A loft bed is a great, space-saving option for smaller rooms. With the bed on top, you’ve got room for a small workspace underneath, or even an area to add other items or accessories. Whether you’re looking for a loft bed with a desktop or a loft bed with stairs, we’ll help you create a loft bed plan – including a cut list – that can get help you get this project done right.
There are 8 steps to completing this project:
Start by planning how high you want your loft bed to be. If you are going to be adding a workspace below, consider a bit of extra height and area to have the desktop fit comfortably underneath the bed. You should also have a big enough bed to accommodate a full-size mattress.
Next, you’ll need to cut the wood for your loft bed. For this project, we made the cuts as follow:
(4) 2 x 6-inch boards at 70 inches long
(4) 2 x 4-inch boards at 70 inches long
(2) 2 x 2-inch boards at 54 inches long
(2) 2 x 2-inch boards at 72 inches long
Lower Frame and Top Rail:
(2) 2 x 6-inch boards at 79 inches long
(2) 2 x 6-inch boards at 54 inches long
(8) 2 x 4-inch boards at 60 inches long
(6) 1 x 6-inch boards at 54 inches long
(2) 2 x 6-inch boards at 79 inches long
(2) 2 x 6-inch boards at 54 inches long
(10) 2 x 4-inch boards at 6 inches long
(3) 2 x 4-inch boards at 54 inches long
(2) 2 x 4-inch boards at 18 inches long
(1) 18 x 56-inch piece of 3/4-inch MDF
(1) 2 x 4 board at 76 inches long
One thing to remember is that the assembled bed frame will be very heavy and tough to move, so consider building your loft bed in the room where it will go.
Start by connecting the 79-inch 2 x 6-inch boards to the 54-inch 2 x 6-inch boards using wood glue.
Placing the 54-inch board to the inside of the 79-inch board to create a joint.
Screw through each end and create secure butt joints all around using the driver kit. Use three 4-inch screws on either end. Once the frame is assembled, the inside dimensions will be 54 inches by 76 inches. The overall dimension of the base should be 57 inches by 79 inches.
Then repeat the process above for the top rail.
Next, drill two pocket holes into one end of each 6-inch 2 x 4. This end will attach to the lower frame. Drill 2 more pocket holes on the opposite end of each 2 x 4. This end attaches to the top rail.
For the placement of the middle spacer, measure and draw a mark 37 1/2 inches from each end on the long sides of the frames. Measure and mark 18 3/4 inches from each end to find the placement for the other two spacers. Measure and mark 16 1/2 inches from each end on the short ends of the frames. This mark will align with the outside edge of the two spacer blocks.
Use wood glue to attach the blocks securely to the frame with wood glue and then drill two 1 1/2-inch screws to make it even more secure.
Place the top rail frame on top of the spacer blocks and align it with the lower frame, then attach the top rail to the spacer blocks with wood glue and two 1 1/2-inch screws. The spacers should be completely flush and spaced evenly.
Lay your frame flat and, using glue, attach the 54-inch 2 x 2-inch boards for the inner slat rail to the inside of the lower frame at each end. Then, attach the 72-inch 2 x 2-inch boards to the inside of the 54-inch 2 x 2-inch board with wood glue and 3-inch screws, creating a butt joint and making sure that each of them pieces is flush with the bottom of the lower frame.
Take the 1 x 6-inch slat boards and space them evenly on top of the frame, then attach the slats using wood glue and two 1 1/2-inch screws on each end. Once the bed platform is built, you can move on to assembling the legs. Remember, drilling pilot holes before adding your screws will help prevent the wood from splitting. Using wood glue and 4-inch screws, make a butt joint in the shape of a capital letter “L” with one of the 70-inch 2 x 6-inch boards and one of the 70-inch 2 x 4-inch boards. Use clamps to hold the boards in place while you drive the screws in at roughly 12-inch intervals, so there are six in each leg.
Repeat the steps above with the remaining three 2 x 6-inch and 2 x 4-inch boards until you have all four legs.
Clamps and pilot holes are your best friend here. Pilot holes will stop the wood from splitting when drilling screws, and clamps will ensure that the wood glue makes good contact and that the screws pull the whole assembly together tightly.
Flip the frame upside down and attach the legs on each corner using wood glue and making sure that the legs are flush and square with the top of the frame before driving in your screws. Drive four 3-inch screws into the 2 x 6 and two 3-inch screws into the 2 x 4, from the outside of the legs in. Drive two screws from the inside into the 2 x 6 and one into 2 x 4, attach all of your legs and flip the loft bed upright.
Now it’s time to add your ladder to the long side of the loft bed. Fasten a 76-inch long 2 x 4 from the inside of the legs, three inches from the floor using wood glue and three 3-inch screws.
Starting from the floor, attach the 60-inch 2 x 4’s spaced 7 1/2 inches apart with wood glue and 3-inch screws.
Once your bed is built, fill any holes or divots with a wood filler and allow it to dry. Once dry, sand your entire bed using a medium grit and then a fine-grit sandpaper until your faces and edges are smooth. Blow off any remaining dust and debris to ensure that it’s clean and ready for paint. Use any paint colour you’d like, or even stain it with a wood stain to get the look you want.
For even more functionality, you can add a hinged or stationary desktop to the underside of your desk.
For the stationary desk, attach one 54-inch 2 x 4-inch board 28 inches from the floor using wood glue and 3-inch screws. Add a 16 1/2-inch long support board to either side using wood glue and four 3-inch screws on either end.
Place the desktop on the supports and fasten it with eight 2-inch screws, countersinking them into the desktop. Fill the holes with wood filler or putty, allow it to dry and then sand it - rounding the edges and corners until they’re smooth to the touch. Touch up any paint, if necessary.
If you want to build a hinged desktop, mitre one corner of each piece at 45 degrees and fasten the headboard slats to the underside of the bed. Screw in top of 2” x 4” x 56” at 30 inches high, screw in top of 2” x 4” x 56” at 42 inches high and fasten the tee hinge to inside of the leg post at 29 1/2 inches high.
Fasten the 2” x 4” x 14 ½-inch supports to your tee hinges, then attach the square end so the mitre edge faces out. Place desktop on the supports and the 30-inch high headboard slat. Attach one end of the cut 56-inch continuous hinge to desktop and then fasten the other to the 30-inch high headboard slat – folding the desk to the lifted position and attaching the latch to the bottom edge of your desk.
Once the latch is attached, mark where your sliding latch meets the leg post, the spot where you will drill so the desk can be folded securely.
Use a 3/8-inch drill bit and drill a hole for the latch, then touch up any paint, if necessary.
