How to Build a Queen Bed Wood Frame

Building a wood frame for your queen bed is a two-hour project that can save you money, compared to the price of a store-bought frame. A simple platform frame is easy enough to construct even as an introduction to do-it-yourself projects. If you have a different size of mattress, you can adjust these plans by changing the lumber dimensions to match your bed.

Things You'll Need

• Plywood sheet, 1/2 by 60 by 80 inches
• 2 planks, 1 by 12 by 80 inches
• 5 planks, 1 by 12 inches by 59 1/2 inches
• 20 L-braces with accompanying screws
• 4 wood screws, 2 inches long
• Power drill with screwdriver head
• Sandpaper
• Paint and painting supplies (optional)

Instructions

1. Sand one face each of the plywood sheet, both 80-inch planks and two 59 1/2-inch planks. Sand the others if you like, but these are the only parts that will be exposed once the bed is assembled.

2. Paint the lumber if you like. You need only paint the same faces you need to sand, as they are the only ones that will be exposed at the end of this project.

3. Connect one 80-inch plank and one sanded 59-inch plank in an L. Attach them with two L-braces, each 2 inches from either edge of the planks. Position the planks so the sanded sides are on the outside of the L.

4. Connect the remaining 80-inch plank and the other sanded 59 1/2-inch plank, using two L-braces.

5. Attach the two L-shapes, forming a rectangle. Connect the two open corners with two L-braces each, again positioned with a brace 2 inches from each edge.

6. Place one of the remaining 59 1/2-inch planks in the middle of the frame, parallel to the other 59 1/2-inch planks and at the center between them. Connect it with two L-braces on each end, for a total of four L-braces.

7. Place a 59 1/2-inch plank on center between the end of the frame and the plank you positioned. Connect it as you did the other planks, with two L-braces on each end.

8. Repeat Step 7 to place the final 59 1/2-inch plank. The end result should look like a bookcase laid on its back.

9. Set the plywood sheet on top of the frame sanded side up.

10. Drill a pilot hole in each corner of the plywood sheet, through the sheet and into the edge of the plank beneath. Use a drill bit 1/8 inch narrower than the diameter of your wood screws. To be on target, the holes should all be drilled 1/3 inch from both edges of the plank.

11. Drive a wood screw through each of your pilot holes, securing the plywood sheet in position.

References

• The Better Sleep Council: What Size Mattress is Best?
• Interview With Gene Brick, Furniture Hobbyist, Hillsboro, Oregon