How To Build Bed Frame And Headboard – My mission is to teach you to build with the confidence of a warehouse-worthy DIYer. I used to be afraid of power tools, so I strongly believe that ANYONE can do DIY.
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How To Build Bed Frame And Headboard
You know what no one thinks about until they move: how they’re going to move furniture up and down stairs.
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I don’t want to get to the point where I spend hours disassembling furniture trying to avoid throwing my bed out the window.
That’s why we designed this do-it-yourself platform bed frame so that it can be easily assembled and dismantled when needed.
Your future self will thank you, and your present self will surely thank you as you enjoy this easy-to-build platform bed, complete with built-in side tables and metal accents. Yes, metal accents make this bed. Aren’t they cool??
If you’re just curious about the list of the best gold spray paints, skip to step 12.
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This bed consists of three main sections: an inner base that cannot be seen when the mattress is unfolded, an outer shell and a headboard with built-in nightstands.
Let’s dive in and start with the inner base. Keep in mind that this won’t show, so you want it to be square, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be pretty.
Start by cutting out the inner shell pieces in the cut list to print. Our cut list includes dimensions for a queen platform bed and headboard with built-in nightstands.
Note that the inner shell only has three sides. The last side of the bed will be the headboard itself.
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The 2×6 boards are not tall enough to match the heights of the 1×8 boards we will use for the outer skin, so we need to kick them off the ground and give them legs to stand on.
We’ll use some of the 2×6 leftovers to cut out 7.25″ tall legs on each side. Add some pocket holes at each end of the long 2×6’s and attach them to the feet with glue and 2.5″ screws.
Next, we will add support boards to the two side pieces. The carrier boards will be used to support the slats on which the mattress will rest.
Center the 2×2 fur strips and place them 0.75″ from the top of the sides. Use glue and 1.25″ screws to attach the strips to the sides of the inner base.
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Now that we have the three sides of the inner base done, we need to install the fittings that will allow easy assembly/disassembly of the bed.
The first step is to attach the first side of the hardware. You don’t need to measure it exactly, just place it halfway up the leg. Hold it in place and mark with a pencil where each screw should go.
Remove hardware and pre-drill for screws. Then align the hardware with the holes you drilled earlier and add the screws.
Then grab the other piece and snap it over the hardware already screwed in. While it’s still latched, set it to its side and mark where the screws should be.
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Pre-drill and then screw in the fittings. Test the latch to make sure everything is going as it should.
Glue the center support to the center of each batten, then add a 1.25″ screw to secure it further.
Now let’s move on to the part of the bed that will actually be visible. We’re not going to do much in this section yet. We will cover most of this section during the assembly phase.
Before cutting, lay out all your 1x6s and decide how you want to arrange them on your headboard and nightstands. Pay particular attention to the grain patterns.
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Once you’ve decided on the layout, it’s time to start cutting. We want the wood grain to be continuous across the cross section of the headboard where the nightstands are and into the main part of the headboard, so cut each plank into three pieces: 16″, turn the plank over and cut 16″ from the other side and the rest will be for the headboard.
Don’t try to cut both 16″ pieces from the same side or you won’t get a continuous grain.
As you cut, label each board and keep it tidy so you know how they will connect later.
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Drill pocket holes in each plank for the headboard and side pieces. The pocket holes should be placed approximately 2″ from the end of the board and then spaced every 6-8″.
Using glue and 1.25″ screws, assemble the headboard and each of the two sides. You don’t need to attach the sides to the headboard yet, so you’ll get three separate pieces.
Next, we will attach three support boards to the back of the main headboard and one support board to the back of each of the side pieces. 2×6 should be used on the main headboard.
Supports should be placed 1.75 inches from the edge. In the case of side elements, the support board should be placed on the side closer to the head end.
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This is where the rubber meets the road and you turn all those little pieces into a real bed.
How much you sand the inner base is up to you. What you really need to focus on is the outer shell and headboard.
Sand with 80, 120, 180 and 220 grit sandpaper for a smooth finish. Once this is done, you can proceed to staining.
We wanted the bed to match the geometric wooden wall that is also in the guest bedroom. For this we have mixed Minwax Special Walnut and Minwax Golden Oak in a 50:50 ratio.
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The key to mixing the stains is to make enough of them to cover the entire project. You don’t want to mix more than half as the proportions may vary slightly, resulting in a different color.
Once you have mixed the two colors well, go ahead and apply the stain according to the instructions on the tin. We wanted a lighter color so we didn’t let the stain stay on the wood for too long before wiping it off.
Here are the three contenders: 1. Krylon Fusion All-in-One in Metallic Gold, 2. Krylon Brilliant Metallic in Gold Leaf, and 3. Krylon ColorMaxx in Metallic Gold.
Krylon Fusion All-in-One in Metallic Gold was the least reflective option. It is a more subtle gold and has a great sheen to the finish.
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Krylon Brilliant Metallic in Golf Leaf is GOLD. It really catches the light and is a true yellow gold.
It was a difficult decision, but we ultimately chose Krylon Brilliant Metallic in Gold Leaf for this project because it hit our wood the hardest. See more spray paint color options here.
Note: If you want to add some metal to your outdoor project, the Krylon Fusion All-in-One and Krylon ColorMaxx will work great. Both offer rust protection along with excellent adhesion and durability, meaning they hold up great even outdoors. In fact, we recently had an outdoor furniture makeover with the Krylon Fusion All-in-One, and I’m impressed with how well it stands up to crazy heat and rain!
Before we can spray everything, we need to cut our metal pieces with a hacksaw (use the dimensions in the free printable cut list). We lightly sanded the rough edges of the metal, then wiped everything clean to prepare it for painting.
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Then I sprayed 3 light coats on each piece to get a nice uniform color. Multiple thin coats are always a good idea when using spray paint. Fortunately, it dries quickly enough that you only need to wait a few minutes between coats!
It’s also important to keep the spray paint 10-12 inches apart when spraying metal to get a nice, even coverage.
It took a little less than a can of spray paint and 20 minutes from start to finish to prepare and paint everything. I’m SO excited about these metal accents. I think they will really make this bed special!
Use glue (lots of glue) and nails to attach the outer shell to the inner base. We also use one pocket hole at each end to really attach the top to the inner base.
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For the sides, the top will be flush with the back but not the front of the inner base.
From the front, the top plate should be centered, hanging down just over 1.5 inches on each side.
We let the spray paint dry for a full two hours before gluing them to the front of the nightstands.
We originally had the nightstands installed first, but that prevented the puzzle from fitting so we had to pull out our multi-tool. The puzzle would certainly be easier.
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If you want yours to be placed where ours is, the bottom of your outlet should be approximately 17.75″ off the ground and 6″