How to make a bed with an orthopedic base

In the bedroom interior, the bed plays the main role. It should be comfortable, functional, stylish. Despite the large selection in furniture stores, it is still worth making a bed with your own hands. In the store, the price of a bed often exceeds its quality.

Benefits of DIY

There are the following benefits to making it yourself:

First of all, it is not as difficult as it seems.

Secondly, when making it yourself, the selection of materials, the accuracy of the preparation of parts, and assembly are under control. You can make the bed you want, not the one that is offered. The choice of natural, health-friendly materials is very important, because a person spends a third of his time on the bed while sleeping.

Thirdly, a bed made by hand will cost at least 2 times less than a purchased one.

Selection of design and construction

Having decided to make a bed yourself, you should decide on the design and appearance. You should not plan a very complex design if you are not very skilled in carpentry tools. Double beds have a shape close to square, single beds are rectangular.

You will have to choose one of the following options:

• an ordinary bed, used only for rest;

  

• a bed with pull-out storage trays, practical for a small room, allows you to save useful space;

  

• a bed-wardrobe, when the sleeping area is raised during waking hours, it is located in the closet.

  

A bed-wardrobe is perfect for small apartments, and also if the bedroom and living room are combined. But it should be taken into account that making such a bed is more difficult than a regular one.

For a regular bed, you should think about the size and type of legs and headboard. They should match the style of the overall bedroom interior. Depending on the designer's idea, the headboard may not attract attention, or it can become the main accent in the room's interior. It is decorated with leather, upholstery fabric, carving, mirror and wooden elements.

The height of the legs is calculated so that it is convenient to get up. The height of the bed depends on the height of the legs. You should not make short legs if an elderly person will sleep, as well as if there is a draft in the room. High beds look more harmonious in spacious rooms.

The headboard has a practical (protects the wall finish, holds the pillow) and decorative function.

Planning

The manufacture of a bed begins with the selection of a mattress, the dimensions of the base and the entire bed depend on its size. Then materials are selected, drawings and an estimate of costs are made.

The most durable and long-lasting base will be made of beech, ash or oak. The wood of these trees is the hardest, but expensive. Spruce, larch and pine will be cheaper.

You should be careful when buying a mattress. It is better to give preference to an orthopedic one. A bad mattress causes circulatory problems and spinal diseases. The length of the mattress should be at least 15 cm longer than the height of the person sleeping on it.

The dimensions of the base depend on the parameters of the mattress. If the length of the mattress is 2 m, the width is 1.6 m, the height is 0.2 m, then 1.5 cm is added on each side for the base.

The bed base is made of chipboard, wood or MDF. Wood is the most preferable.

Necessary materials

When choosing a material, you should consider its harmlessness to humans, because you will have to spend quite a lot of time on it. The best material is natural wood. It is strong, durable, harmless, but also the most expensive.

• pine timber 50X50 2 pcs. 4.5 m each;
• laminated furniture chipboard (wood chipboard);
• MDF (medium density fibreboard);
• plywood;
• fasteners (self-tapping screws, confirmats, dowels, plugs, eccentric clamps);
• glue;
• edging material.

The headboard, sideboards, and footboard should be prepared. They are made after the design has been selected and the drawings have been made.

Tools

The following tools are prepared for work:

• screwdriver;
• hammer;
• screwdriver;
• drill, drills;
• jigsaw, hacksaw;
• construction stapler;
• knife;
• pencil;
• ruler;
• laser level.

Mattress base

The support for the base is a structure made of 50 x 50 mm timber. Purchase 2 pieces of 4.5 m each.

Pay attention to the appearance of the timber and storage conditions. It should be stored under a canopy, resting on pads. A warped timber with high humidity will deform the bed. Blue or black spots indicate that the wood is infected with fungus. It cannot be used to make a bed.

It can be left unplaned, as it will not be visible in the finished bed.

The base is a rectangular box. To make the finished product look attractive, each part should be sanded or sanded with a sanding machine before assembly.

1. The elements of the box are laid out in the form of a rectangle, their perpendicularity is checked and they are fastened to each other using metal corners and self-tapping screws.

   

2. A prepared beam is attached to the side parts on the inside for reinforcement.

   

3. When connecting parts, for reliability, the joints are coated with wood glue. The length of the screws is selected so that it is less than the total thickness of the elements being connected. Otherwise, the screws will spoil the appearance.
4. If the bed is very wide, then it is worth making a partition in the middle along the box.

   

5. It is recommended to deepen the mattress by 5 cm from the upper surface of the side part. At this level, the slat is attached to the side parts.

   

   

   The slats will rest on it. They are located across the frame, with an interval of no more than 15 cm. The slats are made of slats or plywood 2 cm thick. The length of the slat is measured by the width of the box.

The next stage is the headboard. It is made of chipboard, the fibers are arranged vertically, across the workpiece. The lower edge is processed with a milling cutter so that the back looks more attractive. The milling cut should be taken into account when drawing up the drawings.

Stepping back from the lower edge of the headboard, 3 holders are attached with screws and glue at the edges and in the center. The holder is a 20 cm long bar.

Posts, pre-made from the board, are attached to the sides of the headboard plate. Posts can be turned, carved, and different decorative techniques can be used. Everything depends on preferences, skills, and financial capabilities.

The profile is attached to the headboard with dowels glued on.

The footboard is made and attached in the same way as the headboard. The only difference is that it is lower than the headboard. It is attached to the side rails using eccentric ties.

Sequence of actions when assembling the bed base

The bed is assembled at the place where it will stand.

1. The supports are attached to the main beam.
2. They lay down the mattress support and secure it.
3. Holders are attached to the backs, and a beam is attached to them.
4. Install a base for the mattress: plywood or chipboard.

The build quality is assessed by the following criteria:

• no play;
• the bed is stable;
• the fasteners are positioned evenly;
• there are no smudges at the gluing points.

Podium bed

The base of the podium bed is made from timber and boards 22 mm thick.

The entire structure consists of three blocks, which are manufactured separately. The side block is attached to the headboard strictly perpendicularly using wing nuts. This will facilitate assembly and disassembly of the structure. The blocks are assembled using 8 mm diameter pins. The central block divides the entire structure into two parts, each with a drawer. For the walls of the drawers, a 16 mm thick board is needed, for the bottoms - 10 mm thick plywood. Skid runners are attached to the side walls of the manufactured drawers, which slide along the corresponding parts fixed to the frame partitions. The drawers should not be made very deep, otherwise it will be impossible to pull them out completely.

The blocks are fastened with support beams, which are fastened with screws or self-tapping screws. At the end of the work, the front panel is installed. The frame is primed and painted in a color that matches the interior. All joints, seams, and material defects must be carefully leveled before applying the coating.

If the podium bed is located next to a heating radiator, ventilation holes must be provided.

You should not place such a bed near a window if there are children in the family. The risk of a child falling out of the window is very high. If there is no other place for the bed, then the window is opened only for ventilation.

Decorating

The finished bed is covered with stain, varnish, paint. Everything depends on the designer's idea.

Pine boards covered with stain do not give an even tone due to the resin they contain and become stained.

A bed made by hand is an original product thanks to its unique decoration methods.

The following techniques will emphasize the important role of the bed in the bedroom interior.

1. Place the bed on a podium. Suitable for a spacious room with high ceilings. Otherwise, the room will look overloaded.
2. Build a canopy. It is attached to cornices cut into the ceiling. The bedroom will become more romantic.
3. Selecting a color scheme. It is recommended to make the bedroom in calm colors. It will look more interesting if the bed becomes a bright accent.

The headboard can be decorated in the following way.

1. Use acrylic paints to create an interesting image.
2. Use vinyl stickers.

   

3. The fabric upholstery, which is easy to make using padding polyester and a stapler, can be additionally decorated with appliques and embroidery.

   

4. The headboard is decorated in an unusual way using rhinestones and glue.
5. Mosaics made of ceramics and glass look stylish.

   

6. One or more small mirrors look beautiful.

Decorative items can not only be made by yourself, but also ordered from specialists or bought in a salon. For example, carved legs, a headboard decorated with wood carvings give the bed solidity.

A bed made with your own hands is cheaper than a similar design in a furniture store. At the same time, the materials will be of higher quality. In the process of manufacturing, useful skills are improved, creative opportunities are opened.

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