How to Build a Corner Loft Bed

A loft bed creates more storage space and an elevated sleeping platform. It is a project with only a few complicated details. Anyone with a bit of know-how and the right tools can change an entire room in one afternoon.

Things You'll Need

• Screws
• Screwdriver
• At least 7 2x4s, 8 feet long
• At least 3 1x6s, 8 feet long
• Saw
• Sandpaper
• Wood screws
• Stud finder
• Pencil
• Partner
• 2 6-inch bolts
• Drill
• Stepladder
• Level

Instructions

1. Find your location. You will need a corner that is clear four feet in one direction and eight feet in another. You will need to find at least three studs in each wall for the bed to affix to. Mark these studs obviously in the wall and paint over them later. You will need to see them easily. Determine how high you want the bed to be, and draw a line all the way around the corner at that level, making sure it is true, or flat, with your level.

2. Make the bed. Measure the mattress you intend to build the bed for and build the frame accordingly out of 2x4s. Affix them at the corners with wood screws, forming a box frame. Then cut small triangles out of the 1x6s and use these to strengthen the corners by affixing them to the undersides. Then, places 1x6s on the underside of the bed frame as struts to hold the mattress in place.

3. Build your ladder. The ladder will stand at the end of the bed and be the support that holds it up in the free corner. Measure two legs that are the height of the bed, minus 3 ¾ inches on one and minus 4 ½ inches on the other. One of these will rest on the corner with the 1x6 strut, and the other will affix directly to the bed frame. Using 2x4s, build ladder rungs and affix them to the two struts of the ladder. The easiest way to do this is on one side of the struts, with vertical rungs, but you can do by drilling screws through the 2x4s on the sides, making flatter, wider, securer rungs.

4. Affix the bed to the wall. With your partner supporting the bed frame, place it against the line that is marked on the wall. Using the screwdriver, affix the frame to a few studs for security. Then, go from one side of the corner to the other, making sure to secure the bed fully into the studs. Make sure that your partner continues to support the bed’s weight.

5. Place and affix the ladder. Facing the end of the bed, place the ladder at the corner, the slightly shorter end under the 1x6 strut in the corner. The bed should now be self-supporting. While your partner continues to steady the bed, climb the stepladder and drill two holes through the bed frame into the struts of the ladder. Put the two 6-inch bolts in these holes to secure the bed to the ladder.

Tips & Warnings

• Always use hand, eye, and ear protection when using power tools.