Bed made by yourself – why not

Therefore, original concepts are very practical, especially in small living spaces. In turn, the more original the idea, the more expensive its implementation becomes. But you can try to build a bed by yourself. Especially for simpler variants of beds, assembling ready-made furniture and its repair.

Simple bed made by yourself from wood

To make a bed by yourself from wood, you should first determine what type and size it should be, more precisely what the sleeping area should look like.

It is best to base your design on the mattress size: its length and width should correspond to the internal dimensions of the bed frame.

Photo 1 – The simplest example of a factory-made frame, the assembly shape of which can be used as a basis for making a DIY bed

Any wooden bed can be divided into three parts that need to be designed, manufactured and connected together:

• the bed frame itself,
• internal filling on which the mattress will lie,
• the headboard of the bed.

After creating or finding ready-made drawings, you can start selecting the necessary materials and tools. It is preferable to have a workshop for woodworking and appropriate equipment. However, you can rent the tools from friends or order the lumber cutting at a workshop.

If all work is done independently, you will probably need the following list of materials and tools:

• wooden lumber for the main structure and connecting elements, plywood for the bed bottom, purchased base and transformation mechanisms (if required);
• wooden dowels, screws, screw caps, bolts and nuts;
• glue, stain, varnish and other supplies;
• circular saw, drill, sanding machine or manual sanding and sandpaper, level, ruler, pencil, etc.

Diagram 1 – Example of a DIY bed blueprint

Briefly, the manufacturing process can be described as follows (more detailed instructions on how to make a bed by yourself are shown in the video below).

An experienced craftsman – the author of the following video who made such a bed by himself – suggests placing three crossbars made from multi-layer plywood on the internal side panels, each of which is supported in the center by a wooden stick. On top of these, you can place a special mattress box base that is sold separately.

Bed made by yourself: video

The blueprints of the same bed provided by the craftsman for general use:

Alternatively, a slatted bed base made from solid wood or a lamellar base can be used, which can also be bought or made by yourself. Another option is to completely cover the bed bottom with plywood.

As for the special mattress box base and orthopedic slatted base, they can be found, for example, in the product range of IKEA. However, boxes are only available in the European online store of the company. The Russian-language version of the website has only slatted bed bottoms.

Photo 3 – Special mattress base Sultan Aram by IKEA

Photo 4 – Assembled Smartbed Kit - 90 DIY set

How to make a bed by yourself: DIY kits

For those who want the described bed to be adjustable or to become a wardrobe-bed, you need to acquire transformation mechanisms.

In the first case, it is sufficient to separately purchase gas lifts or spring lifts and attach them to the inner surface of the bed side panels and the mattress base.

For a wardrobe-bed, these mechanisms are not enough; additional hardware is required. For this purpose, special DIY WallBedKit sets are sold in stores, which may differ in content. These can include:

• a set of fasteners, legs, straps, transformation mechanisms and others;
• the above-mentioned set plus all the components for assembling a slatted base, including furniture tubes and slats.

The second option is better: it suits even someone who has no idea how to make a bed by himself. According to the instructions, everything is fast and simple.

In its assembled state, the bed base can be used right away – you just need to place a mattress on it.

This folding bed is mounted into an already built wardrobe with sliding or hinged doors. The structure is attached to the floor and wall using dowels and screws. An example of such a 'Do-It-Yourself' set is the Smartbed Kit - 90 DIY from the company Smartmебель.

Photo 5 – Homemade headboard, presented by a designer on the TV program 'Dacha' for a woman of Balzac's age, but quite appropriate for a girl or young woman's bed

Child's bed made by yourself

One of the above-mentioned methods can be used to make a bed of any size and purpose, including a child's bed. However, for a children's bed, some decoration would not hurt. Below are several ideas.

A girl will surely love soft finishing.

A boy will surely like a car bed made by his parents himself.

Photo 6 – Example of a boy's car bed, which in a simplified version can be used as an example for your own DIY bed

After such manipulations, parents will not fear assembling a bunk bed or repairing a sofa-bed, and can even attempt to make their own podium bed with drawers or something more complex. But that is a completely different story.