pilot holes approximately 3 inches apart. Insert wood screws through the pilot holes to fasten the platform to the frame.
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14
Fill the screw holes with wood putty, let it dry and sand them smooth.
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Tips & Warnings
Finish the edges of the plywood with iron-on wood veneer or narrow trim molding.
Paint or stain and seal the bed as you desire.
Skip filling the screw holes with putty to make the bed easy to disassemble.
Failure to drill pilot holes can result in split boards.
Use eye protection whenever you operate power tools.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
