DIY Platform Bed

I wanted a platform bed for my foam mattress but everything I found was too expensive, too high, the wrong size, and/or too modern in style.  Ultimately, I decided to make my own bed.

The bed I made is for a queen mattress, which measures 60” wide and 80” long.  If you have a different size mattress, you will need to alter the measurements accordingly.  I built my bed in two pieces (60” x 40” each) so it’s not too large or heavy for me to move.

Cost: $60
Tools needed:

• Drill with bits and screwdriver
• Wood screws in two sizes -- The #12 x 3” shown were overkill; #10 x 3” would have been better.  The #8 x 1.25” were great for attaching the OSB.
• Tape measure
• Marker
• Square
• Level
• Gloves
• Safety glasses
• Jigsaw (optional)
• Earplugs (optional)
• Felt strips (optional – not shown)

You could consider safety glasses optional, I suppose, but I personally don’t want the option of a wood splinter in my eyeball. :P

Materials needed:

• Four 60” long 2x10s
• Six 37” long 2x10s
• Two 40” x 60” pieces of OSB (not shown in photo)

Don’t have a power saw?  Home improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowe's will cut the wood for you.  They're supposed to charge 25 cents per cut after the first two, but the friendly orange-aproned employees have never charged me for cutting.

Why not 40” for the shorter 2x10s?  When you build a box, you need to allow for the thickness of the outer sides.  2x10s are 1.5” thick and you have two sides, so that’s an extra 3”.  Here is a diagram (most definitely not drawn to scale).

Assemble the first half of the bed using two of the 60” and three of the 37” 2x10s.  Pre-drill the holes, two per end (about .75” from the end of the board) and two in the middle of the 60” boards.  Drive in the larger wood screws.  Use the level and square as needed to ensure your bed isn’t (too) crooked.

Optional:  Cut a notch for wires.
I have an electric blanket, and the wires need to run to the foot of the bed.  I used a jigsaw to cut a notch for the wires to run through.

Place the OSB on top and attach it using the smaller screws.

Optional: Apply felt strips.
I didn’t want to chance any scratches to my brand-new floor, so I attached peel-and-stick felt strips to the bottom of the bed.

Repeat to assemble the second half of the bed.  Place the two halves of the bed together.  In the photo, you can see the black plug of the power strip at the head of the bed and the two electric blanket wires coming out at the foot of the bed.  The power strip, wires and transformers are hidden under the bed. :)

Because OSB is rough, cover it with fabric before putting on the mattress.  A bedskirt will do the trick, or use an old sheet.  Your bed is made!