I have added 12 easy methods for you to build a floating bed frame at your home following these simple steps.
However, you need to know whether these bed frames are stable and supportive enough to hold weight and the cost required to build it.
How to Make a Floating Bed Frame? You can make a floating bed frame at home with wooden sheets or slats of appropriate size and nail them together to make a rectangular boundary. Then, add small sheets to create several compartments on the foundation and attach the support box. It takes 2 to 3 days and costs under $500 to make a wooden bed frame.
These beds are different from the traditional ones as they are lower towards the floor and seem floating but are not.
They have almost the same frames as others, but the makers create their supportive base in size that is not visible from an upright view.
Floating beds add charm to a space and appear as statement furniture, which makes them popular worldwide.
These simple and elegant beds are the best choice for a minimalist theme room and become the piece of attraction due to the floating illusion.
However, they are costly to buy and install, so better try yourself and make one of your choices, according to your room’s style.
The biggest advantage in doing it yourself is that you can construct with scratch and design a small, queen-sized, and double-shelf kid’s bed.
Start with planning and designing the bed frame
Take a paper and sketch the base and support box to understand how to proceed because you will find difficulty creating compartments in the foundation.
Also, decide the length and width of every piece on this paper and then bring the wooden slats.
Measure its length and width using a measuring tape and cut the wood into the required size.
Preferably, a width of 8 inches is suitable for the slabs of the underlying box, while the slabs of the base of 10 to 12 inches are suitable.
Now cut smaller pieces to create supporting compartments in the base, and you will require at least 9 to 12 slats for both structures.
Make base or foundation of the frame
Start with securing all the pieces together to make a foundation, and you will need to drill holes in all of them.
You need five long slats of the same length according to the desired furniture length and two slabs of the desired width.
Assemble the cut slabs in an open space to make the bed’s boundary and attach them with the screws and nails so you will get a basic structure.
Place it on the floor and start gluing the remaining three longer slats vertically on lateral sides.
Gluing is necessary to get a primary grip while you want to secure them permanently with drilling screws.
It will create four vertical sections in the base, in which you have to attach smaller wood pieces to divide each section into three units.
Glue the smaller slabs horizontally one by one in each section and secure them with the screws in the end.
Do the same with the other three sections, and you will see around 16 compartments in the base foundation, and it will look like a wall-mounted book shelving unit.
Make the supportive platform or box
The platform should be smaller than the base to hide it underneath for a floating look, so you have to cut its slabs around 2 to 3 feet smaller in both length and width.
After cutting, glue the four boundary slabs together, attach them permanently with the nails, and place them on the floor for the next step.
For this, you need three slats of the same size for the length and two of the same size for the width while four smaller pieces to make compartments.
Build the boundary of the platform in a similar way as the foundation and add two small pieces horizontally on each section.
Assemble both structures
Place the support box on the area you want to place the bed and place the base frame on it. Do not forget to keep the box in the center for better support.
Secure both the structures together by drilling screws, and you can also add brackets to make them more supportive and firmly attached.
In some cases, you need additional wooden pieces to fix both of these together, and I think this is a more reliable method than the brackets.
Build headboard and place plywood
You need 3 to 4 wooden slabs of the length as the width of the base and assemble them parallel on the floor.
Take two smaller pieces, place them on lateral sides, one on each end, and fix them with the nails to create a headboard.
Place a plywood sheet by cutting it into the accurate size and place it on the mattress, pillows, and other essential items.
Can you add LED lights to a floating bed frame?
The addition of LED lights on the floating bed frame is aesthetically pleasing and can bring grace to a simple room.
It is an additional step, and you have to attach the LED strip to the support box on all four boundary slats.
Take a long LED light strip and stick it on the support box’s slabs using double-side tape before attaching the base to it.
Stick it towards the upper side on the slats, and it will throw light lateral and outward for better vision.
I have seen some people stick it strip on the foundation, but I do not prefer it because it will face downward in this case, throwing light on the floor.
What is the cost of making a floating bed frame?
Usually, it is much affordable when you make it yourself because you will only have to pay for the materials and not for labor and brand.
I construct the whole frame with an attached headboard for around $400 to $450, of which $350 were for the wood, and the rest were for nails, screws, LED lights, and other essentials.
On the other hand, the brand offers these beds with a range between $900 to $1000, which is relatively pricey than a custom one.
However, it depends upon the cost of wooden sheets in your area and the size of furniture you want to make such as, standard or queen size.
What styles and color schemes can you choose?
It is the most important aspect in my view because a floating bed is a kind of stand-out piece, and it should contrast with everything surrounding it.
Its color and style determine the aesthetics of an area, so observe the room first and think cleverly about what suits it and whatnot.
My bedroom has a monochrome, pastel theme, so I decided to keep the furniture minimal with light-color wood and a smaller headboard.
The frame size should be your first consideration which means a sleek style will suit smaller room space while a queen size is best for a big room.
Wood is the most appropriate material for it, and you can choose between light and dark wood depending upon them.
The style of the bed should be contemporary and minimalist with a light color theme walls and curtains.
The frame with or without a headboard is your choice, but I recommend no board on the head in a small room.
While some detailing and exaggerations on it will go well with bright walls and a color pop theme.
A huge art piece on the wall behind the bed or a patterned wall is preferable when you are going with no headboard style.
Stain the wood to match the color of other wooden furniture in the room, if necessary.
Make the frame larger and place a smaller mattress on it for a modern and tumbler theme.
Decorate it with floating shelves on both sides that you use as side tables or go for built-in side tables.
Dark, textured, or honey-colored wood with the same-material nightstands and side tables are most suitable for a masculine room.
Light-colored, upholstered headboards look better in a classic, traditional theme room, while you have to attach these separately on the wall.
Are floating beds stable?
Most people ask about their stability because they do not have legs and the same question arose in my head when first I look at these.
You do not have to worry because they are 100% stable and safe furniture that can hold sufficient weight.
There is a supporting box beneath the base frame, which is much smaller in dimensions than the above foundation, on which you rest the mattress.
This assembly makes it look like it is floating on the floor and has no attachment on the floor or the wall.
However, some have central supporting box installation while some makers attach the box towards the head side in modern-style furniture.
Is it easy to make a floating bed frame?
The construction of this furniture is easy in my view as I built one for my room five months ago and it was a task of only two days.
All you have to know is how to make the bed’s base and platform with the wood, and you require some guidance for this.
The construction will not take more than 40 to48 hours when working continuously, while I made it within 20 to 25 hours.
I was not sure because I did not know how to support it without legs, but I examined it at my friend’s home and got the idea of its frame.
Do I Really Need a floating bed frame?
They are lighter and easy to move because they do not have a spring box.
Usually, these are simple in style and have no intricate design, so you can easily clean them.
The low-profile assembly makes it look more modern and upgraded.
Add an impression of space and wideness in the room.
They offer additional space to store things underneath the bed.
You can place any mattress on it without worrying about the size.
You can add several decorations around it, and they all suit well with it.
Drawbacks
There is no doubt that these are unique and fashionable and can bring charm to a pale room, but everything does not suit everyone.
They can not hold as much weight as traditional ones.
Cleaning the space under it is comparatively difficult because they are more grounded.
You can not make such furniture with other materials like metal.
They are not comfortable for older people because it is not easy to sit on these close-to-ground beds.
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