Modified loft bed

Submitted by jont on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 21:01

My wife has been asking for a bunk bed for the kids for some time. The room is a little short because it is in a basement and I knew I would need to modify the plans so I procrastinated.
I ended up shortening the height of the bed to 62" total. I also sank the top mattress down because it is a pillow top and the rails were not tall enough. Those were the easy parts. I then had to modify the ladder, I needed to shorten it and wanted a little more angle to it so some high school trig and I was on my way. It turned out pretty good I think.
To save money I used furring strips for everything but the 1x8s. It is very rough and the finishing is not easy on furring strips, but it saves some money.
I had some extra blue from a previous project but wanted it a little darker. I used a flat black water based paint for the base coat then brushed on an incomplete layer of the blue to give it the look I wanted. Sealed it with a clear coat.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~$90
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 17:38

Hi...I'm planning on making this bed for my own room, and I was wondering if the furring strips affected the stabilty or if they are just as sturdy as if you had used pine boards. I'm 16 and around 140 pounds, if i make it with furrying strips do you think it would support me?

In reply to by Guest (not verified)

jont

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 08:31

Furring strips are of lower quality - more knots and splitting. Technically this could effect the strength of the strips, but for the loft bed the main supports are made by attaching 3 1x3s together (increasing the strength synergistically) so I think it would be safe to say there will be no problems with load fatigue. Just be sure to use glue on every piece when attaching together. Good luck!