How to measure the Mattress

To start I needed to know how big to make the frame for the bed, and this meant finding the right size mattress and the dimensions

My wife and I had used and been very happy with our Dunlopillo mattress and we had recently changed our 15-year-old mattress for a new one and were very pleased and we sleep really well on ours, so I looked at the same for my daughter.

I searched online for a good deal on a mattress and found what I was looking for on Amazon.

Mattresses come in various sizes and this time rather than a super king-size, I need a standard single which should last for years. Here are the main types and their sizes:

Name	Width	Length
Cot	60cm (23”)	120cm (47”)
Toddler	70cm (2’3”)	140cm (4’6”)
Small SIngle	75cm (2’6”)	190cm (6’3”)
Single	90cm (3’0”)	190cm (6’3”)
Small Double	120cm (4’0”)	190cm (6’3”)
Double	135cm (4’6”)	190cm (6’3”)
King	150cm (5’0”)	200cm (6’6”)
Super King	180cm (6’0”)	200CM (6’6”)

Designing the Loft Bed in 3D

 With the dimensions of 90cm x 190cm, I sketched up some ideas for the design on paper, then checked how much space I had in my daughter’s bedroom. 

With this information I could design the loft bed in 3D CAD, to give me the sizes and materials list I would need to make the frame, legs, and slats. I used AutoDesk Fusion 360 to create this design, you could use Sketch-up or Inventor or any 3D package.

I decided to use dowelled and screwed joints to fix the frame together as this would allow me to make the frame in my workshop and be able to take it apart as required to paint it and then move and assemble in my daughter’s room, as moving it in one piece would be too heavy and too big to go upstairs and through doorways.

There are many ways to join wood from the simple pocket holes all the way to finger joints or dovetails. I choose screws and dowels as I like to keep things simple where possible it just makes things easier.

I kept the design simple to make the build easy and as quick as possible and work within my skills set with just a few challenges but not too many if you would like to make the bed yourself you can access the plans here.

So what to make the bed from?

With the design sorted out and plans drawn up, I worked out how much material I would need. 

There are several ways to make this type of bed and this is by no means the definitive or the best way, you could use plywood, new solid wood, reclaimed boards, or a combination of all of these, it really depends on what you have available, your preference and your budget.

I choose to use a combination of new solid wood for the sides and reclaimed pallet wood for the legs, slats, and supports. This helps to keep the cost down and I can use some of my available stock.

Time to chop it all up!

First things first, I measured all my sections and marked them out ready to be cut. Following my plans, I doubled checked all my sizes.

Using my job site table saw and mitre saw I set up stop blocks to give accurate repeatable cuts, checked the blades were set square and true, and set about making lots of noise and sawdust.

Typically I cut the longest pieces first, then work my way down to the smallest sizes that way if I make any mistakes, which do happen from time to time, I can usually sort out small replacements.

Any rough pieces that I had salvaged from pallets I ran through my planner and jointer to get flat and square reference edges, I then finished them up on the table saw.

Drilling Lots of Holes

With the stock all cut and sized, I followed my plans and marked out all the hole locations, using my square and a sharp pencil, then centering the holes with a hammer and punch.

Moving over to my drill press I drilled and countersunk the holes, I was using 6mm screws for the sides along with 8mm diameter dowels to reference and support the joints.

With this size hole, there was no need to use a pilot drill, I simply ran a 7mm diameter drill through for the clearance holes on the sides. I did use a small pilot to start the threads in the end sections.

To make this quicker I use a drill and countersink bit, this means the holes are kept aligned and I don’t have to change the bits over for every hole.

Once the pieces that needed had clearance holes, I could offer them up for dry fit and mark where I would need pilot holes. In the mating pieces.

To hold the frame together whilst I check then fit, I used quick clamps to hold the legs against a solid support, in this case, I used my workbench as this is sturdy enough and means I had both hands free to mark the positions and holes. 

Even though I was using self-drilling and tapping wood screws it’s still a good idea to run pilot holes, especially near edges as this avoids cracking and splits.

First Dry Assembly

Now all the parts were machined and drilled. I fully assembled the frame, legs and slats to check everything fitted.

I noticed a few slats needed trimming, which did over on my mitre saw, and with that done they all fitted well.

I decided to add some corner blocks to increase the stability as this bed was around 900mm high, it was going to move around, and without them, it was just a little too much.

Trimming the ladder

So the bed was looking good, the legs and slats all fit, I just needed to make the steps for access to the perfect perch.

Steps are made up of two vertical side pieces known as stringers and the flat horizontal steps that fit between them.

Working back from my plans and checking with the actual sizes I planed squared a couple of pieces of pallet wood that had the least knots and holes.

I chose to put these at an angle rather than just straight vertical rungs, although this would take up more space, I thought it would be safer and allow my daughter to see where the steps are.

You can change this if you want to, and I may do so in time, the steps will simply be screwed on, making it easy to remove them.

I marked the angle I needed, I used 15 degrees which is not too steep. This needed to work with the sides of the bed and the fixings, to ensure it would be strong enough.

Once I had marked the angles on the wood, I taped them together allowing me to cut both at once, this means they will be exactly the same and I only have to cut once.

I set them up on the table saw, however, the angle was too much for my small saw, so I set up a straight edge along my marked lines and used my jigsaw to cut them. You could do this on a bandsaw or with a circular saw.

A word of caution if you are cutting with a jigsaw check the blade doesn’t wander to flex as mine did slightly, this wasn’t a major issue as I intended to clean up the edges on my sander anyway to remove any cut marks

Cutting the rabbits

To fit the steps I used my Bosch trim router to cut out three rabbits on the inside of each of the stringers. 

These flat bottomed grooves will give the steps support on either side.

I set some guides hard up against the step as this gives a good fit. I was using some scraps of wood that had straight edges and clamped them in place and run a ½”  flush cut bit to trim the rabbits out.

Each of the stringers was cut about ⅓ deep to support the steps and then the steps were glued and screwed for added strength.

Cutting the Rabbits can be done with a sharp chisel and hammer but with 6 to cut that would take a while so I opted to use my trim router which made really easy work of this step.

With the Steps built I offered them up to the side of the bed frame and marked where to cut the top section to allow for access on to the bed. 

The steps can be put at any place along either side of the frame to suit the room and I chose the position that would work best in my daughters room.

Only the top rail section would need to be moved or remade if the steps need to be moved.

Ready for finish

With all the parts cut and sub-assemblies glued and ready, I sanded everything down knocking off and sharp edges, first with 120 grit and then with 180 grit.

The stairs and top edges were rounded over using the trim router and 6mm rounded cutter.

As I had used some reclaimed pallets to make several parts of the build I was going to fill and paint the surfaces.

This always takes time and is messy but putting in the effort always pays off and filling and sanding using a good orbital sander doesn’t have to be a chore.

Always wear a good quality face mask when sanding to avoid breathing in the fine dust which can cause problems if it gets into your lungs.

Once I was happy that the holes and blemishes were gone, I cleaned all the parts first with a vacuum cleaner and then with a damp cloth to remove and lose dust or dirt.

Then on with the knotting compound to seal the knots, and then using a smaller roller I applied the primer evenly over all of the surfaces.

 I left the primer to dry for a few days. I was making this bed in the winter and the temperature was low 2 or 3 degrees C. This meant the primer and paint would take a lot longer to dry than I really wanted.

Ideally paint should be used at around room temperature which is  21 degrees Celsius (69 degrees fahrenheit) to allow it to dry in a few hours.

Rubbing down each piece between coats with 180 grit and then 220 grit sanding paper to get a smooth surface, I used an orbital palm sander to quickly sand the large areas and then a sanding block to get into the corners and the detailed areas.

Before applying the next coat of paint all the surfaces are vacuumed and wiped with a damp cloth to remove any dust or lose dirt. 

I chose to use a small roller to apply the paint finish, this way is quicker than using a brush and less messy than using a spraying system. You could use any of these methods if you have the space and tools.

Final Coat and assembly upstairs

With the last coat of paint applied I used white satinwood which gives a good quality solid finish not as shiny as gloss which I find too much but you can use any good wood finish to get the results you want.

I chose white because it is fairly inexpensive and it’s what I had in my shop, but also white can be a base for all sorts of other things like stencils and stickers and as my daughter grows and her tastes change she can alter the look of the bed to suit.

With everything dry time to transport the parts up to the bed room and assemble them. 

This took about half an hour and with the final slats held in place with a small screw at either end the bed was ready for the mattress.

I think the final result looks great and my daughter loves it.

Related questions:

How much does it cost to build a loft bed? 

A loft bed is not expensive to build, budget for $100 – $150 for a simple single sized bed. 

Larger sizes will need more materials and stronger support for the mattress and additional weight and therefore costs will be higher, budget on spending around $500 for a simple strong loft bed with a good quality finish.

Costs can increase as you add with more features, including a desk underneath will give you more use but add cost to the project.

How High should a loft bed be?

Ideally there should be enough room to sit up comfortably in the bed without hitting the ceiling, leaving at least 30 inches or 750mm clearance should work for most people.

If you make your bed too high, it can be difficult to access when changing the bedding so remember to allow for this when you design and build yours.