Bunkbeds are pretty straight-forward; like any bed, they need a frame, some rails to hold the mattress, and most often a headboard. A bunk bed is just two of those sets, but one is on stilts. My original design looked something like a animal pen with lots of dimensional lumber and rails to prevent the kids from falling.via: I Like To Make Stuff
image/text credit(PrtSc): I Like To Make Stuff
If you’ve never used iron pipe in a project, be warned, it can get expensive quick (especially for double bunks!). To try and balance the industrial look with non-animal pen construction, we settled on a minimalistic design that is sturdy and functional.
image/text credit(PrtSc): I Like To Make Stuff
The bed frames are simple 2×6 boxes held together with glue and screws. Where visible, I added some dowel plugs to the screw holes to keep the clean exterior look. I screwed 2×2 runners the length of the frames to hold the 1×4 mattress supports. Because I needed 4 individual beds, I batched out the cutting and the construction.via: I Like To Make Stuff
image/text credit(PrtSc): I Like To Make Stuff
When it came time to mount the beds, I used 3/8 inch lag bolts to attach the top bunks into the corners of the room. I used a temporary brace to hold up the unsupported side of the bed while I drove in the hardware, this keeps the vertical spacing consistent across the bed frames.
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Now it was time to piece together the puzzle of iron pipes that would become the guard rail and ladder. Josh and I used the floor at the home center to lay out the arrangement to make sure we bought all the right pieces.The headboards were made out of 3/4 inch plywood and I used some additional dividers to make some storage cubbies for each bed.
I joined the top and bottom headboards with a longer piece of plywood to serve as an additional support for the top bunk. Wanting a pop of color, I painted each headboards’ back panel a bold color that can be removed and repainted if the kids change their minds.Once the mattresses were added and dressed up with bedding, this project was done.
