How to Make a Platform Bed for Less Than $100
Platform beds can make your bedroom look stylishly modern. Built low to the ground, platform beds are sturdy and can provide excellent back support. They don't usually have headboards, which saves precious space. You can build your own king-size platform bed with materials that can run you less than $100. After you are done building it, purchase a mattress for it, but remember, a box spring is not necessary for any platform bed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 2 wood planks, 10-by-2-inch, 76 inches long
- Rabbet plane
- 3 wood planks, 10-by-2-inch, 78 inches long
- Wood glue
- Clamps
- Drill
- Flat-head bolts
- 7 wood planks, 10-by-1-inch, 84 inches long
- Sander
- Stain
Instructions
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1
Cut a groove 2 inches wide by 1 inch deep into both ends of the 76-inch planks on their 10-inch sides, using the rabbet plane. These will be the ends of the bed frame. Cut a groove at the centers of both bed ends, also on the 10-inch sides.
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2
Position the three 78-inch planks so they are sitting on their 2-inch sides at 38-inch intervals from one another. The two outer ones are the bed sides; the third board sits between them. Place the bed ends from Step 1 over the ends of the outer 78-inch planks. Fit the ends into the grooves you cut.
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3
Remove the boards from the grooves. Apply wood glue along the grooves. Reinsert the planks' ends so they are at right angles. Clamp the boards together and set them aside while the glue dries. You now have a 76-by-80-inch, king-size platform bed frame.
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4
Predrill a total of 18 holes so there are 9 holes on each end of the bed frame. There should be three evenly spaced holes on the fronts of the bed ends, in the grooves, as well as the ends of the 78-inch bed sides. Bolt everything together through the predrilled holes and remove the clamps from Step 3.
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5
Grab one of the 84-inch planks and center it over the bed frame; this becomes the bed slat. Make sure the slat hangs over the end of the bed by 5 inches and hangs over either side of the bed by 4 inches. Pre-drill two holes through the slat and the three planks it sits on and bolt everything down. Repeat this process with a second slat on the other end of the bed.
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6
Arrange the remaining five slats over the frame evenly, leaving about 2 inches between each slat. Each slat should be flush at the ends and straight. Pre-drill holes and bolt everything down as you did in Step 5.
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7
Sand the platform bed and stain as you'd like.
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Tips & Warnings
This article focuses on a king-size platform bed. Adjust measurements for the other sizes: Standard single beds are 39 inches by 75 inches, doubles/full are 54 inches by 75 inches, queens are 60 inches by 80 inches and California kings are 72 inches by 84 inches.
Predrilling holes before inserting screws prevents the wood from splintering.
