I found an ad in the Craig's List free section advertising two pallets on a first come, first serve basis behind the new pizza place near our apartment. I talked my dh into going a checking it out and there was one left when we got there. These pallets were HUGE! Nine feet long! It hung a good 3 feet over the end of the tailgate on my husband's truck! The manager of the pizza place wandered out while we were loading up and told us that their new pizza ovens had been delivered on the pallets. Cool story to tell our son about his bookshelves!
We got the pallet home after a quick stop at Lowe's for a crow bar. Dh taught me how to use a crow bar to remove the excess wood used to stablize the pizza oven on the pallet during shipment. I also learned that they use an insane amount of nails to put these things together! After pulling off about 40 pounds of useless scrap wood (literally, 40 pounds, these suckers were HEAVY!) I used some of our own scrap boards from other projects to make the shelves. We live in an apartment complex. People wandering by all day asked what I was doing. Even dh didn't understand exactly what I was trying to do but he went along with it and helped when I needed extra hands.
After getting it all put together, I used some left over poly-and-stain-in-one that we had left over. I got most of it stained with that but then I ran out. I haven't gotten around yet to getting some more. That will be the only cost associated with this project, the rest was free. Oh and the letters used for my son's name on the shelves. I blurred it out in the picture but I used dollar store vinyl letters to put his name on the shelf.
We anchored the shelf to the wall, it's stable and sturdy but I never doubt the ingenuity of a small child and even with the 40 pounds of wood we removed from this sucker, it is still H-E-A-V-Y!!!! Since it's going in a toddler's room I figured better safe than sorry. I went to Lowe's and asked for earthquake straps and I was told that we don't get earthquakes around here so they don't carry them.... I had to explain to her that earthquake straps also keep small children from toppling heavy furniture and she said they might have something in the childproofing area. They did have furniture straps as they called them in the childproofing area. Note to self: we no longer live in an earthquake prone area, people look at you like you've lost your mind if you want to strap your furniture down in case of earthquakes or curious small children.
Comments
Pammylaine
Wed, 08/08/2012 - 06:53
Completion...
I should have mentioned that we're not quite done yet. I still have to fill in holes and do a bit more touch up painting on the bed. And there is still stuff going on in the room. I just wanted to get some pictures up on here.
spiceylg
Wed, 08/08/2012 - 08:09
:)
Fabulous build and I love the leaves!
Pammylaine
Thu, 09/27/2012 - 08:10
Thank you :) We had to do
Thank you :) We had to do some rearranging, the leaf blocked his small television, but it ended up looking really cute. We used lots of green (it's his favorite color and he wasn't too pleased with me for painting the room blue) and that shade really pops against the blue and white.
Chris Nelson (not verified)
Sat, 09/08/2012 - 05:48
Bed
I have a couple questions...
1) how is the mattress supported? It's not really part of the directions in the original plan? Are the boards included in your cut sheet?
2) when did you paint?
3) how much sanding did you have to do?
4)What are PH screws and PH holes?? I was thinking Phillips head, which makes sense for the screws, but not the holes.
Thanks!!! This is awesome!
Pammylaine
Mon, 09/10/2012 - 12:07
Hi :) To answer your
Hi :)
To answer your questions....
1.) We used 2X4's to support the mattress...They are not included in the cut sheet, they were just left overs that we had. We used 7 2X4's cut at 55 inches as supports. You will want to measure the width of your bed on the inside to make certain you have the appropriate length.
2. and 3.) We cut the boards and sanded (it felt like a lot, but with two people sanding it wasn't too bad) and painted the same day. My parents sanded and then I painted. That cut down the work time. We did have to go back the next day and do another coat on one or two boards but, it wasn't bad.
4.) I took PH Screws to be Phillips head as well, and that's what we used. 2 and 1/2 inch long ones to be exact...we got them at Lowe's...they were kind of a grey color, not the black one. PH Holes are pilot holes. We invested in a Kreg Jig Jr to make our pilot holes. It drills a hole at an angle which allows your joints to be stronger. That way your screw is biting into more wood. The Kreg Jig was about $40.00 and completely worth it. Just make sure you have a C-Clamp if you get one. We did not use a Kreg brand C-Clamp but, the next time we do a project, I'll get one.
We weren't real sure how to use the Kreg Jig so, we searched on YouTube for an instructional video..it's amazingly simple to use and the added security of having strong joints is totally worth 40 bucks.
bhoppy
Tue, 09/25/2012 - 08:09
Great modification and detail!
I loved how your bed turned out! My daughter also has a full sized bed and I don't want to have to get a new mattress so I really appreciate you taking the time to post such detailed instructions on how to convert to a full sized:-)
I could be wrong, but I always thought PH stood for Pocket hole screws... They are actually a little different than phillips head because they are "self tapping” you don't have to predrill a pilot hole into the joining board in order to keep it from splitting... I usually buy the Kreg brand ones that they sell at Lowes but I have read on this site that you can buy them online that aren't the Kreg brand and they will work.
Pammylaine
Thu, 09/27/2012 - 08:08
You're probably correct about
You're probably correct about the screw thing. When I first read it that was my assumption as well. However, I was told by my dad that I was incorrect, but what does he know?! I tried to make the information that I shared as detailed as possible because I know it can be a bit of a pain in the rear end to have to try to modify something without really being sure of what you are doing.
Good luck with your build if you haven't already finished it. I'm sure she will love it as much as my son does. My only real down side to the bed is that even at 5 feet 8 and 1/2 inches tall I have to stand on my tiptoes to give my son his goodnight hug and kiss. But, whats a little stretching going to hurt? I figure I may as well get as many as I can before he decides he's too cool or old to kiss his mama.