NBR (Non-Bus-Related) - Floating Bed Frame Construction

Completed Spaceship Bed with Lights Installed!

I’d found out that one of my friends in San Antonio was sleeping on a mattress that was simply laying on the floor of his apartment. I was going to be spending the weekend in San Antonio anyway, so I arranged a date to head over. There are a few reasons why you don’t want to have your mattress resting on the floor.

Mold Prevention is the primary reason you’ll want a bed frame. Your mattress needs to breathe and if your mattress is on plywood or directly on the floor, it can’t breathe at all. This leads to mold that will thrive in the environment of moisture and dead skin cells.
Supporting your mattress extends the lifetime of the mattress by preventing compression spots, so you don’t need to buy a new one as often.
Supporting your mattress also provides more stability to your back and should allow you to sleep more comfortably.
Getting your mattress off of the ground means that you’re less likely to be surrounded by allergens and dirt that can normally be found on the ground.

I bought approximately $100 in wood and stained it. For a King-sized bed at 76” (the short side) by 80” (the long side), I basically just assumed that I was working with a square.

I purchased:

4: 2x6x8

2: 2x12x12 (had the hardware store cut them in half)

2: 2x4x8

15: 1x3x8

7: 2x4x8

1: Can of Wood Stain - Volume depends on how much you want to stain

1: Sandpaper - As much as you want, but you’ll probably want a sheet or two

Tools I used, but already had:

1: Miter Saw

1: Power Sander

1: Power Drill (star drive, drill bits for pre-drilling pilot holes)

1: Screws (1 1/4” and 3” sizes)

Subaru Outbacks are actually perfect for hauling wood vs a pick-up truck. The wood is protected from the rain and nobody can steal it without breaking in.

Getting prepared

I didn’t take pictures of the build (I know, I know), but I’m going to do what I can to describe it!

I measured the mattress itself to make sure that it did, in fact, line up with standard King sizing. I’d recommend this as a first step to anyone who is looking to build a bed frame.

I stained the wood that would be visible to someone passing by. I applied three coats and opted not to use a polyurethane coating, and though that would have added a nice semi-gloss finish and sealant to the wood, I decided to just leave it stained.

Next, I cut my wood into portions that would be suitable for construction:

The 2x12 will be used for the support structure. I designed a base made using 4 boards cut into 5’ sections.
The 2x6 will be used for the exterior support/frame. I designed/cut the wood to surround the mattress.
The 1x3 will be used as the slats for direct contact with the mattress. I cut all boards to fit on top of the 2x2 boards on the ends, mirroring the long side.
The 2x4 will be used to support the slats and adhere the base to the mattress frame. I cut these to mirror the 76” short side and to the overall height of the bed (base+frame)

Base

I took my 5' boards and made a “cube” by screwing the boards into each other on the ends. In order to support the longer side of the bed, I placed the 80” boards “inside” the 76” boards. This added 3” to the length of the base. (Nominal 2x4 = Reality 1.5x3.5). Just doing some simple math, the base is 60” wide and 63” long.

Staining the wood in the heat was uncomfortable but well worth it for the effect.

Frame

The frame for the mattress to rest on was the next thing that I built. I moved the base to the side and assembled the frame in a similar way to the base. I made sure that the wood, as assembled would fit the mattress inside it, so when I cut it, I added 1.5” (reality length) to the sides that needed it in order to accommodate the bed. I laid a 2x4 on the “2-inch” side and screwed it in to the 76” short side. I then spaced the rest of the cut 2x4s every foot. I screwed them in using the 3” screws after making sure that all the boards were level to each other on the ground.

Slats

I then cut the slats to mirror the long side and fit inside the frame. This was relatively simple and I spaced them so that they, at 2.75” wide had a 2.75” wide space. This is more than adequate for the breathability of the mattress and for supporting you while you sleep on your bed. 1x3s are somewhat fragile boards, so I laid them out and had my friends stand on them so they wouldn’t move while I drilled pilot holes. I then screwed the 1x3 boards into the 2x4 boards using the 1 1/4” screws (don’t forget about the spacing!).

Final Assembly

I took the frame assembly and placed it on top of the box support. I made sure that the back of the bed lined up with the back of the frame and then measured to make sure that the distance from the sides of the support box and the edges of the frame were equal on each side. I then used the 2x4 scraps to attach the rear pieces together. This will eventually be the support basis for the headboard, which I’ll update when I complete it in a few weeks. By not attaching the frame to the box support, it makes it a two piece operation to move and reassemble if necessary (with the headboard it would be three pieces). As this bed is constructed, there was a 7” over hang on each side and a 17” overhang on the end. This makes it look like the bed is floating.

Lights

To accentuate the floating effect, add LED strip lights. If you search for “LED Strip Lights” on Amazon, you can buy two LED strips to wrap around the base. The lights are self-adhesive and come with an IR remote to change the colors and program a color-changing scheme. Wifi modules can also be purchased for additional functionality on your phone. Lights are an additional $15 but are well worth it for fun and nightlight purposes. I recommend two LED light strips so that you can also wire the lights up the back of the headboard (again, I’ll update it when it is finished!) for full room ambiance.