KIDS HOUSE BED
Last summer we decided to ditch the crib. I found a few Inspiration pictures on Pinterest and we had an extra full-size mattress. So we thought it would be fun to build our own bed frame. We have linked our amazon affiliate links to the amazon products we used to complete the project.
The cost of materials as of January 2023 Is only $115!*
(not Including tools that we already owned)
Once we figured out our plan we went to home depot to pick out wood. We decided to use pine for the bed mostly because you can't beat the price and It Is easy to work with.
Of course, we couldn't have done without the best helper.
Material List:
Here are the tools we used, If you would like to support us, use the links below to purchase these products through our amazon affiliate page.
Saw (we borrowed a miter saw)
The first step was laying out all the wood and marking where we were planning on cutting.
Cut List:
One - 2" x 2" cut to 77" (Crossbeam)
Two - 2" x 4" cut to 77" (Side rails)
Two - 2" x 4" cut to 50" (Head/foot rails)
Four - 2" × 4" cut to 50" with a 45 deg angle on one end
Four - 2" x 4" cut to 33" with 45 deg angles on both ends
One - 2" x 6" cut to 77" (Side rail)
Two - 2" x 6" cut to 50" (Head/Foot rails)
*Also, It Is a good Idea to measure your mattress before you cut. We found out after the project was finished that our full-size mattress Is 2" smaller than the average.
Drilling pocket holes with a Kreg jig Is relatively easy. The Instructions are very helpful but, you can always find a YouTube video to help out.
We would recommend practicing on some scrap first.
Now comes the sanding, this can be very time-consuming but worth your time to make sure everything Is smooth and ready for paint. We used 80, 120, 240, and 320-grit sandpaper.
Now time to build! We decided It might be easier to put the headboard and footboard together before painting, but you can do It either way. It did make It a little more difficult to get the paint In between the cracks.
We used a clamp to help hold the pieces together while we drilled In the screws.
We took the headboard Inside to measure It against the mattress to see how high we wanted the 2" x 6" to sit. The space between Is about 4.5".
Our mattress Is on the floor, In our dry Utah climate we have no problem with mold. But, If you live In a more humid climate you can add some wood slats to raise the mattress.
Our little helper loved putting the screws In the holes for us. Chalk was also essential to keep this toddler busy.
Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures of the painting process or the final construction. After we tried a few stains we ultimately decided to go with this matte chalked paint from rust-oleum and a Minwax matte polyurethane finish.
We needed two adults to put the final pieces together. Starting with the bottom rails and working our way up.
You may have noticed we had a few extra pieces of wood throughout our process. We originally planned on another 2" x 6" on the bottom side rail and two more 2" x 4" top rails. We decided to skip the bottom rail so It was easier to get In and out of the bed. The top rails made the small room more closed off. Luckily we decided on these design choices before drilling the holes.
If you like the idea of the extra rails then you will need to get two more 2" x 4" x 8' pieces cut to 77" and one more 2" x 6" x 8' cut to 77".
Price breakdown:
One - 2" x 2" × 8' board - $2.98
Five - 2" x 4" x 104 5/8" boards - $28.40
Two - 2" x 4" x 8' boards - $7.50
One - 2" x 6" x 8' board - $10.78
One - 2" x 6" x 104 5/8" board - $10.43
Rustoleum chalked paint - $20 quart
Matte polyurethane finish - $24.48
Total: $114.04*
*prices as of January 2023
Overall this was a fun project and seven months later It Is still holding up perfectly. The best part Is a fitted king sheet fits perfectly on the top to make a tent!
Let us know If you complete this project or have questions along the way.