This has been our toughest yet most fulfilling project, It had a good amount of planning, late night cutting, assembling, staining and in the end all smiling.
For a little while, I have been eyeing at various four post beds. But it didn't materialise because of space constraints in our previous apartment and lack of options that we found here.
So my ambitious self wanted to do a self build of a 4 post bed frame and Thank God Hari even though was teeny weeny apprehensive but nevertheless was happy to pick up a challenge.
We scoured through the internet for ideas, but very few ppl had done this kind of build. The closest we checked was an Ikea one.
So what started with a potential $1000 spend we ended up with custom building it and furnishing it under $150..
And thus began our quest to get a self made four post bed frame:
Step 1: Planning, Measuring and Drawing
Given this was our first full on custom build, we started with the basic measurements and and doing a rough sketch with measurements
Also made a quick note of the raw materials we needed for this project.
1.5"x2.5" pine wood - 4
1.5"x1.5" pine wood - 4
0.75" x 3.5" Oakwood - 1
Angle brackets - 8
Woodscrews
Wood Stain
Sand paper - 200 grit
Step 2: Buy the required materials for the build
Once that was done, it was shopping time. Thankfully we have a Home Depot near our place and the best part was they were able to cut the wood for the main bed frame according to the measurements we had provided.
Step 3: Start assembling the four post frame
This was one step I was initially worried, but given we had got the wood pre cut it was easier than we anticipated.
-Once we have the wood cut to size, the only thing to do build the frame is connect them with the angle Brackets. The idea was to attach the frame one side at a time
-So we started with laying down 2 legs and attach the top beam using the angel brackets and screw them with the wooden screws
-Then move on to the next side and do the same thing
-And then we took one of the attached frame to the headboard. We used long wood screws and screwed them all the way into the bed frame. At least 4 on each side of the frame made it fairly sturdy
-Moving on to the foot on the bed, repeat the same process with the other attached frame. Since this has a shorter support from the bed so top can be a bit wobbly, however they became sturdy once the side beams were fit
-Now for the side beams, its basically the same brackets being attached, only challenge being that it had to be done standing on a step stool. So we did them slowly while ensuring that they were sitting firmly and closely together
-Once the side beams are fit, we were nearly done, the structure was in place
- One last addition was the oakwood that went behind the bed frame as a ledge. We had to cut the corners off the wood to fit it around the posts, and screwed them to the posts with angle brackets. Because it was a hard wood, cutting the corners by hand took a bit of time and effort and I thought it was worth it
-We chose not to glue them together, so that its possible to dismantle them, if we are moving to a different place
Step 4: Sanding, Staining and more staining
- Now that entire structure was in place, we got to a bit of sanding. We didn't go super smooth with the finish, just enough to take the rough parts out and have a smooth enough touch
- Sanding was done and went on to the staining with a nice dark Espresso colour. We had to be careful with the carpets so had the whole area covered to catch any drips and went carefully about using a small paint brush so it took a bit of time to finish
-We left it for overnight drying and in the morning daylight we realised it needed a second coat, and went on about repeating the task. The second coat was actually quicker to finish, and we left it to dry for another day
- We were happy with the finish the following day it was all ready for a dress up
Step 5: Dress up
- I had this vision of having nice and flowy Top tie linen curtains around the posts. Started my search with it and quickly realised they were expensive. Instead got standard linen curtains from Amazon and to give the tie back effect and for easy movement we included Joann's thick cord
The whole build was relatively easier than we thought, more time was spent in the planning and getting the right drapes. I personally feel this has made the room more cozy and dreamy.. :)
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