How to Build a Queen Platform Bed Frame

Platform bed frames have a sleek, modern look

With their low profiles and sleek lines, platform bed frames look modern, classy and expensive. Indeed, you can easily pay several hundred dollars or more for a ready-made platform bed at most designer furniture stores. Luckily, the simple design means it is easy to make a similar model with materials you can buy for just a few hundred dollars in any hardware store. And with a little attention to details, no one will ever know the difference.

Things You'll Need

• 3/4-inch particle board, 2 sheets
• 2-by-6-inch pine lumber, 2 pieces 84 inches long
• 2-by-6-inch pine lumber, 2 pieces 62 inches long
• Router with 3/4-inch bit
• 3-inch lag screws, 8
• 2-by-4-inch piece of pine lumber, 62 inches long
• 3-inch wood screws,4
• 2-by-4-by-1-inch blocks of pine wood, 7 pieces
• 1 1/2-inch lag screws, 28
• Seven casters or furniture legs
• Drill with ratchet bit
• Sandpaper
• Wood stain or paint
• Polyurethane (if you are using stain)

Instructions

1. Cut the pieces of particle boards to measure a total of 62-by-82 inches. Queen beds measure 60-by-80 inches, and you will need a few inches of overhang for tucking in sheets and bedding. Attach the pieces with wood glue.

2. Cut a 3/4-inch-wide, 1/2-inch groove down the center of the two 2-by-6-by-84-inch pieces of lumber with the router. This will create the two side pieces. The platform will slip into this groove. Start and stop the groove one inch from the end of the boards so the groove doesn't show when you join the rails.Cut a 3/4-inch wide, 1/2-inch groove down the center of the end pieces, the 2-by-6-by 62-inch boards, but continue the groove to the end of the boards.

3. Line up the rails with the side rails overlapping the end rails, making sure the groove you drilled lines up along the top of all four pieces. Pre-drill holes for the 3-inch lag screws then, using the screws, attach the rails together using 2 screws on each corner.

4. Attach the 2-by-4 across the center of the frame, under the groove, using two 3-inch wood screws on each side. This piece will support the weight of your mattress. Remove the end rail and slide the platform into the groove. Reattach the end rail.

5. Attach, using 1 1/2-inch lag screws and pre-drilling holes in the wood as before, four 2-by-4-by-1-inch blocks of wood in each of the four corners of the bottom of the platform, fitting them snugly in the frame. Attach three additional blocks at evenly spaced intervals down the center of the bed. Attach the casters or the furniture legs to the blocks.

6. Fill all the screw holes. Sand the wood and stain or paint the finished bed frame to match the rest of your furniture. If you are staining, allow the stain to dry and apply several coats of polyurethane to protect the finish.

References

• Lowe's: Creative Ideas for Woodworkers: Platform Bed
• Apartment Therapy: How To: DIY "Case Study DWR" Platform Bed
• HGTV: How to Build a Platform Bed