Farmhouse Queen Bed Frame

12 Materials
$85
2 Weeks
Advanced

My husband and I had been looking at different head & foot board designs online, never really finding one that fit what we wanted. We decided to modify and combine a few ideas to get the look we wanted. We also had an old picnic table that had fallen apart and wanted to incorporate that wood into the head board. Most of that wood was 2x6” boards. This ended up being a heavy but very sturdy bed frame. Keep reading to see how we accomplished this design challenge.

Materials list:


• 3, 4x4x 8’ posts

• 8, 2x6x8’ boards

• 2, 2x4x8’ boards

• 8, 1x4x8’ boards

• 2, 1x5x8’ boards

•10, 6” lag screws

• 4- no mortise bed rail fittings

• 8- slat brackets

• wood glue

• nail gun & nails

• wood putty

• 10-15 1 1/4” wood screws

• chalk paint

• sealant

• table saw

• miter saw


Cut list:


Head board:

2- 4x4 @ 63 3/4”

9- 2x6 @ 43”

2- 2x4 @ 43”

2- 1x4 @ 57”

2- 1x4 @ 36 1/2” ripped (trimmed length wise) @ 2 1/2”

1- 1x5 @ 66”


Foot board:

2- 4x4 @ 32”

9- 2x6 @ 24”

2- 2x4 @ 24”

2- 1x4 @ 57”

2- 1x4 @ 17” ripped @ 2 1/2”

1- 1x5 @ 66”


Rails:

2- 2x6 @ 80”


slats:

4- 1x4’s measure between your slat brackets before cutting because lengths will vary by an inch to a few inches.

** we waited to cut them until we were ready to install.


supports:

4- 2x4’s @ 7 1/4” (check them measurements on this as well as they can vary) *** we waited to cut these until we were ready to install.


***carpenter’s note*** instead of ripping the 1x4’s you could buy 1x3’s. We decided to use what we had on hand and therefore ripped (trimmed the wood length wise) the boards on a table saw, saving us some money.

We used both a table saw and miter saw to cut the wood. Once all the pieces were cut down, assembly began. The assembly is basically the same for both the head and foot boards with a few minor detail changes.


Starting with the foot board, place the 9- 2x6’s @ 24” side by side vertically on your work surface. Then add the 2- 2x4’s @ 24”, one on each end. (You can glue them together along the edges but it is not necessary.)


**I had to turn the camera to fit the boards into the frame. I know they look horizontal in the photo, but it will turn out vertical.**

Once the boards are lined up evenly you’ll glue the 2- 1x4’s @ 57” onto both the top edge and bottom edge of the boards. Making the edges are flush with each other. You don’t want to see the bottom boards sticking out from under the top boards and vice versa.


Next glue the 2- 1x4’s @ 17” (ripped) along the side edges, again making sure they are flush. This makes the frame around the edges.

When the frame is in place and the glue is mostly dried, use the nail gun and nail the boards into place. Add the 2- 4x4 posts @ 32”, one on each side making sure the top edges are flush. The posts will extend beyond the bottom edge, to make “legs”. On the foot board you will use 4- 6” lag screws/bolts, 2 on each side. We marked where they would be then using a drill bit, drilled holes through the 4x4 posts only (there’s no need to drill holes into the head/foot boards, the screws/bolts screw in easily to those boards.) Then screw them in on each side.


Next we added the 1- 1x5 @ 66” to the top of the foot board. I call it the cap. We centered the cap on top of the foot board so it slightly hangs over the front and the back. Using 5-6, 1 1/4” wood screws, screw down the cap.


Now you are ready to fill the nail and screw holes with wood putty.

Here’s a close up of the lag screw/bolt in place. And the top cap so you can see the over hang and how we “centered” it.

The process is the same for the head board, the boards are just longer in length. We used 6- 6” lag screws on the head board, 3 on each side.


After the wood putty is dry, sand to smooth.


In this photo you can see the weathered wood of the old picnic table. We did not have quite enough wood for the foot board so we ended up buying a few 2x6 boards.

Then we painted the head and foot boards and the railings. We used Valspar chalky paint, color: her dainties. It’s one of our favorite antique whites to use. Painted 2 coats.


Once the paint was dry, we sanded all the pieces to give them a distressed look. Then sealed with Valspar’s chalk paint clear wax.

It’s now time to add the no mortise bed rail fittings. Take your time with this part and make sure you line every thing up nicely. If your fittings do not come with screws- use 1 1/4” wood screws. Then attach the rails to the head and foot boards.

Then you’ll place your 8- slat brackets on the inside edge of the railings, like pictured above. We measured from the edge of one rail fitting to the edge of the opposite rail fitting then spaced the 4 brackets evenly between. (Again if the brackets do not come with screws, use the 1 1/4” wood screws).

The frame is almost ready for the box spring and mattress. This is were we measured from the bracket on one side to its opposite bracket. Take that measurement and cut 4- 1x4 slats.

We placed the boards on top of the brackets the gave a quick tap with a hammer to mark the spot we needed to drill a hole for the posts on the brackets. Drill your holes, one each end of each of the slat boards. Place the boards on the brackets and using the hammer if needed, secure into place.

The boards fit snuggly in the slat brackets.

Now to place the 4- 2x4’s @ 7 1/4” under the slat boards. We placed them in the middle of the board and screwed them into place using one 1 1/4” wood screw, per board.


Finally, the box spring and mattress are ready to go on top of the slat boards.

And she’s all finished. I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.


A few things to keep in mind when designing your bed frame. Be creative, don’t be afraid to change something up. In all the designs we saw none of them framed out the sides on the head board and foot board, just the tops and bottoms. That’s where we added the ripped boards (1x4’s @ 17” and 36 1/4”).


We also wanted the headboard to be tall enough that we weren’t hitting our heads on the top cap (1x5 board along the top) while sitting, reading in bed. Also tall enough to add visual interest. You may choose to make your head board a little shorter.

Another thing we wanted was the foot board to be taller (not shorter) than the mattress. Again most of the designs we looked at had the foot boards shorter than the mattress by 4-6” ours is taller by about 5”.


One more thing: we used a lot of wood we had on hand and repurposed wood. Look around for ways you can save on the cost by using what you have at your disposal. We did have to buy some wood, screws, the fittings and brackets. But everything else was left over from other projects. I would estimate if you buy everything and have nothing on hand this project may end up costing you $50-$100 more than it did us, depending on what wood you use. That’s still a huge savings. If you were to buy a bed frame brand new similar to this one it would easily cost you double if not triple the amount we spent.

DIY’ing is about creating something for your space and your interest. That’s the magic and beauty of it. I love seeing other people’s creations and artistic talent. If you decide to make a bed frame, take a picture and show us how yours turned out in the comments below. I’d love to see what you do!!!


If you would like to see more of our furniture, decorating ideas and what we do- head over to our Instagram page and say Hi while you are there!!

@beaus_and_belles

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Joleen | The Refining Home
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