*This post contains affiliate links*
The above is the loft bed I had in mind. I drew it out so my friends daughter, Nova, could approve. The look of it changed a bit since this drawing but is mostly the same. There will be a dresser tucked under the right side, the steps will have drawers, and the left side will look like drawers but would actually be a door. That last part changed though because I wasn’t sure how well they would take care of the door (my friends kids are a bit rough with doors, haha!).
The first step was to create the frame for it. I used 2x4x8 and 2x6x8 framing lumbar and deck brackets to put it together nice and strong.
Then I made the legs by putting 2 2x4s together with wood glue and 1in. Power Pro screws, instead of buying 4×4 pieces, and then attached them to the frame.
I got my husband, Tyler, and my friends husband, Jason, to set the bed up right and then we secured it to the studs behind the wall and added 3/4in thick plywood to the top for the mattress to sit in. Some people say that will cause mold but I’ve found sources on line that says it will and it won’t, I’ve personally never had an issue with mold on our mattresses because of plywood.
To allow the legs to sit flat against the wall I cut out the baseboards with my multi tool.
Next up I added some framing to the top to hide the framing lumber. I used 1×10 primed pine. The primed wood is so worth the cost to me! I HATE priming! I used my trusty battery operated brad nailer and wood glue to install the pine.
After that I added a 1/2in thick sheet of sanded plywood to the end with my brad nailer, shooting nails into the framing lumber.
I used 3/4in. thick sanded plywood for the stairs. I started by cutting down the sides, partially with my circular saw and partially with my jigsaw.
I screwed this into place.
I then cut down the tops to the steps and used wood glue and brad nails to attach them together.
Of course I had to test it to make sure this plywood was going to be strong enough, it seemed very strong!
After that I started making the headboard area that would also be storage. Again, I always use wood glue! I also have learned to use brad nails to hold it together as I screw it into place with pocket holes.
I brought it to my friends and set it up, but before we secured it into place we had to make sure the mattress fit. Just wanted to triple check my measurements.
I created a top for it that opens in 2 places, that way she wouldn’t have to put the things on top on her bed to get inside, she could just push those things to one side in order to open it. That was the complaint Mia had with her loft bed storage, she had to take EVERYTHING off in order to open it so she just never used it.
The far right side doesn’t open, but contains a pop up outlet to make it easier to charge her devices from bed.
Next I built the carcass for the dresser the same way I built the headboard.
I took that over to my friends, slid it under the loft bed and secured it into place.
I then framed out the dresser with 1×6 primed pine.
We wanted some kind of cool feature on her bed, so we decided on this privacy screen I made out of wood. I first decided on the layout, stained it and then basically just glued it all together and held it in place with dumbbells, the select pine I used was too dense to use a nail gun. One piece has come loose since then but I fixed it, I should have used construction adhesive instead of just wood glue. I did use pocket hole screws around the frame.
This is what it looks like in place, I secured it to the ceiling with pocket holes and to the bed frame. I thought it added a fun touch! (Don’t worry, I’ll get to the ceiling in another post!)
After that I started working on finishing out the stairs. I added 1x2s to the fronts of them for a face frame, remember, these will be drawers, I can’t bring myself to waste the space. I used some of their leftover flooring for the tops so that the steps matched the floors and they are more durable, it also added strength to the plywood. I glued and nailed all this in place.
And now we are here. Not too bad!
I got to work building the drawers, I used 1/2in thick plywood for this and I used these awesome drawer slides, beats anything you can buy at Home Depot and Lowes.
When I got back over to my friends I installed them and they fit perfectly! It was a tight fit though!
Then it was on to the dresser drawers. This is an example of how I put these drawer slides on. I first cut a scrap piece of wood down to the height of where I want the drawer slide, I use it for both sides and then I cut that same piece down again for the next one down (obviously this only works if you start from the top drawer). I set the drawer slide on the scrap piece and tape the drawer slide in place so I can screw it in without having to hold it there and risk it moving.
This is where I ended up, I ran out of time to get the last 2 drawer installed but it was looking good!
I had a little bit more work to do on the steps so I got that done. The plywood edge was still showing on the steps, so I used 1/4in thick poplar pieces to cover that.
I got to work building the drawer fronts out of 1×3 primed pine, I first added pocket holes to half the pieces.
I routed out a space on the inside with this bit where I could insert the middle.
Then I screwed them together and used wood glue that I put in this handy dandy glue bot thing to insert the brown board into the middle.
I let those glue up with something set on the back of them so they dried nice and tight and then I took them out back to spray them with my amazing Graco Sprayer!
I got a coat of paint put on the loft bed then I added the drawer fronts, I built these out of 1×3 primed pine and brown board paneling. I attached these with brad nails to begin with to hold them in place while I screwed them in from the back, then added drawer pulls.
This was the first glimpse of the loft bed looking somewhat “done”, I could start to see it all coming together!
Next up was the dresser drawers, the bottom one wasn’t done because I broke the bottom drawer slide on accident and had to order a new one.
I did finally get that bottom drawer installed and it looked amazing!
Then it was time to get the underside done. My plan is to make it a fun hide out for her with pillows and lights. But first I wanted to cover up the framing lumber with beadboard paneling and I covered the legs with 1x primed pine.
Then I got everything painted underneath, the power outlet covers put back on, added floor pillows, twinkly lights using my battery powered staple gun and stapled a little doorway fringe that I cut down to size with scissors.
The thing that had me stumped was the railing for the bed. I wanted it to be sturdy, preferably made from metal, but her dad had so much going on and he’s the only one I know that could fabricate a custom railing from metal. So I went with my next best option, I ripped down 2×4 framing lumber, cut it down to size and made it into a rustic railing using really long screws that I sunk into the wood and filled with wood filler.
I measured it again before staining just to make sure it was the right size. I’m glad I did this because somehow I cut it a little too long! So I had to cut it down with my circular saw a little bit to make it fit the correct measurements.
I got it stained and packed up into my truck to take over to Andrea’s house to install it.
Once I got it over there I was nervous it wasn’t going to fit. But turned out it fit PERFECTLY! So I screwed it in place and now she finally has a railing!
Next up, the ceiling!
Leave a Reply