Building your own bed is beneficial in numerous ways, but it is merely an exciting project to get involved with for most people. It is an excellent way to express your artistry, but it could also be for more pragmatic reasons.
Whatever the reason, there are many factors involved, including the size, materials, and style you want.
Why Build A Bed?
There are many reasons to build your very own bed, some being more pragmatic than others.
Save Money
For many people, the expense of building a bed is far lower than buying one ready-built. This is because you can use the same high-quality materials, but you will not be paying the labor costs. The amount saved can also be considerable when you factor in transportation costs and ancillary costs if the bed you have bought doesn’t fit. The bed manufacturer might cover all of this, but the extra time waiting around can be annoying.
Custom Dimensions
You may live in an apartment or house with very odd dimensions depending on where you live. By building your own bed frame, you will be assured that any bed you create will fit in the room correctly. No matter how you measure up a ready-built bed, there are times when it just won’t fit properly.
Style
This is perhaps the most common reason that people give when they want to build a custom design. Essentially, you get complete control over:
- What materials you want.
- The size.
- The shape.
- Color.
- Underbed storage.
The list goes on, but the main takeaway is that everything is made to your exact specifications.
What Is A King-Sized Bed?
The sizing of beds can be confusing, especially in the context of a king-sized bed. What exactly is a king-sized bed, anyway? Is it the same as a queen-sized bed? What about a full-size bed? What about a California King? What about a standard king-size bed? You can usually use an online guide to help you find out what dimensions will be the most suitable for your needs, but roughly speaking, King-sized means around 76″ X 80″ (193 X 203.5cm). This is often considered one of the largest sizes, so you should ensure that you have enough space to place it when designing your new bed.
Steps To Building Your Perfect King Size Bed
Design
There’s no end to the number of different ways you can design a bed. You could try an utterly flat variety or go all out with some crazy round things. But you need to start somewhere, and with such a seemingly simple and familiar piece of furniture, it can be easy to get the basics wrong from the start. You should first measure the space you have and decide where you want it to go. You should leave enough wiggle room that you can move it around if you wish to in the future. You can draw out a plan that includes the dimensions of each specific part. For example, the headboard should have its own measurements, as should the support struts.
Choose Your Materials
Once you have a design in place, the next step will be to choose which materials you want to make your bed out of. For this example, wood is the most straightforward option as most people will have the tools to cut and finish wood compared to metal.
Get Tools You Need
You will need to have the following if you stand any change whatsoever in successfully completing this project:
- Hammer.
- Tape measure.
- Screwdriver set.
- Drill.
- Drill bit set.
- Wrench set.
- Saw.
- Sawhorse.
This is the bare minimum that should just about allow you to handle the materials. However, it is recommended that you either invest in more tools or hire some of the larger devices like an electrical circular saw, which will make your life easier.
Cut The Wood To Size
As you have already measured it all up, you should be in a position to begin cutting the wood to the dimensions required. At this point, wearing safety goggles and other safety equipment is vital. The most efficient way to get this stage completed is to batch cut everything to length. This means that you should cut all of the supporting beams simultaneously as well as the sides of the bed. These will all be the same size as each other, so you will save time by not resetting your jigs for different parts of the bed by doing everything in batches.
Painting and Finishing
Once the sections have been cut to size, you will need to begin to sand them down, treat them and apply any coloring or stain of your choice. Ensure that you choose a sunny day to attempt this because it will need to be done outdoors, and the paint will need time to dry. You should consider if you want to use color or whether the natural color and pattern of the wood are more pleasing. Adding paint could only make the process longer and more expensive. Therefore, if you build your own bed due to cost issues, skipping the color is perhaps a good idea. Furthermore, if your bedroom is well kept and dry, and if you use heat-treated wood, you may have the option of avoiding the staining as well, resulting in even more significant savings.
Screw The Pieces Together
Now that all the parts are ready and measured twice, and cut once, your bed should be prepared to assemble. You will most likely need some hefty wood screws and carriage bolts to keep things solidly together, but all of this should be available at your local hardware store. When you are putting it together, you should attempt to keep everything square and solid.
Place Your Mattress Down and Enjoy
Now that you have successfully completed the project, it is time to put your king-sized mattress on top of your construction and reap the rewards of your hard work!
It needn’t be too difficult to build a bed, and the benefits can be tremendous. From choosing a style you like to make to custom specifications, this project is a fantastic way to express your individuality.
