If you’d like to build your own DIY bed frame rather than purchasing an obvious design from Ikea, we’ve got you covered.
We’ve assembled a list of 20 DIY bed frame plans. There are some weird options and some pretty basic ones. #10 is a log frame design; #20 is an upcycled rustic option, and #8 is an industrial plan.
These bed frames do require some know-how. So they’re probably best suited to moderately skilled woodworkers.
However, there are a range of plans on this list- some easier than others. Scroll through the list and click the ‘View Plans’ button to check out the step-by-step instructions.
20 DIY Bed Frame Plans
1. Basic Bed Frame DIY
Good quality bed frames can be very expensive.
If you’re looking to save some money, try out this DIY idea.
You’ll need lots of pine, power drills, a table saw, and screws.
This project should cost less than a $100 and take around a day to complete.
Cutting the wood to size will probably be the most time-consuming.
If you find a commercial frame that you like, you can also adjust these plans to recreate that.
VIEW PLANS2. Low Bed Frame Idea
Great for basement or attic apartments, this doesn’t elevate your bed much off the ground.
Materials required for this include a saw, sandpaper, screws, a power drill, brackets, and wood palettes.
To make this, you obviously need to measure your own bed and decide how much space you want between the mattress and the frame.
Once you have the dimensions, simply cut the lumber, sand it, stain or paint the wood, then assemble everything together.
VIEW PLANS3. $15 Bed Frame Project
A quick and easy solution, this will support your mattress and boxspring.
Made of construction grade 2×4’s, screws, and plywood, this isn’t hard to make and only requires a power drill and saw.
Once the wood is cut, build the framework, make the legs and attach them, then attach the headboard.
If you’re concerned about the final look, you can sand and paint the wood.
If not, do as this builder did and put on a bed skirt.
VIEW PLANS4. Collapsible Bed Frame Plan
Built by a student, this is the perfect DIY project for someone who moves often and wants a hassle-free experience.
All materials needed, like pine, finishing nails, furring strips, and screws can be found at your local Home Depot or home improvement store.
To make this, cut the lumber to dimensions fitting your mattress, make the frame, craft the inner supports and legs, attach them, cut slats to fit inside, and you’re good to go.
VIEW PLANS5. Custom Bed Frame Blueprint
If you’re an experienced builder, try drawing out a frame for your own bed — this builder added a little side ledge to make putting on his shoes easier.
If you’re not comfortable, follow this designer’s measurements and make adjustments as needed.
You’ll need pine, paint, wood screws, and a power drill. Simply cut and paint your wood then assemble it all.
Painting before you put everything together allows for a more thorough paint job and even distribution of color. .
VIEW PLANS6. Basic Bed Frame Idea
Perfect for those on a budget, this is inexpensive to make and doesn’t demand master crafting skills.
You’ll need poplar board, whitewood or pine, a saw, clamps, Kreg jig, and screws.
Just cut the wood, make pocket holes for the beams, build the beams, countersink the holes, and assemble.
The builder suggests putting this together upside-down and then flipping it over.
He also suggests that you round the corners, as they’re very hard and painful if you run into them.
VIEW PLANS7. Cinder Block Bed Frame Plan
Though strange-sounding at first, this DIY project gives you a high bed that’s easy to get in and out of with tons of storage space down below.
Supplies required include medium density fiberboard, gripper, and of course, the stones. Learn more about what the best wood for beds is here.
Gripper is like a primer that sticks to the brick and allows whatever color you paint it to really show up well.
After painting, you should allow at least a day for everything to dry and be ready for assembly.
VIEW PLANS8. Industrial Bed Frame Idea
This frame is easy to build, can support a good amount of weight, and is inexpensive.
You will need black pipe nipples, floor flanges, wood, joints, and straight unions to build this.
Depending on your mattress, you may want to add a 2×4 slat for extra support underneath the base.
You should also make sure to treat and clean the wood regularly to prevent mold, especially if you live in a warmer and humid climate.
VIEW PLANS9. Mezzanine Bed Frame Project
Elevated frames are great — they give you a great deal of storage space, are perfect for children, and can easily be converted into regular bed frames.
This DIY project took the builder around four days to complete from start to finish, so be prepared to spend some time on this.
To construct, cut the wood to the right size, assemble the base, add the slats, assemble the legs and rails, make the ladder, and secure everything to one another and the wall.
VIEW PLANS10. Log Bed Frame DIY
This is a great DIY idea for those on a budget — this only costs around $50 to make.
However, you need a lot of patience and time.
You might already have some of the needed materials, like a rubber mallet, chisel, saw, power drill, wood glue, clamps, and sandpaper.
This builder actually chopped down his own pine trees, though you can also buy them from your local lumber mill.
The most important thing?
Clean and polish this wood thoroughly!
VIEW PLANS11. Platform Bed Frame Blueprint
Another good way to conserve space in your home, this elevated bed arrangement clears up floor space and gives a cozy, isolated feel.
You’ll need a hammer, pry bar, circular saw, cedar boards, paint, plywood, screws, and a few more tools. You can follow the exact dimensions listed or make adjustments based on the height of your other furniture or windows, for example.
If you are going to paint this, do it before final assembly to make things easier.
VIEW PLANS12. Creative Branch Bed Frame Plan
Ideal for children or adults, this colorful and chic headboard is a great way to brighten up the bedroom. The materials required are fairly simple; you’ll need some twigs and branches, wood primer, spray paint, sandpaper, wood glue, a handsaw, etc. This builder used an inexpensive IKEA headboard as his base.
Figure out the design you want to make with the wood and cut the pieces accordingly. These can be painted any color combination of your choosing.
VIEW PLANS13. Personalized Bed Frame Plan
This DIY project challenges you to get creative. To make it, this builder used a mix of pine and Douglas fir, wood glue, metal brackets, wood screws, and paint.
A miter or circular saw, power drill, clamps, utility knife, and palm sander will also be useful tools. After you cut all the boards to length, install the corner brackets and furniture glides, sand that, install the side rails, and add any finishing touches.
VIEW PLANS14. Basic Child’s Bed Frame DIY
This tutorial guides you on how to make a simple and plain frame. This serves one purpose — to hold your mattress up. However, this leaves lots of room for you and your child to use your imagination and get invented.
Plywood, screws, wood glue, a wood of your choice, a table saw, and a power drill are required to make this. Of course, you will need to size this around your child’s current bed.
15. Foam Mattress Bed Frame Idea
Memory foam and specialty beds are often too heavy for basic frames and can start to sag inwards.
This sturdy and solid frame costs around $100 to build and doesn’t require master carpentry skills. You’ll need a hammer, circular saw, sandpaper, joist hangers, wood screws, and plywood (or whatever wood you want).
This DIY idea also has 3D diagrams to guide you every step of the way. The builder suggests tightening the lock nuts a few weeks after continuous use.
VIEW PLANS16. Basic Bed Frame That Doesn’t Require Hardware Blueprint
This bed frame is cheap, extremely easy to build, and even features an angle frame that you can’t stub your toe or bang your knee on.
Comprised of lumber and medium-density fiberboard, all you need to put this together is a circular saw, polish, circular saw, and measuring tools. Stain and polish the wood before assembly to ensure a thorough and neat paint job; it will also dry faster this way.
VIEW PLANS17. Reclaimed Wood Bed Frame Idea
If you’re short on money, getting your hands on some reclaimed wood or wood furniture that is being discarded is a great way to get this DIY project started.
This will save you a good deal of money, as the only things you need to make this frame are wood screws, wood glue, nails, and tools such as a chop saw, orbital sander, hammer, and power drill. This offers a rustic look that is full of character.
VIEW PLANS18. Sturdy Bed Frame DIY
This frame is unique and seamlessly adds a great pop of color to your bedroom if you choose to paint the headboard and bottom a bright color like this builder did.
A good DIY idea for beginners, this tutorial features step by step instructions, tons of photos, and PDF blueprints. Screws, tee nuts, a hex wrench, plywood or medium-density fiberboard, a hand drill, and internal threads are needed to craft this.
VIEW PLANS19. Low Profile Bed Frame Idea
Afraid of their children falling off the bed, this couple designed a frame that is low to the ground but still allows for airflow and some storage.
Simply build the base with furring strips, layout and nail it all together, attach the feet, and install the mattress onto the frame. This is simple to create, doesn’t require much woodworking knowledge, and is lightweight enough that it is easy to transport.
VIEW PLANS20. Upcycled Bed Frame Plan
This resourceful builder used an amalgamation of supplies that he had on hand, including 2×4’s, leftover deck boards, and plywood.
If you’re using different types of wood, just make sure to sand them extremely well before applying paint or a stain. Once they’re polished, the different textures will seamlessly blend in with each other. Otherwise, you can buy some plywood from Home Depot or your local hardware store and save yourself some time.
VIEW PLANSWhat is Reddit saying?
Over in the DIY community, one poster submitted his homemade build of a king size headboard and bedframe.
It was his first serious woodworking project-he says he found some PDF plans online and ultimately settled on this particular design because it was the least expensive lumber.
It was really a lot of trial and error as he put together the centerboard, begin gluing things together, and eventually bought a nailer to attach some of the trim pieces.
He used a gel stain to color it a deep mahogany brown- with the wood grain highlighted by overhead lights in his bedroom.
Some Reddit users sympathized with him saying that indeed a lot of the grain detail was smothered by the stain-the original poster says that the photographs don’t quite do it justice.
A Girlfriend’s Design
Another DIY poster submitted his own minimalist, homemade build, saying he constructed a queen size bed frame for his girlfriend’s birthday present.
I Made a Queen Size Bed Frame For My Girlfriend’s Birthday! from DIY
Because she needed 9 inches of raised storage clearance beneath the bed, that really had a large impact on the initial design and 3D model.
He purchased most of the lumber at Home Depot and since he had all of the measurements on hand he had them do the cutting for him in the shop.
He then installed brackets because they make the rustic bed frame detachable and therefore transportable- great if you anticipate having to move between apartments in the future. He also added some plastic film to keep the mattress from damaging the bed frame itself. And also applied to coats of clear polyurethane to enhance the finish.
One poster said that it could have used a headboard, but the original poster responded that his girlfriend didn’t like how it looked.
You can also use Ana White’s website- Ana White has tons of DIY bed frames submitted by users you can examine.
Headboard Benefits
Another interesting point this poster made is that headboards prevent the pillows from falling behind the bed and also prevent the dirt and oils from the pillows staining the wall. Another poster commented concerning the thin plastic film that it might trap moisture and cause mildew and mold to sprout.
Cheap $40 Build
Another Reddit user submitted a bedframe bill that only cost him $40. This bare-bones, utilitarian option is great for a small, twin bed mattress.
The Reddit comment thread eventually got sidetracked into a discussion of the expense of different tools.
With one user saying that if you scour local garage sales you’ll find many high-quality professional-grade tools on offer including hand drills, drill bits, circular saws and miter saws.
Other users wondered whether the mattress would shift if you toss and turn during your sleep. Reddit user responded saying that the mattress generally stays in the range of the middle of the frame, perhaps only sliding an inch or two, but you typically notice it and adjust. One of the benefits is that it is easy to change the sheets because the mattress isn’t sitting within a deep frame.
Some other people took issue with the lack of a boxspring-with one user saying they become less popular because they take up a lot of space and prevent extra storage room beneath the bed in some cases.
Illuminated Floating Elevated Design
In yet another area of the DIY community, a user submitted a particularly stunning floating bedframe.
Indeed, he submitted pictures that show it literally floating off the ground magically. At nighttime, a light source from beneath the bed adds to its floating, fantastic appearance.
The woodworker provides detailed instructions including how he sourced California Redwood, how he applied internal bracing with two by fours, how he performed right angle cuts, how he built a box support from 5 foot sections of 2 by 10s, and how the mainframe was adjusted to sit on top of the support frame to provide the floating effect.
Redditors were duly impressed- the top poster wondered what would happen if somebody sat on the foot of the bed- whether it has the potential to tip over. The woodworker says that he assessed its tip-over potential throughout the building and eventually added extra support near its foot to prevent it from falling over.
Another user wondered if it could be made larger- the original poster said that the great thing about do-it-yourself projects is that you can scale them up. While he used a queen mattress to figure out the dimensions, you can use a Twin, King or other types of split mattress configurations to accommodate your size.
Adding LED Rope Lighting
Another poster wondered about the lighting- the original poster commented that he had recently purchased LED rope lighting attached to motion detectors.
This means that when he gets up to use the restroom at three in the morning there aren’t any stubbed toes because the rope lights illuminate his nighttime excursion. Another Reddit poster said that if you want to go the extra mile and enhance the appearance of budget bed frames, you should try to countersink the screw holes and plug them up with the same style of wood as the frame itself. Additionally, he constructed it so that it is modular- which means that you can disassemble it using the eight screws that separated into three different parts: the headboard, the frame, and the base.
Advice For Novice Woodworkers
The original poster also had some advice to novices looking to start out but who suffer from shaky confidence. He advised to start small- perhaps build a side table. He also suggests you invest in decent quality tools that are accurate, safe and quick.
Having good quality tools makes everything go easier and they’re much more enjoyable to work with. Finally, he advised that you shouldn’t worry too much about the end result- sometimes blueprints that come out looking a little bit rough around the edges add some fun charm to a living space.
He also had some fun ideas for sprucing up the look even more-running hooks through the ceiling and making it appear as though the bed is suspended from ropes from its four corners, in an almost Japanese aesthetic.
As well, you could have a lot of fun installing a modern waterbed onto it.
Free Craigslist Wood Design
Another poster submitted a plan made from recycled free lumber to create a minimalistic DIY platform bed frame.
He had been considering making an easy DIY Murphy bed, ultimately settled on this plan for a cheap, cool storage bedframe that has a rustic appearance. A lot of the wood he salvaged he got off of Craigslist and from broken down pallet wood. One poster said that he liked the ghetto appearance of this plan.
Others wondered why he made it so much bigger than his mattress- the poster said that he did so because he wanted to eventually invest in a bigger and more comfortable mattress and then employ the extra space to create a nightstand and cell phone charging station.
Submit Yours
Whatever design you end up going with, shoot us an email of your build and we’ll feature it on this page!
4 DIY Ways to Upgrade Your Bedroom
Nowadays, more and more people are becoming passionate about do it yourself furnishings for the household. These are an innovative and engaging way of producing one of a kind items that liven up any room in the house. This includes the bedroom, of course. Bedroom décor projects can be a pleasant experience, but you will need the right approach and materials.
We’ll present you with a few quick ideas that are accessible and affordable and will certainly add a unique touch to the entire area with something as simple as adding a couple of plants or throw pillows.
Bedroom DIY Ideas
Deciding to pursue a sleeping area DIY is simple as long as you have the proper inspiration for what to do. Here are four simple bedroom décor projects that you can easily complete on your own and completely upgrade the appearance of your relaxing sleeping space. All that will be left for you to design afterward a comfortable bed.
- Decorate the Pillows
The easiest way to add an artistic touch to your bedroom is by decorating your plain fabric throw pillows. The bedroom décor project is a simple one, and it can be completed with materials that you can easily find at any local craft store. You will need stencils, stencil tape, tintable fabric medium, multi-surface craft paint, and a few foam pouncers.
To begin, secure the stencils into place using the special tape. Using the color of your choice, mix two parts paint with one part tintable fabric medium, then load the mixture onto the foam pouncer. Dab off any excess, then begin applying a thin layer. If the color isn’t even after the first application, go for a second coating.
Remove the stencil while the paint is still wet, then let it dry. Afterward, you can place another stencil and decorate further, or you can put the finished product on your bed and enjoy your creative sleeping space.
For more information on making your own pillows or pillow decorations, the DIYExperience website is a great source of information on bedroom decor projects, such as pillow covers, lamps, and other such unique accessories that you can make from scratch.
- Replace Old Hardware
To give your drawers a fast and affordable makeover, remove the old handles and replace them with new ones. Even if your bedroom furniture is basic or inexpensive, this easy trick will give it a hint of uniqueness that will certainly change the entire appearance of the space.
And there are plenty of imaginative pieces of hardware you can add as well, so mixing and matching after your own style and taste is rather accessible. For example, Good House Keeping recommends replacing boring and antiquated nightstand handles with rings to add that nautical touch to the entire room that is incredibly on trend right now.
- Add Some Life with Plants
Plants are the perfect idea when you are in need of a quick and easy bedroom decor project for any room, and this includes the bedroom as well. What makes this endeavor so accessible is the versatility behind it. You can choose any type of plant you enjoy to cate to your aesthetic sensibilities, and you can carefully select where to place it to create the desired atmosphere.
One inventive idea that is bound to bring some life into the place is represented by wall plant pockets. They can be easily made from air drying clay and painted in any color of your liking. If you are a fan of minimalism, white is a great choice, but you can pick whatever you enjoy most. Once the pockets are finished, you can transfer plants in them.
- Dye an Affordable Rug
Nothing livens up the bedroom quite like a vivid rug. Unfortunately for us thrifty decorators, this type of item is usually relatively pricey if you go for one that is of decent quality. Still, if you are enthusiastic about bedroom decor projects, you can easily dye a plain one on your own and create a unique piece that is a sure conversation starter.
All you need is a faux sheepskin rug and fabric paint that is suitable for synthetics. The Ikea TEJN rug retails for around 13 dollars, so it is a good one to pick up for this particular endeavor. Simply dye it as you would with any other item and let it dry. If you’re feeling creative, you can even try using more than just one color.
With the right bedroom décor projects, your sleeping area can change for the better in a matter of hours. The best thing about DIY furnishings and designs is that they are one of kind, which means that you will be able to add your own unique touch to the house and make it your own. And, after all, isn’t that what any homeowner dreams of?
Hi, my name’s Elena Coolidge. I’m a DIY enthusiast who loves building fun woodworking plans. These DIY plans are fun hobby projects for enthusiasts or even more advanced builders that want to build things like bunk beds, end tables or even a duck box!
