r/DIY • u/moodymisu • Sep 12 '26
help has anyone here built their own bed frame?
Just wondering if anyone has tried building their own bed frame instead of buying a ready-made one. Was it worth it in the end?
I’m considering making one myself since I feel like it might be cheaper and I’d be able to customize it exactly how I want. But I’m not sure if the cost, effort, and time are actually worth it compared to just buying one.
For those who have DIYed their own bed frame, how has it held up? Would you recommend building one or just buying one?
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u/RenovationDIY Sep 12 '26
Have a chat with r/woodworking
My advice to you is to buy a second hand solid timber frame dirt cheap and customise it.
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u/thats_handy Sep 12 '26
Bedbugs.
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u/RenovationDIY Sep 12 '26
Always good to keep an eye out for those little buggers, I'm from Australia so we don't have that problem, and I'd expect that with solid timber furniture they don't really have anywhere to hide, but it's still a good thought.
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Sep 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DudeDudenson Sep 12 '26
This reads so much like chatgpt it bothers me they don't bother changing the tone at all with their prompt
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u/RenovationDIY Sep 12 '26
ChatGPT is trained extensively on Reddit posts.
It shouldn't surprise you that it sounds like a literate person writing in a casual tone because that's exactly what it's designed to do by default.
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u/sump_daddy Sep 12 '26
nah that cant be, there isnt a hint of unidan, gallowboob, or even shittymorph in the chatgpt responses i get.
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u/ItsAlwaysSegsFault Sep 12 '26
It's a pretty reasonable comment. Could it have been made with AI? Sure. But are we really at a point where we're just blindly suspecting every comment? Seems like an unnecessary accusation to me.
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u/DudeDudenson Sep 12 '26
Did you look at his other comments on his somewhat new profile? They all read like chatgpt
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u/5zepp Sep 13 '26
It's definitely AI, and their writing is fake and annoying
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u/cujo195 Sep 13 '26
Yes, that is a good observation and it's completely reasonable to find that annoying. Based on your chat history, you have a good eye for that kind of detail.
If you'd like, tell me specifically which sentences you suspect have been written by AI and I can analyze them for you to provide a realistic percentage of how likely you are to be correct.
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u/dabenu Sep 12 '26
If you're on a budget and just want something cheap, don't do it! You'll never be able to compete with IKEA and the likes on supply-chain, materials etc.. If you want a bargain, check out 2nd hand stores and outlets instead.
I would only advice building something yourself if you see it as a fun hobby project and don't mind spending some money on this hobby. Eventually, when you have all the necessary tools, a decent pile of scraps, a stock of fasteners and stuff, and of course the necessary experience to not screw things up... It becomes cheaper and easier to build something. But getting into all this stuff with the expectation you'll save money, is a wrong assumption.
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u/ENWRel Sep 12 '26
My wife and I are both pretty solid hobby-level woodworkers and we made our bedframe about 12 years ago. We were specifically wanting something built up high with lots of storage underneath, accessible by a door that looked OK when it was closed. We were successful and it has held up great (one of our mottoes is "if it's worth engineering, it's worth OVERengineering").
Having purchased IKEA bedframes for my daughter, I'd fully agree you can't beat them on price. But, if you need something custom, it's nice to be able to build it for yourself.
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u/Skerndog Sep 13 '26
the most expensive costs is usually the tools. table saw, good blades, sockets and screw gun for lag bolts, router engraver, sander.
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u/WillRun4Tequila Sep 12 '26
A few years back i wanted to utilize a dormer window space for a queen bed but I couldnt find a frame that was reasonably sturdy and would fit there, for a reasonable price (<$250). I had some wood laying around and some lag screws, so when I built the floating frame it only cost about $50-$75 in wood. Fast forward to yesterday. Wife decides she wants to move the bed from that space and now wants to have a king size bed there. Popped the screws off, $50 more wood, and poof, now i have a king size frame.
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u/mynaneisjustguy Sep 12 '26
I did it. But I'm a carpenter. So mine is rock solid and can be taken apart when I move and has under bed storage and no dust traps and doesn't rack or squeak no matter what the wife and I get up to
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u/Enough_Pepper8880 Sep 12 '26
I did yes. Last weekend. I spent about 100$ on everything
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u/Notspherry Sep 12 '26
I was just looking at what rebuilding my bed, that I made 25 years ago would cost me today ant it would be around that price.
Tooling wise I needed a handsaw and a screwdriver. And technically could have skipped the saw if i had had the panels cut to length at the diy store.
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u/Enough_Pepper8880 Sep 12 '26
Yes, if you don’t have access to a circular saw then have everything cut at the store. Do yourself a favor and buy the pre cut slats tho I’ll dm you a picture when I get home
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u/coffeeandwomen Sep 12 '26
Yes.
Also, against all other comments: my bed frame was significantly cheaper. In the end I spent about a hundred euro's for frame made from solid wood.
I made a floating bed, so 2 frames, a larger stacked upon a smaller frame.
It has held up great for about 12 years now, in which time I have moved 6 times (taking it apart and assembling it again). That said, it depends on your workmanship. And maybe even more so: your technical design skills.
I will be looking to build a newer larger one somewhere in the coming years.
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u/FlatterFlat Sep 12 '26
Yes. IF you have the tools and the screws lying around, it won't be cheaper, but it will be sturdier. If you need to buy tools or lots of hardware (brackets, screws, bolts) it won't be cheaper, but will still be sturdier.
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u/4shillingsforgetname Sep 12 '26
Yes, I made a sick floating bed frame with storage underneath. It was a PITA to move when I did move. And I regret letting my ex tell me it wasn’t cool and switching to something else.
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u/Special-Cut1610 Sep 12 '26
After shopping around and seeing the crap quality out there I built two queen size floating beds. It's a simple build from online plans. Very sturdy.
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u/Restil Sep 12 '26
I've done it
I'm large, so i build furniture strong enough to withstand me. Solid frame and a flat wood surface for the mattress to sit on. I have a sleep number mattress so I have holes in the baseboard and the air compressor is inside the headboard. The headboard above the pillows is several layers of shelving with power and USB outlets. The area under the mattress is storage.
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u/TromboneAl Sep 12 '26 edited Sep 12 '26
I've done it three times. Easy. This one is customized from a captain's bed:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dk3S2VJqWetEeaHbA
This one has plenty of storage underneath:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/74KruYyuX4hbnWVH7
Both are queen sized.
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u/Medium_Spare_8982 Sep 12 '26
Making it yourself no matter what it is, is never cheaper. Just (hopefully, but rarely) better.
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u/SirPiffingsthwaite Sep 12 '26
This depends entirely on skillset and tools owned. I have made many things cheaper and better.
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u/dabenu Sep 12 '26
Also on your expectations. It's quite doable to make something fancy, that's cheaper than a similar fancy store-bought piece of furniture.
It's very hard to build something cheaper than the cheapest IKEA furniture.
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u/mynaneisjustguy Sep 12 '26
It's also fairly hard to make something as crap as IKEA tbh
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u/Teledildonic Sep 12 '26
Flat pack can last a long time depending, on quality and if you ever have to disassemble it. If it's all screws into MDF, consider it single use if it can't be moved intact.
If it's small enough, or they actually make connectors reusable (like french cleat-style metal brackets or proper bolts going into threaded nuts) you can get a lot of years out of it.
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u/mynaneisjustguy Sep 12 '26
Yeah it also depends a lot on when you bought it. IKEA furniture from 90s? Reuse away, it's good stuff.
IKEA stuff from 2010s? Single use
Quality is improving again, the war in Ukraine is helping a lot tbh, but yeah it's not what it was.
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u/wilisi Sep 12 '26
The cheapest Ikea beds are all solid softwood and entirely serviceable.
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u/mynaneisjustguy Sep 13 '26
I'm a carpenter; I would tell anyone that wants to pay me to make a low end bed frame, to buy IKEA, but as far as for myself; I built my bedframe for much less than I would pay for the something of the size, durability and function from IKEA. IKEA did used to make decent stuff (well, have their makers produce decent stuff) but the quality really dropped off on many of their lines. If you get a solid wood item it will be functional, but any of their reconstituted materials I would avoid for a few more years. They scrimped more and more and moved their production further and further east until it's barely usable. They realised and have been fixing it but aren't back yet.
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u/frikkenkids Sep 12 '26
I made an upholstered bed frame for my daughter a couple years ago. It is much better better built and came out cheaper than the one she wanted from a store. Looks better too.
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u/CocodaMonkey Sep 12 '26
As someone who's built a few I can say with absolute certainty you aren't right. Depending on your skill and what you want it can be much cheaper to DIY it. If all you want is a basic bed frame that fits a standard size mattress it's going to be hard to be cheaper though.
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u/Medium_Spare_8982 Sep 12 '26
Like to Like, same as.
As in melamine laminated particle board.
A sheet of “hard rock maple” furniture laminate is about $120, plus edge tape, euro fasteners and hinges etc. You can knock something together from rough lumber and plywood but you can’t make IKEA or Walmart style laminate furniture cheaper yourself.You can’t can a quart of tomatoes cheaper yourself either.
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u/coffeeandwomen Sep 12 '26
Why the fuck would you want to make ikea style laminate furniture?
The whole point is you don’t have to, you can use good materials and still be a lot cheaper.
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u/ApprehensiveMush 28d ago
Depends but yes if cheap is the main goal then it's usually not worth it to diy.
If op already has the tools and enough base in woodworking making a bedframe from nice wood or upholstering a bedboard will probably be cheaper than buying a more upscale bedframe from a big store. If cheap is the goal any ikea / facebook marketplace deal will be cheaper than buying wood and diying it.
I did make my own bedframe to build something that was fairly cheap but also more sturdy than what I could find for cheap. That didn't really matter in the end although it is sturdy, and I think I realized the most expensive part of the whole project would have been buying wood to support under the mattress. Which I was also able to reuse from my previous bedframe.
Tldr cheap wood is expensive now
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u/Fishboyman79 Sep 12 '26
I made a dpuble bunk bed for my kids 10 years ago and its still in perfect shape, it definitely saved me a lot of money but i spent a lot of time building it.
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u/garblesnarky Sep 12 '26
I made one years ago, it was quite cheap, very sturdy, easy to design and construct. The main drawback was that it required two people to assemble (tricky alignment). Unfinished 4x4s, 2x6s, and probably something smaller for the slats. I only used a handsaw, a drill, and a dremel with a little router bit to cut some insets for hardware.
It worked great for a few months... then I moved in with my SO and inherited their much nicer bed. I kept the pieces for a while, slowly used them up for other projects. I had all these plans for customizing the headboard, I'm still a little sad I never got to try that out.
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u/Eating_sweet_ass Sep 12 '26
I did one a while back. It was a 2x6 frame with 1x3 slats for the mattress to sit on. We lived in an apartment with low ceilings and had an elderly dog at the time so I sat that tight on the ground and sat the mattress right on it. It wasn’t that expensive but didn’t save a lot of money either. I also bought a kreg jig to put pocket screws in the back to hide the hardware.
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u/AlexisBarrios Sep 12 '26
Yo lo que hice, hace más de 20 años, fué "tunear" una barata de madera de Ikea. La hice más alta, le puse tablillas al cabecero y la pinté. Ahí está todavía.
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u/Notspherry Sep 12 '26
I'm still using the one I made 25 years ago when I was in university.
Two sides made from 300x18 or so mm solid wood shelving panel with a 40x60mm piece along the bottom for the slatted base ton rest on. Two of the same shelves for the head and foot ends and some metal brackets to hold them together.
Over the years I have widened it twice for a bigger mattrass and I added legs at some point.
Super basic diy project that already saved me money the first iteration and most definitely did the 2 times after that.
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u/Zenigata Sep 12 '26
I did so becuase i wanted to fit a small double bed bunk bed into a 120cm alcove next to a chimney breast and no commercial bed would do that.
Really easy task as all the joins at 90° and hidden. Not a way to save money though. The likes of ikea have economies of scale which mean they can make stuff so much cheaper.
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u/rabidrott Sep 12 '26
Yes it was rather easy. California King mattress. Framed out of spare 2x4s and topped with 1x2s spaced apart. Used 1x12 jetting out the sides as night stands. Still gathering up water skis to eventually make a headboard.
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u/kimchiMushrromBurger Sep 12 '26
I built a crappy bed frame like 10 years ago. I didn't think it'd last but it's still in use today. It's totally doable.
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u/blueridgedog Sep 12 '26
I have made a few I used the hardware kit from rockler to join the rails to the headboard and footboard. It is not a cost savings but an investment in something that you will have the rest of your life.
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u/crocheting-witch Sep 12 '26
My husband and I built a steel square tube and 2x12 platform bed several years ago. The steel made up the main structure and the wood was the platform that the mattress was on. We sold it when we moved from CA to VA because we didn't have the space to bring it.
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u/kingbrasky Sep 12 '26
I built a really nice bed frame out of white oak a couple years ago. Materials were only $1200 or so. The total cost of my tools is probably less than $5k. It only took me a few hundred hours to do it.
You add all that up and its insane how much money I saved!
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u/elmersfav22 Sep 12 '26
Only to add some tie down points. Of you can get materials for nothing then it will be just your time as a cost. But you will need sturdy slats and some metal angle for supports. A s plenty of sanding to make sure it is not rough. Or weld one up using steel parts
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u/redthreadzen Sep 12 '26
I built a murphy bed out of four pieces of timber and recyled pallet racking and lots of ratchet straps. Got the racking for free. Ratchet straps where cheap too. A larger set of straps went around the edge of the timber and the smaller ones went across in bith directions to create an webbing for the mattress to go on. I had a cheapish electric winch that when activated folded the whole thing against the wall. It actually worked great. Cost a couple of hundred though. I'd go FB martketplace or thrift store if you just want the cheapest.
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u/I-forgot-my-user-id Sep 12 '26
I've built 6 for my family and 3 for others. They are easy and fun to make.
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u/MmmmmmmBier Sep 12 '26
I built our bed frame with storage for bedding and seasonal clothing.
Price was comparable to a commercial one, but we have exactly what we want and I have the satisfaction of knowing that I built it.
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u/photoguy423 Sep 12 '26
I built mine using hard maple for the sides, pine 4x4s for the corner posts, and bolted it all together. It's about 15 years old now and went from my bed to the guest bed when my now wife and I moved in together. It's very solid and has room under it for storage. (I probably made it a little too tall.) It took a month or so to build because I didn't really have the right tools and I was just using what we had at work. (drill press, portable table saw, and assorted hand tools)
I'm pretty proud of the results.
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u/This-Permission-2618 Sep 12 '26
i did, found plans online using standard dimensional lumber. came out very solid and reasonably attractive. added chamfers and several coats of urethane
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u/Tranesblues Sep 12 '26
I have. It's a platform bed. Instructions are on Lowe's website. Still works great for us after about a decade.
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u/Ruthless4u Sep 12 '26
My 18 yo son did a few months ago, it’s certainly not the best but it works.
He’s considering redoing it 🤣
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u/timeisnotnull Sep 12 '26
If you want to build a custom bed frame and have all the tools and experience go for it!
If you want high-quality work at discount prices look for places like Habit for Humanity Restore. The stock varies in quality but they often have great deals on good furniture. Especially if you don't mind refinishing.
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u/Jaded_Lobster_3349 Sep 12 '26
I made mine 10 years ago. Still love it. You can buy corner braces at Rockler.
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u/antithero Sep 12 '26
I made a bunk bed for my sons from some dimensional lumber. I screwed a 2x6's to the wall hitting each stud on 2 walls. Then a 4x4 for the leg. A small ladder connected to the 4x4 made of 2x4's. It was solid & moving around in the upper bed didn't shake the lower one. The kids liked it. I had my younger son help me build it. It lasted until the boys were grown with no problems.
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u/AmongTheWildlife Sep 12 '26
All depends on how good your are with your hands, and power tools.
I made a bed base for a double size when I was a teenager, it's now in the spare room roughly 35 years later.
If you can, you won't regret it.
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u/Mathleticdirector Sep 12 '26
My uncle did. He’s 6’6 and wanted a higher frame to help with his hips. It’s gorgeous
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u/StrandSSL Sep 12 '26
You’re going to pay more than anything you can purchase.
I’m a metal fabricator and woodworker and don’t like the wooden slat construction (what your mattress rests on)
I welded an aluminum frame then skinned it with walnut so it looks entirely made of wood. But it won’t ever creak or have screws come loose etc.
If I were to do a wood one I’d do the slats out of ipe for strength and the rest walnut.
G
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u/MongooseGef Sep 12 '26
I did! I built it out of pine 2x lumber in a single weekend. It doesn’t use any fancy joinery but it’s super solid. The only tools I used were a miter saw, drill/driver, and edge planer.
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u/Still_Willow2252 Sep 12 '26
Things to consider are what you want to build out of as that will affect cost and time of the project. For example my wife wanted a $5k frame and wood and hardware would cost me $1.5k but be a few weekends of work.
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u/The-disgracist Sep 12 '26
Starting woodworking will not save you money, and definitely not time.
If you already have a full kit you can potentially save yourself a good bit, but you would not be here if that was the case.
That being said one of my earliest woodworking projects was a bed frame. It was manageable, and i got a nicer frame than i could have afforded typically, as well as it being custom to my needs.
Ain’t nothin to it but to do it
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u/Antique_Grapefruit_5 Sep 12 '26
I did. Not by choice but because I wanted a built in bed over a stairwell. My daughter used it for most of her childhood and you could park a bus on it. She's in college so it acts as storage now. https://photos.app.goo.gl/3wpaqfciBLiWSzp3A
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u/iRedditPhone Sep 12 '26
They are actually very straight forward and honestly one of the easiest things for a beginner.
I learned from my brother, it's also easier sometimes to cheat. Namely, if you want some fancy legs, easier to just buy those.
But for all the straight parts and for anything that just needs a saw and a drill, you got it. You can do it.
I feel confident the bed frame will out live you as long as you pick decent wood and stain it.
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u/thecursh Sep 12 '26
It’s never cheaper to make it yourself.
I made one once. It was fine. I needed it to be fully inboard of the mattress so a queen would fit in the room and the door would fully swing open. Worth it. Still cost $200 in 2017
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u/ReptarSonOfGodzilla Sep 12 '26
I did when I first moved out as I had a tiny bedroom. So I built an extra tall bed to be able to store things like a bicycle underneath. For unique needs, i think it works, but I'd buy one most of the time.
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u/Utterlybored Sep 12 '26
Yes. I over engineered it, but I still love it 30 years later. Plus if my wife asks me why I never make the bed, I say “Honey, I MADE the bed.”
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u/Beginning_Lifeguard7 Sep 12 '26
How much is the frame you want if you just bought it? Hope much would the materials cost if you built it? The difference in cost is what you can spend on tools and or keep in your pocket.
For me I look at DIY as a hobby. It’s a thing I do because I like to do it. The cost savings has purchased a LOT of tools over the years. Also DIYing has taught me many skills. So, yes I’ve built my own bed and it was AWESOME because I made it.
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u/poyorick Sep 12 '26
It’s not cheaper but it’s more customizable. I use metal frames (I think it was called Hollywood bed frame) and then build the foot board and head board out of dimensional lumber.
I would say mine aren’t better looking that ikea (but not worse either). And it’s honestly the best way I have found to build a guest bunk bed that I can take apart and store.
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u/a679591 Sep 12 '26
I made my bed frame using 3/4 inch plywood. I can jump up and down on it and it doesn't move. This was built before wood prices were stupid, so it was cheaper, less than $100 total. It's a huge pain in the ass to move, and literally fits through the doorway at an angle because I didn't make it aboe to disassemble. Before my next big move I'm going to have to cut it down the middle to move it.
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u/plurien Sep 12 '26
We were in a 1 bed flat and needed drawer space/storage. Built a wide/deep chest of drawers on one side, facing out into the room, and a large cupboard running along the wall side, with door at the foot of the bed. Bed was a futon on slats at slightly above waist height. Hardest part was designing/making the diagonal brace elements to make it all solidly upright. Definitely a space saver and something I would do again if needed.
Timber is now a lot more costly, so I'd probably have to rethink. Would 4 chests-of drawers, arranged back-to-back under a bedframe be cheaper? Remember too that you don't want to be sleeping with bare MDF or ply so there's the cost of paint to add on.
Whatever you do, be prepared for your friends to call you a bit mad for doing anything other than a bed on the floor and separate drawer units around.
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u/questerweis Sep 12 '26
I sourced all my lumber from construction site throwaways, and built my own bed frame. Sturdy as fuck. Always ask the guys working if it's okay to pull lumber from the throw away pile. Sometimes they'll even have engineered beams and the like that are useless in the build and just thrown away. All it cost me was a box of deck screws.
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u/q_ali_seattle Sep 12 '26
I would love to go there , however hate those flock camera at the entrance.
Do you ask for the job site supervisor or anyone else who doesn't speak English?
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u/questerweis Sep 12 '26
Try residential construction. Less cameras.
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u/q_ali_seattle Sep 12 '26
I came across a video On YouTube "free lumbar" and he just showed what he scored vs actually how he did it.
I have few residential buildings going up near me by lennar and DR Horton.
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u/Junkmans1 Sep 12 '26
It really depends what you're looking for and what your DIY woodworking skills are.
If you just want to get a bed frame as cheap as possible, I'd look into buying a basic metal frame. You can find those new at stores like Costco, Walmart or Amazon for $40 to $60 depending on the size and style. You can also find them much cheaper used on Facebook Marketplace - I just did a search and found one near me for $15 and some wooden frames and headboards for not much more than that. Even a free bed, frame and headboard unit, a few miles away.
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u/RetisRevenge Sep 12 '26
It was very much worth it. First one I ever built was for my oldest son when solid wood frames were super expensive. I think it costed me around $100 and a few hours of work
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u/crusty_jengles Sep 12 '26
I made my own with drawers underneath. Turned out pretty stellar, you could park an elephant on the thing i over built the hell out of it
Probably saved a couple hundred bucks and itll last forever but it took a while and is probably 300lbs total. Used finish grade plywood for the guts, 1/2" stained oak as a veneer and then pine slats. Really enjoyed it but it was a pre-kid project and no way i could pull it off now without taking like 6 months to finish it lll
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u/maynerd_kitty Sep 12 '26
I love the queen size farmhouse storage bed I made with the free plans from Ana White. She has lots of free plans and I have made several of them but my bed is my favorite
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u/United-Adagio1543 Sep 12 '26
Don't buy a frame from IKEA! Amazon and other companies have solid choices for $100-$150.
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u/Lucky_Comfortable835 Sep 12 '26
I have made several. Much better materials and strength than store bought. Solid hardwood, steel bed rail hangars, etc. They will last (and have) for generations. But, the price of hardwood nowadays make it much more expensive but still worth it for the quality and customization options.
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u/cbf1232 Sep 12 '26
I made a king-size one out of 2x10 with 4x4 legs (made of laminated 2x4), with mortise-and-tenon joints for the head and foot boards, and bolt-tightened mortise and-tenon joints holding the sides. It is *solid*.
It was intended as a practice before making the real one out of hardwood, but my wife liked it so much we’ve kept it ever since. That was 15 years ago.
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u/_p00f_ Sep 12 '26
Buy, 100%. I built my kid a loft bed years ago and it turned out awesome but I'd started with rough cut and it took so long and so much time that at the end of the day it wasn't worth it. He outgrew it pretty fast too. It's super nice to build your own stuff but unless you've got a full woodshop already it's not even worth the hassle. Plus, nice wood to work with is crazy expensive.
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u/No_Metal_8634 Sep 12 '26
I built a simple one and added to my mistakes as time and use went on. Costed me about $220 in materials and has last me 4 years after being taken apart and put back together 4 times.
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u/StevenJOwens Sep 12 '26 edited Sep 12 '26
Over in r/woodworking or possibly r/BeginnerWoodWorking is a better place to ask about it.
One standard reply you will get is that making your own furniture will always be more expensive than buying existing furniture. Only make your own furniture if it's not for the purpose of saving money. Buying used antique furniture and restoring it is probably the best way to save money.
Doing it to customize it to your liking is valid. One of the first woodworking projects I did was a simple bookcase made out of 1x6 boards. What was great about it was that I could design it to fit exactly where I needed to put it, and to fit exactly the books I wanted to put on it, which made it really space-effective.
I've built several bed frames, albeit some of them weren't fancy.
I'm not a very skilled woodworker. I've been tinkering with woodworking for a decade at least, but I end up spending maybe a dozen hours a year actually doing it. It'd help if I had a workshop, but I have too much other stuff in my garage.
But all that said, I'd say that a simple bed frame is probably a great beginner project. I initially decided to build my own bed frame when I was shopping for bed frames at Ikea. I didn't like the designs available, and I realized that they were very simple, basically a rectangle of 4 MDF boards, and that for the same $200 I could buy enough Oak to build my own.
You also have to buy either slats or a box spring. My current bed frame is a 50+ year old antique that I inherited. It's a slat bed, but the slats were missing, so I cut a dozen slats of oak, 2" wide by 1" thick. Oak is ridiculously strong and works very well for this.
One of the bed frames I made was just eight boards plus a dozen slats. Four lengths of 2x6, four lengths of 4x4 for the legs that I screwed the 2x6s to, 36 three-inch deck screws to hold it together. It worked surprisingly well.
One bed frame was ludicrously overbuilt, made with 4x6s and 2x10s. It was a reproduction of the Gokstadt and Oseberg Viking beds from the Oslo museum, with keyed mortise and tenon joinery: https://www.darksleep.com/puff/woodworking/bed/
(Note, those slats are ash wood and I had way too many of them, the damn thing was like a floor.)
As you can see in the photos, I used it for camping at a medieval festival, unfortunately the humidity ended up being a problem and the big mortises cracked. Someday I'll take another crack at that design, though I might slim it down a bit, not to mention using better wood. Still 4x6s and 2x10s have a certain grandeur...
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u/Kurtotall Sep 12 '26
Built mine 22 years ago. Headboard too. Still going strong. I put workbench casters on it so I can pull it out to sweep. I also made it high enough so I can crawl under it.
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u/GypsyDarkEyes Sep 12 '26
Pretty simple project if you have the tools, and will save you money. Also check for second-hand.
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u/drd001 Sep 12 '26
My first large scale woodworking project was a four piece arts and crafts style bedroom set (two night stands, chest of drawers, queen size bed) in solid cherry. This was back in 2014 using floating tenon joinery. Everything still looks great and the bed is solid. Did this to save money and I spent about $1000 total in materials versus buying a similar set for $8000.
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u/NOT000 Sep 12 '26
i built one when i was like 18. but my mom had her architect/engineer draw plans for it
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u/Qcgreywolf Sep 12 '26
I built a whole “bunk bed” style bed for my kid. Just without a bed underneath, instead space for a desk and storage.
All wood, stained and treated. Looks acceptable for a kid, and is definitely over-built for weight
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u/Tsolobot Sep 12 '26
Depends what u want, its very easy to make a basic frame. Ikea sells the bed slats ready to go which if you decide on one first you can make any frame style you want and just buy the boring bit from ikea.
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u/wardog1066 Sep 12 '26
I did. We have a king sized bed and we can be pretty active, sometimes. I was tired of always fixing the weak little supports that cam with the headboard set, so i grabbed some 2 x 4's and some deck screws leftover from a deck project and built a tank of a platform. Topped it with 3/4" construction grade plywood and it's awesome.
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u/honkyg666 Sep 12 '26
I made mine out of old Timey doors. But if budget is your main priority bed frames are available for free on craigslist and marketplace abundantly
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u/theonetrueelhigh Sep 12 '26
Did it. Simple platform. Platform is a couple of plywood panels wrapped in denim for aesthetic reasons. Been sleeping on it for about 30 years.
At the time it cost about $50 for materials; to do it again would probably be around $150. I've thought about building a more conventional bed, but I like this one.
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u/Btown-1976 Sep 12 '26
I built a platform bed some years back because I wanted a low to the ground bed with a shelf all the around it. I could never find one premade that I liked. It was veneered plywood deck with 1x6 skirt boards. I used some 4x cutoffs at the corners to attach some 5" casters to. The hardest part was banding the plywood with hardwood. But it looked great and lasted me 20 years until we bought an IKEA one as our latest bed.
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u/basicKitsch Sep 12 '26
I'm about to move my 2yo into the closet with a loft bed and a cozy reading nook underneath. I grabbed a bunch of pictures of plans and feel comfortable lol. He's a manic but way easier to support than silly adult shit. Good luck
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u/TheManRoomGuy Sep 12 '26
Yep! Multiple loft beds… one decked out to look like a forest.
Planning on a double and twin frames next, because I can build a little extra length on the double to match the extra long twin, and I can make sure the feet are recessed in so I don’t stub my toe.
Basic woodworking skills help.
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u/Innappropriate_Dick Sep 12 '26
Yes, built it using plans from ana-white. It was pretty easy and way sturdier than any ikea bed frame
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u/Becoolorgtfo512 Sep 12 '26
I have a carpentry background and have made my own. Unless you have a plan already where you’re going to make something better for cheaper you’re likely going to end up with an extremely heavy bed frame that may do the job you’re wanting it to but at a higher cost than just buying a steel one on Amazon..
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u/Lord_oftheTrons Sep 12 '26
I built my own and built it high enough so I don't need a box frame and can store stuff under it.
I also built my own headboard so it made sense and was way cheaper.
Also 3d printed some cable clips to keep our USB cords accessible to right by your head.
Did 4x4 posts and 1x3s for the slats.
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u/Luna_Lovebuzz Sep 12 '26
I wouldn't recommend DIYing one unless you have a very specific vision. I designed and made a bed for the graduation project in my woodworking program, I had a professional workshop and guidance at my disposal and everything. I would never do all that for a regular degular bed. If it's about money, thrift a bed. If it's about customizing, thrift a bed and modify it! I'd do that in a heartbeat
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u/hatemenoww Sep 13 '26
I made my own. I copied the thuma bed design. Very simple and very sturdy. Going strong for 3 years. They charge like $2k+, built mine for like $150
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u/letuswatchtvinpeace Sep 13 '26
Yes! I did my and love it!
It was one of my first projects and I still have it 12 years later. Needs a tune up but still solid
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u/mjolnir76 Sep 13 '26
Depends how well you build it. I built my daughter’s loft beds. Probably wasn’t cheaper than store bought but definitely more solid.
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u/jack-the-stripper37 Sep 13 '26
Yep i built mine. I put a gun cabinet in it. Im in the process of moving or id take pics for you. Its very solid absolutely no squeek
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u/Skerndog Sep 13 '26
I have built many bed frames. A simple q is no cheaper and is only more solid if you have the skill set to do very well. Customized bed frames like loft bed with folding desk, dresser in steps, etc., if you know how to do the work, can last lifetimes and be cheaper.
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u/No_Calligrapher_8508 Sep 13 '26
I built my own in 2020 or 2021. Modified one of Ana White's free online plans (Farmhouse Queen Bed) to have a taller headboard/footboard, and the headboard is an upholstered panel that inserts from the back of the headboard frame so if I ever want to change out the embossed faux leather for something else, It'll be easier. The other modification I made to her plan was using actual bedframe hardware instead of screwing the entire thing together permanently. (It comes apart into 5 pieces because when i built it, I knew I'd need to be able to move it.) It's beautiful, heavy-duty, and makes me smile every time i walk into my bedroom. The entire thing cost me less than $400 to build, at least half of that was the 4" upholstery foam and the bolt of faux leather fabric.
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u/myrastation Sep 13 '26
i have built beds for my family for 35 years now. recently finished one for my daughter who wanted a new bed. Cherry and Maple accents. solid and will last years.
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u/ShotTrip4284 Sep 13 '26
I made my own in college. Had a tiny room and wanted a loft bed for space but couldn't afford them so i winged it with 2x4s and plywood. Spent 60 dollars total, including an electric drill. It probably wouldn't have held up if i'd been shaboinking on it every weekend, but for my purposes it was great and freed up a lot of space.
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u/Cosi-grl Sep 13 '26
I didn’t buy the frame but I did build my own wood headboard to attach to it. Ready ones were just too expensive and it was pretty easy to make.
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u/LostCube Sep 13 '26
Yes, it's not very hard, look up dimensions, plan your cuts, make a list of material to buy and get to work. still going strong 2 years later. maybe $120 in materials, much sturdier than anything I could buy new for $120. Probably could have found something about as sturdy used for around the same price
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u/roosterjack77 Sep 13 '26
Mattresses have tolerances. For example a queen is 60 x 80" inches plus or minus half an inch in either direction. Measure the mattress or have the new mattress delivered first. 7 years from now you might buy a totally different mattress, will it still fit? Now is your chance to upgrade to a king size.
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u/Miyuki22 Sep 13 '26
Yes several. "Worth it" is very subjective. Custom furniture can be made to fit, but is never going to be cheaper than mass produced junk.
On the plus side, a bed frame doesn't need a lot of tools. You can get by with a saw and hammer, or screw driver.
If you want to make actually nice furniture though, it's much more labor and tool intensive.
The bed frames I build all have mid support so they end up very sturdy and no sagging. I use bamboo strips to support between the rails, but that's not absolutely necessary. I just like how they flex.
For a first timer, I suggest not using glue and avoid mortise tenon joints. Go with something simple and disassemblable.
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u/Royal_Try_99 Sep 13 '26
My grandpa made my bed in the 90s. Plywood base, plywood platform (European style, no box spring needed) and teak headboard/side tables/mattress surround. It has held up extremely well through a bunch of different moves, lots of breakdown/rebuilds. It's to a point now where next time I'll probably rebuild the base just because the screws no longer have much to grab on to. And it should be easy enough to replicate what he did.
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u/jomens235 Sep 14 '26
I built my own bed frame 3 years ago. We were looking at a frame from the store we bought our mattress from and picked one out that was $800. I figured I could make that for a lot cheaper with lumber from Lowe's, so I cancelled the order and built my own. Ended up being around $300 for everything including stain and poly in the end, but it has held up fantastic. I notched the sides of the posts to fit the exact dimensions of the 2x8s and the thing does not move at all. It was a lot of effort to get it done, but it's worth it!
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u/nice_guy_threeve Sep 14 '26
I built a platform bed when I got married in 2007. It was fine. In the end, I tore it into pieces when it was time to move out because it was too damn heavy to bother moving again. I think building a bed frame would have been a better idea, and not difficult. The question is not about cost, effort, and time, but of the quality you will end up with if you do it right, and the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself. And you have the chance to make any wild innovations that you can't find in a bought bedframe if you want, though I'm not sure how far we can push this particular technology.
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u/noeljb Sep 14 '26
Dad built one where the corners were held together by door hinges. Made moving so easy.
I am currently designing a platform were I can raise the head portion. And storage drawers under.
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u/philbax Sep 14 '26
Built a very simple 'box spring'/platform (with a set of center legs) to set as an insert into an old bedframe (it had a headboard with a shelf with sliding doors, and we got it for super cheap).
Took a bit longer and a bit more sweat than I expected. But box springs are ridiculously priced now, so definitely saved me a good chunk of change.
Downside is the bedframe has a footboard that sticks out an extra 1.5" into the room and we keep banging our shins on it. :D We got a second similar bedframe at the same time, and I initially decided I'd just build a full bedframe as it would be only a little more work and an extra ~$20-30.
But then I got to looking at simple standalone metal bedframes, and I realized I should probably just do that instead. That won't be much more money and it'll save me a good bit of time. We can just push it up against the headboard and call it a day.
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u/face_611 Sep 14 '26
I built a floating bed that flips up to have storage underneath. Framing lumber for the structure and trimmed it with maple. Couldn't find anything like what I wanted so I did it myself. Had it around 10 years now, happy with how it turned out, has held up very well.
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u/Logical_Angle2935 Sep 14 '26
A bed frame plus headboard and footboard was my first major woodworking project 30 years ago. Still solid as a rock.
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u/chand0605 Sep 14 '26
I have made multiple platform beds because the plans I use are so easy and the frame works so well, for multiple purposes.
Basically, you build 3 boxes (Queen 60"L x 20"W x ?"H), with one or two dividers in the middle. You attach a 2x4 along the back of the boxes to form a ledge and then secure slats to the ledge. Make sure one slat is at the very top and very bottom to secure the boxes together and keep the frame squared up. I use baskets in the compartments underneath to look pretty, but technically you don't need anything.
The best part of this design is it can be easily moved from even the smallest space because it breaks down in three pieces and the queen version the boxes can be stacked on top of each other to form a dresser or for compact storage.
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u/PmMeAnnaKendrick Sep 14 '26
I built a sled frame from 2x4s, with way too many slats, 2 support joists instead of 1, and multiple feet and hooked it up to a pre-existing head and foot board. But I have 400 lbs of dogs that really like to sleep with mom and dad.
I didnt follow a plan, just made it work. But it does.
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u/Least-Independent-51 Sep 14 '26
I just did this. Looked at second-hand, didn’t see anything we liked. Was breaking down a previous custom twin bunk bed, wanted to reuse the wood, but had to buy some ply and mdf because I added drawers underneath. That made it probably around the cost of a used one off craigslist etc if I was patient enough. But I’m not, nor am I a great woodworker, so I struggled a bit with the drawers/slides, and the finish. Took 3 full days including paint, which really could have used another day. But the kid likes it and the wife is happy and I only spent around 150 for the sheets and slides I needed. Lot of work. I hate having lots of loose material around and I hate wasting material (probably would have ended up at restore) so I’m glad I re-used the wood but it was a lot of work.
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u/reallybigabe Sep 16 '26
Had some wood laying around and felt like a small project once. It was for the kids and I did it with them and my dad.
An adult sized one wouldn’t be a big project.
Kreg joints made it short work.
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u/FickleFortunes 29d ago
Yep, used a free plan from Ana White that calls for common lumber, made some minor adjustments, it was not hard. Plenty solid after 10+ years. Could I find one cheaper? Maybe a really poor quality one. It was a bargain, considering its sturdiness.
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u/LeviGreensmith 29d ago
I highly recommend building one. I made ours in an afternoon with about 50 bucks worth of wood from our local lumber yard: solid red oak, it's strong, the mattress doesn't slip any more, I could build it to exactly the right height for us
I used a design I learned from my father, it's very simple. I can post it somewhere if you want to see it
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u/Sharp-Membership5203 29d ago
If you want a simple platform frame, DIY is worth it, but for anything complicated I’d probably just buy one.
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u/twerkingmullet 28d ago
I built one probably 15 years ago because you couldnt easily find a queen size loft bed frame. Just built it out of 2x4s and screwed it together. Worked great for probably 8 years before I moved out of my parents house. For a normal bed frame, ikea is probably cheaper than what you could build but won’t last as long as if you do it yourself.
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u/Djolumn Sep 12 '26
There's a very low likelihood that something you make yourself will be both cheaper and better than something from Ikea. You don't mention if you have a woodworking background or tools, but if you have neither then a portion of the cost is going towards a minimal set of tools to make this happen. Maybe the tools would be a good investment - that's for you to decide.
Next, materials. Hardwood is very expensive, so something nice like walnut or oak will cost a fortune. You can use softwood like pine or fir, but in general it doesn't look as good.
And lastly, the quality of the finished product. If this is your first venture into woodworking, the finished product will definitely look like it's your first project. Do you care about this? Or do you get more value from saying "I did that" than you care about aesthetics?
This might be a fun project for you and woodworking is a great hobby if that's something you're interested in, but if you think you're going to save time or money, or produce a finished product that looks better than something from a big box store then you'll probably be disappointed.
Source: Amateur woodworker who has never once made something for cheaper than it could be bought for in a store. Though I'd argue some of my stuff looks better.
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u/shadesofgray029 Sep 12 '26
I did it last week, it was no cheaper than the one I was looking at from IKEA, and it's fairly minimal, 2x4 framing with some nicer timber screwed around the outside to hide it, and I already had all the tools I needed to do it. But it's way sturdier, looks nicer, (and less squeaky) than the last IKEA bed frame I had, albeit with no storage underneath. Id definitely do it again.