Made this loft bunk a few hours at a time, over the course of several months. Spare time and weather in Utah has been less than cooperative. I used some back pack strapping screwed to 1x3's for the mattress supports. For the finish I used 2 coats of paint with primer, and 3 coats of high use water base polyurethane. With a 5 and 7 year old I didn't want to be worried the paint would be getting dented and chipped off for a long time. I wanted to stain it originally but failed to remember to wipe off the wood glue before it dried so it got painted. This was a very fun project to build, my son loves it. Now to build another one for his sister.
Estimated Cost
$85
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded one time with 80 grit and 2nd time with 120 grit. Rolled 2 coats of semi-gloss paint with primer, and brushed 3 coats of satin high use water base polyurethane. Be careful to catch drips on both paint and primer. Sanding, painting and poly took the longest amount of time.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner