How to Build Bedroom Furniture

You’ve looked in every furniture store in town, browsed on-line furniture websites until your eyes are blurred, checked out yard sales, thrift stores, and used furniture outlets, and STILL cannot find that unique piece of furniture for the bedroom.Well, instead of trying to BUY a piece of furniture, consider BUILDING a piece of furniture—something simple, of course, such as a bed.The measurements given in this article are designed for building a bed that will hold a twin-size mattress.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape; pencil or pen for marking wood
• 4 pieces of one-foot by eight-foot lumber, twelve feet long
• 6 pieces of four-foot by four-foot lumber, eight feet long
• 2 pieces of one foot by two foot lumber, eight feet long
• 3 sheets of plywood, three-fourths inches thick
• Hammer and one and one-half inch nails
• Electric screwdriver and one and one-half inch wood screws, size #10
• Wood glue (see WARNINGS for more information)

Instructions

How to Build Bedroom Furniture

1. Decide how high or low you want your bed to be. (See WARNINGS for more information.)

2. Measure ONE part of the plywood thirty-nine inches by seventy-five inches; mark your wood, and cut it PRECISELY to those measurements. This is your bed board. Then, cut off each corner, so that the leg posts will fit to the headboard (see Step 4).

3. From the remaining plywood, measure two pieces, eight inches by thirty-nine inches; mark your wood, and cut it PRECISELY to those measurements. These are your end boards.

4. Measure and cut your leg posts from the four by four lumber. (See WARNINGS for information concerning the height of the bed.) Then, cut a notch measuring two and a half inches in each post. These notches will accommodate the mattress once it is placed on the bed.

5. Measure out seventy-five feet (horizontally); and put a cut bedpost at both ends. Then, on one side, place one piece of one foot by eight feet lumber, eight feet in length, (this is your sideboard) so that it is lying on both bedposts.

6. Measure the sideboard to ensure that the legs are even with the top. Drill holes for the screws, and attach the sideboard to the legs with the screws.

7. Move to the other side, and REPEAT STEP 6.

8. Cut your support rails from one of the two pieces of one foot by two foot lumber, eight feet long.

9. Using wood glue and nails, attach the support rails between the legs. Do one side, then the other. Leave about two and one-half to three inches between the top of the sideboard and the support rails (how much will depend on how thick the mattress is; you’ll have to determine that.)

10. Use wood screws to attach your end boards.

11. Sand the entire bed until it is smooth and there is no danger of splinters or sharp pieces of wood. Don’t forget the corners.

12. Finish the wood in whatever manner you wish (painting or staining), or you can choose to leave it natural.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you pick out the best looking pieces of lumber, unless you are going for the “rustic” or “knotty” look. If that’s the case, you can pick out the roughest pieces.

• You will probably not need all the wood that you purchased; however, it’s nice to know it’s there in case you make a mistake.

• Unless the bed is for a small child or VERY petite adult, it is probably best to forego using wood glue and instead use a hammer or electric screwdriver and nails or wood screws. SERIOUS injury or even death could result if a bed should collapse under a person’s weight.

• Make sure the bed is the exact height it needs to be from the floor. Too high, and a child could be injured seriously trying to get on or off the bed; too low and an adult may have serious difficulty getting on and off the bed.

• Use care with power tools. Wear eye, ear, and hand protection.