(before: the bookcase assembled)
(shelf from bookcase for base, sheet of wood for platform)
(waiting for glue to dry)
(making sure it's centered)
(finished)
Here's how I reused the bookcase I made when living in my one-bedrm, to make a platform bed; using two shelves and four posts as the legs and a 4' x 8' piece of wood for the support platform.
I had two options with the legs; use the posts as they are which would make the bed, without the mattress, 13 1/2"H (12" post and two 3/4" pieces of wood) which was too high, or lay the posts on their sides making the bed 5 1/4"H which was too low. I decided to go somewhere in the middle and cut the posts down 6" for a height of 7 1/2". Luckily my landlord is working on the apt downstairs and cut down the posts for me saving me a trip to the hardware store.
For the platform, I bought a 4' x 8' plywood ($19.75 at Lowes) which I had 2' cut off to use as a large bulletin board in the office area. I laid the platform on the floor and measured out where the legs would go and lightly glue them into place. Admittedly, I didn't bother screwing the posts into place as the wood glue worked just fine.
Once dry, I turned the bed over and flipped the mattress into place, centering the mattress over the platform. For more detailed pics, check out my Flickr.
13 comments:
Creative and thrifty... I love this idea!
great job!
Does it still comfortable without a "cross-beam"? (is it the right word? or spring-bed ? i've search with my online translator so... ;-)...)
poppy: you mean a boxspring? it's not ideal since i bought this mattress originally with a boxspring but it's fine for now. when i buy another mattress (this one is about 9yrs old so in the next couple of years) i'll buy one that is specifically designed for a platform bed.
Hi Laura, I think you're so clever making your own bed and it looks great (as does your entire apartment as it comes together).
Do you advocate buying a new mattress every ten years? I've never really thought about it so I'd love to hear your opinion.
thanks fiona!
i think 10 years is the basic lifespan of most mattresses but depends on a couple things:
who's in the bed: 1 or 2 people and how much they weigh
maintenance: are you rotating and flipping your mattress 4x a year as recommended
laura, when I purchased my bed, I bought a bunky or bunkie board rather than a boxspring. It's only about 2" thick and cost $50. It's great because not only was it inexpensive, it also provides the same support as a boxspring without adding extra height.
CB sells one so you can see what they look like: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=14141&f=30646
aiisa: i'm confused on what the bunky board is. it says it's plywood wrapped in cardboard and fabric. since the bed i made isn't slatted but rather a solid piece of wood, not sure if i would need that.
i do think i should get a feathertop or something for the top of the mattress. i used to have one and it was really nice...
:O)
Thanks for the info Laura. I appreciate your answering. I love your home style and your whole blog is so inspiring to me as I make my life clutterfree and organised, one cupboard and one drawer at a time!
Ohh, love it! Simple and pretty.
boxspring!! Yes :-)!!
I ask you because i have an old mattress (15 years...) that i must change and i'm reading lot and lot of article to find the right mattress with or without "boxspring"..
it is soooo difficult to choose to be sure that it will as comfortable as we all wish...!
poppy yes it's certainly hard to find a good mattress. the only advice i can give you is go with a reputable place to buy to make sure you're not getting an old mattress that has just be recovered (it happens) and go to the place and lie down on everything for a few minutes to see what is most comfortable to you :O)
good luck! let us know what you get...
thanks naima :O)
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