Introduction:
In today’s compact living spaces and lavish amount of house items, it gets difficult to accommodate everything. But don’t fret. Instead of thinking of expanding horizontally, utilize the space vertically. Wondering, how? Well, build a loft bed. It can not only accommodate a horde of objects such as your table, TV but even another bed can be glided under. Building a loft is extremely simple. Here are some useful tips:
Items you will need
a) Lag bolts; b) Pieces of plywood (sizes: 2X6s and 4X4s); c) Screws for fixing the ply
Instructions:
1. Plan the design
Before you start work on building the loft bed, you will need to plan everything right from the material required to the pattern you would like.
2. Use the mattress as a measurement guide
After the initial planning, place the mattress on the floor as a measurement guide and start the process. First build a box on the mattress, big enough to accommodate the mattress. Leave a little space at the edges to fit linens. Make use of 2X6 wood pieces to construct the sides of the bed. To make a base for putting the mattress, place a big piece of plywood on the box.
3. Connect the plywood to the box
The plywood needs to be connected to the rest of the box with the help of screws. Screw dry wall screws at a distance of 2 feet to fix plywood to the box.
4. Designing and rules of designing the bed
Designing a bed can be a daunting process if not done in a proper manner. So simply follow the rules. First of all remember even soft wood can hold a good amount of weight. In fact, you can make both the bed and bed post with 2×6 sized wood. In case you are making a bed for a minor you can use wood of 2×4 size or even smaller.
5. Supporting the top deck
Metal connectors can be used to support the top deck of the platform. A connector can be placed in between the long wall and top rail, at a distance of 12 inches each. The connector needs to be lined up and slide centered by a 2 by 4 support into the connectors slot.
6. Making the ladder to the loft bed
You need a ladder to climb up and down the bed. To make a ladder you need one inch thick wood slats. Each slat needs to be placed 10 inches to a foot apart at a slope of 60 degrees. After the ladder is done, attach it to the bed with screws.
Tips:
1. To get an aesthetic look, you can round the top and the bottom edge of the outer face of the rail support. This can be done while you prepare the rail support. Remove half the wood at the top and bottom of rail support at 45 degrees and round them over with a sander.
2. When you fix the slats, use only one screw at each end for support. However, fixing screws is not a great support to prevent the slats from sliding around.
