Homemade Queen Size Platform Bed

It's surprising how much you can spend on the frame for your queen mattress, especially considering how much you already spend on the mattress itself. Fortunately, you can build a simple, elegant platform frame for your queen bed using tools most people have at home. When buying your lumber, choose a wood type that matches your needs. Pine and plywood are durable and inexpensive, but less attractive than more expensive hard woods. Set aside an afternoon for this project.

Things You'll Need

• 2 wooden beams, 2 inches by 10 inches by 80 inches
• 3 wooden beams, 2 inches by 10 inches by 57 inches
• Wooden sheet, 1/2 inch by 80 inches by 60 inches
• Power drill
• 3-inch wood screws
• 1-inch wood screws
• Sandpaper

Instructions

1. Set two 57-inch beams and both 80-inch beams in a rectangle. The ends of the 57-inch beams should rest against the inside faces of the 80-inch beams. All beams should lie on their narrow -- 2-inch wide -- edges.

2. Screw the rectangle together using your power drill and 3-inch wood screws. At each corner, drive two evenly spaced screws through the face of the 80-inch beam and into the end of the 57-inch beam.

3. Set the third 57-inch beam inside the rectangular frame. It should be parallel to and equidistant from the other 57-inch beams. Screw it in place at each end the same way you connected the corners of the rectangular frame.

4. Place the lumber sheet on top of the rectangular frame, with its edges aligned with those of the frame. Screw it in place using 1-inch wood screws. Drive one screw in at each corner, then reinforce with once screw for every 12 inches along each edge of the sheet.

5. Sand all visible faces of your lumber. You can paint or stain the platform frame at this stage, if you like.

Tips & Warnings

• Although these plans are for a queen mattress, you can modify them for other bed sizes by changing the dimensions of your lumber.

References

• "Step by Step Basic Carpentry"; Ben Allen; 1997
• Mattress Size Guide