A closet with a shelf is the starting point for a hideaway bed.
Building a hideaway bed in a closet is an imaginative child's dream of a sleeping space. Whether you're designing a closet loft bed for a young person or a young-at-heart adult, the closet bed provides an imaginative sleeping solution in a small room. Depending on the size and configuration of your closet, the bed may be a narrow bunk suitable for an active child or a full-size loft bed installed in the top of a walk-in closet. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Remove the sliding closet doors and closet shelf. Store in a safe place; you may wish to reinstall them later.
2. Measure the inside of the closet, width and depth. Also measure the space from the closet shelf to the ceiling to ensure that there is enough space to sit up on the bed.
3. Locate the studs in the wall with a stud finder. Mark the center point with a pencil, all the way around the interior of the closet.
4. Cut the 2-by-6 boards to fit the length of the closet. Install one in the back of the closet, with the top at least 2 inches above the closet rod. Predrill and screw the board to the studs, using two lag screws for each stud.
5. Install the second 2-by-6 in the front of the closet, at the same level and parallel to the one in the back. Predrill and screw through the 2-by-6 board and into the studs flanking the closet door, using two lag screws per stud.
6. Measure the space between the parallel 2-by-6 boards. Check the width at both ends; closets are not always perfectly square. Cut two 2-by-2 boards to fit into the spaces. Predrill and screw the side boards into the studs, even with the tops of the 2-by-6 boards.
7. Cut a piece of plywood to fit on top of the 2-by-6 supports. Insert into the closet to make a bed platform. Predrill every 6 inches, through the plywood and into the 2-by-6 supports. Screw together with deck screws.
8. Cut a high-density foam pad to fit onto the platform using an electric carving knife. Insert onto the bed platform.
9. Attach a recycled bunkbed ladder to the outer 2-by-6 support with deck screws.
10. Screw closet rod supports to the inner edge of the closet door opening. Cut a 1-inch dowel to fit across the closet door. Add curtain rings with clips to the dowel and insert into the supports. Attach fabric or light-weight curtains to cover the opening, completing the secret hideaway bed.
Tags: 2-by-6 boards, closet door, Predrill screw, 2-by-6 supports, boards into, closet shelf, closet with