Today weâre breaking down all of the steps for the build-out of Lucyâs fully custom floating loft bed.
A quick note: We hope this goes without saying, but these are the steps that worked for us in our own home. We gave every consideration to what we feel is safe for our child and her capabilities. We encourage you to use our project as inspiration, rather than a step-by-step guide. Thank you for following along!
Itâs done! Finally! After weeks of rough carpentry, waiting on our electrician, finish carpentry, caulking, filling, sanding and painting, Lucyâs floating loft bed is wrapped up and we couldnât be happier with the end result. Hereâs how it all came together.
1| Framing and Rough Carpentry
The initial inspiration for this project was the floating shelf project in our downstairs workshop. We also took a healthy dose of inspiration from the Petersikâs beach house bunk bed project. Lucyâs bedroom is long and narrow, so the best use of space was to orient the bed perpendicular to the roomâs footprint. This also allowed us to fasten it to the studs on 3 sides, which was ideal.
In order to build the 3 sided structure in the most stable way possible, we measured, cut and built all but the front board outside of the room. We built the frame from standard 2â³ x 4â³ framing lumber and held together with HeadLOK structural fasteners. For reference, our platform was built to 86â³ wide x 41â³ deep to accommodate the 75â³ x 39â³ Leesa Studio Mattress.
Once we built the three-sided structure, we located the studs and got it fastened into place using the same 4 1/2â³ HeadLOK fasteners. This building method basically framed the platform to become a part of the house. Trust us when we say itâs not going anywhere without a whole heck of a lot of effort.
With the three sides fastened to the roomâs studs, we double-checked the level of every plane. We then fastened the front board into place to complete the box structure.
Now that the framed structure was secure, it was time to attach the 1/2â³ sanded plywood skins to the top and bottom. We made thes cuts intentionally 1/4â³ short to allow for easier installation and to accommodate drywall imperfections â but donât worry, any visible gaps will hide beneath small trim and a bead of caulk. More on the latter in a moment!
Before nailing, we laid a bead of construction adhesive on all contact surfaces to keep squeaks and movement to a minimum. We then popped everything into place using 2 1/2â³ nails in our our finish nailer.
Every step of the process made an already sturdy structure even sturdier! Weâre convinced that this loft platform would take almost as much time to properly remove as it did to construct!
2 | Finish Carpentry and Railing Installation
The sturdy rough carpentry was now in place and it was time to move on to trim and finish work. We started this step of the process by leveling and installing a nice piece of 1â³ x 10â³ poplar face board using 2â³ wood screws. The screw heads were countersunk a bit since weâd be using wood filler to conceal the holes later.
Tip: We love poplar for applications like this. Itâs cost effective, straight and largely knot-free, which makes it great for work that will be painted. It tends to lean green-ish and often doesnât take stain well, so we would have used white oak in its place if we were staining.
With the face poplar face board in place, we were ready to construct the 3 part railing. As you can see in the photo below, itâs constructed by joining two poplar 1â³ x 2â³ boards and a half-round 3/4â³ x 1 1/2â³ oak bar edge moulding. All three pieces were glued and nailed together, then wood-filled and sanded flush to create one sturdy piece. This design is a bit more tedious than only using a 1-by, but we wanted the thicker look with a rounded top. To us, it was worth the extra effort for something more custom!
Once the top railing piece was constructed and finished, we moved on to the vertical portions of the railing. These were built with a 4â³ stagger to sit directly on top of the poplar face board, which protrudes exactly 4â³ above the platform base. The finished vertical piece is pictured below left, with a dry fit for demonstration below right. All corners were mitered for a fully flush finished product.
Happy with our dry fit, we moved on to trimming the top piece to the exact desired length with a 45° miter on each end. Next, we glued and nailed to the horizontal rail and allowed to cure. Once dry, we attached the railing to the poplar face board with a few short wood screws from behind. Finally, we filled the holes and the entire finished railing was sanded flush.
3 | Finishing Details
After we installed the railing, we ripped down and cut to length a piece of 1â³ x 5â³ common board to flush out the inside of the railing. We then capped the now 1 1/2â³ thick face board with the same 1 1/2â³ bar edge moulding that was used for the railing, seen below.
For a bit of additional structural rigidity, we also installed four x 4â³ corner braces to the joint between the plywood loft base and the face board/railing structure. We knew the mattress would completely cover these braces, so we didnât feel the need to camouflage them with anything but paint.
To fill the dead space at the foot of the bed, we built a custom hidden charging station! Itâs a simple 4 sided box built out of leftover 1/2â³ mdf that we had on hand. The construction method was similar to the toy box in our snug. This flip-top box will act as a place for Lucy or her sleepover friends to charge devices, stash a book or charge any devices, such as phones and tablets. The stealthy black outlet inside is a combination two outlet/USB/USB-C plug that should be compatible with almost any electronic device.
After the above photo was taken, Kim went around every. single. seam with a bead of caulk for a fully finished look. On the underside of the bed, we used 3/4â³ flat stock around the perimeter as well, also caulked.
4 | Paint! Paint! Paint!
WIth construction complete, it was time to spray! We used our Zipwall system to seal off the rest of the room in plastic and eliminate overspray. We used our favorite Graco paint sprayer for perfect coverage and easy application. We love our Graco sprayer because it pulls paint directly from the paint can, so thereâs less interruption when painting (i.e., you donât need to stop and pour more paint in a cup). You can also spray at any angle, which is a huge perk. Setup can be tricky the first time but Graco has a free customer service number, and a real live human being will even answer! Our sprayer had a small clog that we couldnât figure out so we called the number and had it cleared in three minutes. Now thatâs service!
Two light coats and less than an hour later and we had achieved perfect, uniform coverage. Spraying isnât always the best solution, but for a decently large project like this, we definitely saved ourselves some time. Spraying also achieved a better finish than we could have with a brush and roller.
The Finished Loft Bed!
We gave the paint a day or so to cure, then put the mattresses back into place. When the bedding went on for the first time, it all came together! Talk about a transformation! Catfish immediately did what she does best and made herself right at home and promptly fell asleep on the bottom bed.
The finished charging station with the lid installed turned out better than we could have imagined. We built it to be invisible from the ground, so itâs a fun little surprise to discover when youâre halfway up the ladder. We happened to have a velvet remnant from when we reupholstered our Milo Baughman chair, and it turned out to be an almost perfect match! Kim wrapped the top in batting and did the work herself, and it turned out perfectly. The Milo chair recently found a new home through our YBH flea instagram account, so this felt like a fun tribute. The black leather and brass handle is the perfect compliment to the black piano hinge and the other brass details throughout the room.
Weâll have a full DIY ladder tutorial posted soon, but this is where the room stands for now. The completed room will obviously feature a ârealâ bed down below as opposed to a mattress on the floor! Weâre (im)patiently waiting for this bed to arrive, but Lucy is already settling into the new space nicely.
Oh, and a quick note on why we didnât build a bed down below. The answer to that is pretty simple; eventually, Lucyâs room will need to have a small desk and/or more room to stretch out. The goal is that sheâll sleep on the loft bed, and the bottom bed will be removed for a more purposeful nook.
We truly appreciate you following along on this journey and look forward to sharing the next steps (ladder tutorial hits next week!). Itâs been so fun to work on, but most importantly, Lucy absolutely loves it!
PS: Hereâs how we made super strong floating shelves for our workshop in a similar way.
As always, every little detail is perfect. I am sure Lucy is ecstatic!
So fantastic! Love it. You guys work so hard and, sheesh, it shows. The result is beautiful and will provide years of fun for your girl! What a dreamy spot for her. <3Â
This is so kind to say, thank you, Ashley!
Love it! Iâm sure Lucy is over the moon!Â
You know it!
Perfection! Lucky Lucy!
Very fun project and Iâll have to check out that paint sprayer, the finish is perfect and I love that you guys take the time to do extra details like the rounded top railing! The bottom of the bed is how high off the floor? So smart about it being a desk area in the future.
The standing clearance under the loft is just over 5 feet. The ceilings are 10 feet, so this roughly splits the room in half. Hope this helps!
I love âyour kid asks for a purple room but make it designâ vibe you guys have going here
You know it!????
Looks great! Although Iâm curious about the solid base for the bed. I always thought mattresses needed ventilationÂ
There are so many sweet details here that really makes the bunkbeds shine! I love that end of bed charging station with the velvet hinge so much! What a special touch!Â