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DIY Platform Bed with Storage

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How to build a DIY platform bed frame with storage and wheels for our guest bedroom.

We’re finally done with our DIY platform bed with storage that we started a bajillion years ago.

The new full size bed is a perfect fit in this small guest bedroom and offers so much more than sleeping space.

It also has tons of storage and wheels, so I can easily move it away from the wall to make it.

I have to give major props to my mister because he did most of the building on this one.

I designed the bed and primed and painted it, but he did all the heavy lifting.

A bedroom with a platform bed

If you are new here, we have been busy redoing our 2nd guest bedroom the last several months.

I’ve installed a planked wall, made a light fixture, added crown molding and painted the ceiling, trim and walls. 

This is a small room, and a walk through from the kitchen to the back of the house, so a traditional full-sized bed wouldn’t work.

We had a futon in here that we used in Florida for a similar type room but I’ve always hated the look of it so I asked Roger if we could build a full size platform bed frame.

futon in small bedroom

The original plan was to build a single sized bed. After some consideration, we realized that a single bed just wouldn’t be practical.

Our girls come home to visit a few times a year, with their significant others, and a single bed just wouldn’t cut it.

Because of this we decided to build a platform bed frame with storage and use our futon mattress (which is actually a good and really comfortable mattress).

What is the best wood to use for a platform bed?

It depends on the finish of your bed. If you want to have a wood look, you need to use a solid and sturdy wood, like maple, walnut or oak.

If you’re looking for a painted finish you could use something like MDF, which is cheaper than a hardwood.

After looking at all the options for wood at the home improvement store, we decided to use MDF (medium density fiberboard) to keep costs down.

At around $31 a sheet, we bought 4 sheets, which was a lot less than the price of real wood.

Because I painted it, real wood would have just been a waste of money.

wood supplies for DIY platform bed

Building a DIY storage bed frame

I went with a simple design, just a platform bed with storage underneath and wheels. 

Essentially it’s just 2 big wooden boxes screwed together. 

The plan was to the bed frame in 2 parts (boxes). This made it much easier to take in the house (MDF is a very heavy wood).

DIY platform bed for a guest bedroom

We stuck to a simple design but I changed the design plan a bit in the middle of the build.

I decided to use wood to frame out the one end of the bed frame to add a little dimension.

Still simple but it adds a bit of interest.

We also attached pieces of wood inside the boxes for extra support to keep the wood from warping under pressure of body weight.

Wood glue and screws were used to make sure everything was secure.

DIY platform bed for a guest bedroom

The wheels (casters) were the last things that we attached.

We used 6 wheels total, 3 lock and 3 do not.

I won’t be able to lock the ones in the back, against the wall, so there was no point in spending the extra bucks for locking wheels.

adding wheels to a DIY platform bed for a guest bedroom

The circled wood pieces on the bottom of the one box are the supports to hold up the middle of the bed frame so it doesn’t sag.

DIY platform bed | www.chatfieldcourt.com

Done with the assembly and ready for primer and paint, which was my job. I filled all of the screw holes and seams with caulk.

DIY platform bed with storage and wheels

Then I sanded, primed and painted it with 3 coats of Benjamin Moore Advance White Dove, Satin.

Best paint ever!

With the painting done, we put back the mattress from our old futon. 

To keep the futon mattress from sliding around, I used a rug pad under it. Worked like a charm.

Then we added a new white mattress cover, a few pretty pillows and a fluffy throw to complete the bed.

A bedroom with a platform bed

We really needed storage solutions so I found a couple of large baskets in the perfect size and put them in the bed boxes.  

platform bed storage baskets

Now we’re ready for guests!

SEE MORE OF OUR DIY FURNITURE PROJECTS HERE!


Edited: I’ve been getting a ton of comments and emails from people asking for the dimensions of our DIY platform bed frame with storage. We custom made the bed to specifically fit our full-size futon mattress (which is a standard size).

The bed is 55″ wide and it is 76″ long (with each box measuring 38″) and it is 14 1/2″ from the wheels to the top of the bed (height).

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to send me an email or comment on this post.

84 Comments

  1. The whole room looks amazing and the bed looks super cozy! I love your new template too! 🙂

    1. Thanks so much, Susan! I really appreciate it! 🙂

  2. Nice build! Have you had any trouble with sagging over the middle of the basket spaces? Does the fiberboard hold up well enough to keep in square under the weight of one or two people? Does it flex a lot when someone is sitting on the edge of the bed?

    1. Thanks for checking out our DIY platform bed. We haven’t had any issues with the bed sagging. We installed a rib in the center of the bed to prevent sagging in the middle. There are also support pieces on all edges where you would sit and where the wheels are to prevent any sagging or warping.

      Hope this helps. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.

  3. I’m amazed by this! I really want to do something similar except under our couch…probably sounds weird but, I think this type of platform would accomplish what I’m envisioning. I’m guessing it would be shorter but, would love for it to work! Definitely worth a try. Pinning & sharing 😉

    1. Thanks Angie! I think you could make it work under your couch. That’s the great thing about this project…you can size it to fit your needs. I’d love to hear about it if you give it a try. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Holidays!

  4. I will also love the dimensions this will be perfect

    1. Thanks for your comment Rosa. I have added the dimensions in the post so they are easily accessible. Hope this helps.

  5. I would also appreciate it if you could send me the dimensions. Thank you.

    1. Hi Clara. I’ve just added the dimensions to the bottom of my post about the bed if you want to check it out. Let me know if I can answer any other questions. 🙂

  6. Thanks for sharing on Welcome Home Wednesdays! We hope to see you again soon

  7. i LOVE this so much! you can never have too much storage! Thanks so much for linking up with us at The DIY Collective Link Party! Please come back and party with us again next Thursday! xoxo, Cassie @ Little Red Window

  8. Pingback: Sundays at Home Link Party #113 | My Soulful Home
  9. This is so awesome! I love that you added casters to it! It looks so great the way you’ve styled it.

    1. Thanks, Meg. We are thrilled with the way it turned out.

  10. This is awesome! I love the idea of adding storage and wheels to make it work for your space! It turned out awesome. Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday!

  11. How much did this all cost and what bed does it fit

    1. The bed cost us about $160 to build, the caulk and paint were things that I already had, and we used a full-size futon mattress. Hope that helps. 🙂

  12. Great and easy bed frame! I am sharing this on Pinterest.

  13. Margaret Robinson says:

    Hi — I just found your blog and it’s terrific! Happy belated birthday as well.

    You mentioned using a rug pad under the mattress. That’s a fabulous idea and it was one of those “duh” moments. Thinking it might work to keep our bed skirt from slipping around instead of very sharp push pins that can come out. What type of pad did you use and is it the entire size of the mattress?

    Thanks so much and I’ve enjoyed all the things on your site.

    1. Hi Margaret! Welcome and I’m so glad that you found me. I did use a rug pad and it’s just a standard one, mine is cream color with holes in it and a bit sticky, that you can find in any store (I think I got mine at HomeGoods). I just used a leftover piece and tried to keep it as small as possible so that you couldn’t see it. If you are using it under your bedskirt and the bed is used often, I would say go as big as your mattress, you won’t be able to see it anyway. I would love to hear if it worked for you.

      If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me or comment on the blog. Thanks so much for visiting with me and hope you have a great Sunday.

  14. Emma Walker says:

    I would like to thank you for showing this. My question is the final height of the bed frame. Also how much extension would you put around a mattress .Emma

    1. Hi Emma. The bed frame is 18 inches high, I wanted some height to the bed but not so much that you couldn’t easily get in, and it is 1 inch all around bigger than the mattress. I was afraid that if the bed was much bigger than that, you would scrape your legs when you were trying to get out. Hope that makes sense. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Thanks!

  15. Thanks for sharing this! !

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  17. Belated Happy Birthday! Your platform bed is fabulous and I love how you accessorized the room too.

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

    1. Thanks Trish. It’s a tab bigger than full size. We used the futon mattress as our size guide and I think they usually run on the bigger size of a full. Hope that helps. Thanks for visiting! 🙂

  18. You’ve done it again !
    This is just fabulous – unbelievable !
    XOX

  19. I just signed up to get project ideas from your wonderful page & I was scrolling through the different ones you’re done & found the platform bed. I was so super excited because I’ve been looking for super simple instructions & you’ve done it for me! Your design works so much better because it’s myself & my 12 yr old granddaughter building this bed for her room. Thank you so much.

    1. Hi Kathey and welcome. I’m so glad that you were able to find our platform bed project helpful.

      Thanks for signing up and I hope that you will be able see some other projects that inspire you. 🙂 Best of luck to you and your granddaughter with the build of her bed. I would love to hear all about how it turns out.

  20. Just saw this on Apartment Therapy and absolutely love it! You and your husband did such a nice finish on this frame and made it so much more flexible than a traditional frame. Gonna steal the idea – thanks!

    1. Thanks so much Leslie! I appreciate you clicking over from AT and I would love to see your version of our bed. Good luck!

    1. Thanks! I have been using a Nikon D3200 for a year and a half and I love it.

  21. How did you determine the sizes (of the wood)

    1. Hi Hailey. The bed size was determined by the size of the mattress that we were using. We took the length and width of the mattress and added about an inch and a half so that the mattress wouldn’t hang over the frame. Since we made the bed in two parts we just took total measurements and halved them to get two equal size boxes. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions please let me know.

      K.

      1. Hi Kristi, thank you for posting this. Your platform bed turned out beautifully. I was wondering if there are more detailed instructions, like how you all build the boxes and what not? I’m interested in building a bed like this myself.

        1. Hi Jovani. Thanks for stopping in and for your comment about our DIY platform bed. I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond. Unfortunately, I don’t have detailed instructions on building the boxes but I’m sure you can find videos and tutorials online that show the basics. Best of luck building your bed and I would love to see it when you are finished.

  22. Christine Massey says:

    Hi. Kristi! I love your platform bed! I just wondered if you have a post somewhere that the sizes of the pieces of wood you used are listed. I don’t have any cutting power tools and usually ask them to cut my wood for me at Home Depot or Lowes. thanks!

    1. Hi Christine! Unfortunately I don’t have a post with the sizes but we used 3 sheets of MDF and we cut them to make two boxes. The size was slightly larger than the futon mattress measurements (which is not quite full size). So you bed’s size will be dictated by the size of the mattress. I hope some of this helps and makes sense to you. If you have any other questions on sizes, etc., please don’t hesitate to email me.

      Thanks so much for stopping in.
      K.

  23. This is amazing!! I NEED a bed (my mattress has been sitting on the floor for 9 months…) and this one is awesome. I love all that storage in those boxes. So smart. I found your post on the Shabby Nest’s linky party, and then clicked through to this one. Pinning!

    1. Thanks so much Leia for your kind words. My husband did a great job on the bed (I think it’s my favorite part of the room. Thanks so much for clicking over from Shabby Nest and for pinning. 🙂
      K.

  24. That’s great! Thanks so much Denise. I appreciate you ladies hosting your great party every week.
    K.

  25. Thanks so much AmieJo. He did do a great job. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. 🙂
    K.

  26. G’day! Happy Birthday and thanks for sharing at our #SayGdayParty
    Please make sure to revisit if you haven’t already to Say G’day to the hosts and another person at the party!
    Cheers! Joanne @ What’s On The List Pinned

  27. Kristin, Happy belated birthday! I hope you had a wonderful day. The bed turned out wonderful and I know it will be beautiful when you get it all dressed for company.
    xx,
    Sherry

    1. Thanks so much Sherry. Much appreciated. I’m hoping that with paint and fluffing stuff it will turn out like I had hoped. 😉

      So glad you stopped by.
      K.

  28. I agree with Mary Jean about the post. I too am new to blogging and struggle with posting regularly. I lost my Mister in April so have no one to make big projects for me. He wasn’t a very good carpenter but he sure tried. Thanks for the idea about wheels on the bed. I kinda had a duh moment when I read it. I am setting up a quilting/guestroom and was cringing at making the bed up against the wall. Now I know how to solve that problem. One question: Will you close that vent under the bed? I would think it would be a bad idea to leave it open.

    Thanks for blogging, I enjoy your post.
    Debbie

    1. I’m so sorry to hear about your loss Debbie. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy to do your blog while going through this difficult time.

      I’m glad that the idea about the wheels helped you out. My concern was that they wouldn’t lock well, that the bed would still a bit with the wheels locked, but they seem to be working well. No movement.

      The question about the vent…are you talking about the openings in the bed or the vent on the wall? the openings on the bed will have baskets in them and the vent on the wall is the heat return and not an issue. I think you were referring to the bed but I wasn’t completely sure. Anyway, hope that helps.

      Thank you so much for your comment and input on my posts Debbie. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read and always enjoy reading your comments. 🙂

      K.

  29. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! I’m trying to sing this, although you probably wouldn’t want to hear my real voice. I’m not a good singer, more like in the car when no one is with me or in the shower, I sound really good!

    Anyway, hope you had a great day! I like the short posts when you have a huge project that will take some time. I like to see how it’s going. If it’s one that won’t take too long or doesn’t really have stages, like reupholstering a chair or painting a room, the finished project is fine.

    BTW, I think the bed is going to look great. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

    1. Awww, thanks so much MJ. I think your voice is just fine! 😉 I had a great day and ended up eating a lot. Why does everyone want to feed you when it’s your birthday?

      I appreciate your input on the post length. It really helps to get opinions on what readers are looking for. I’m still trying to figure all this blogging stuff out.

      Anyway…thank you, thank you for all of your continued support. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.
      K.

    1. Angela Dick says:

      Is there any way you could tell me the dimensions of the bed? Me and my dad are trying to build this, but I am worried we are going to make the basket areas way too large and it will look strange! That’s really the only area I would like dimensions of. Thank you!!

      1. Hi Angela. Good for you for building a bed. I will email you the dimensions. Let you know if I can answer any other questions. Good luck with your build!

        1. Hi, I am also curious as to what the dimensions are cause I’m building one these for a futon mattress aswell!

        2. Could you email be the dementions as well? I’m just in love with this bed and been trying to find something similar to buy but why not make it lol

          1. Making it sounds like a great idea, Mallory. I will send you the dimensions in an email. Let me know if I can answer any more questions. Have a great weekend.

      2. Kailie Meier says:

        Hi Kristi, could I have the dimensions as well?

        1. Could I have the dimensions as well this would be perfect for my shared ro with my little.

          1. Hi Kayla. I’ve just added the dimensions to the bottom of my post about the bed if you want to check it out. Let me know if I can answer any other questions. 🙂

      1. Hi Gail. Thanks for your interest in our DIY platform bed. The dimensions and everything we did are provided in the post. I’m sorry but we don’t have building plans for it.

        Thank you.

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