Having a bed with drawers can help eliminate other furniture in a small bedroom. Using drawer space under the bed can also add storage to free up space elsewhere. For example, you can store linens under the bed to save space in a hall closet. Placement of the bed will make a difference concerning how many drawers to build. You may be able to install drawers on one side of the bed only, if it will rest against a wall. Moving the bed to an angle in the room can make both sides of the bed more accessible, however. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Draw the bed platform and framing on graph paper. Never begin construction until you have created the exact layout for the bed.
2. Create a platform to hold drawers for a bed that only has a mattress and not a box spring. Use plywood to construct a simple flat box that is exactly the size of the mattress. Include a small border around the platform to keep the mattress on top from sliding. Use this method to create a child's bed with drawers, because an adult's bed usually uses box springs along with a mattress.
3. Design drawer height and depth according to the bed's height. Construct a platform to hold just one level of drawers on four sides, if you will use both box springs and a mattress. Build the platform with sides to secure the box springs' total depth. Keep in mind that the box springs will slide off a platform with no sides. Calculate the final height of the mattress, so the bed looks appropriate in the room.
4. Design a bed with a headboard built into the platform. Use this kind of design to give the overall bed more structural strength. Add headboard hardware to match the drawer pulls on drawers built underneath the platform. Use 2-by-4-inch boards to construct the platform and headboard, so the bed will be strong enough to move around without coming apart.
5. Use drawers taken from old chests or buy premade ones. Avoid having to build drawers from scratch, if you can recycle old drawers. Design the bed space around the drawers versus the other way around. Buy high-quality tracking if you will use metal drawer slides for the bed.
6. Use laminate or other products to cover any rough plywood, so the mattress or your clothing doesn't snag on the platform material.
Tags: platform hold, platform with, platform with sides, with drawers, with sides