Loft Beds for Kids - How to Build Your Own!

If you’ve been looking around at loft beds for kids and are having trouble finding the perfect thing, why not build your own?

I’ve been meaning to get this post out for weeks. I’m so slow. Anywho have you been looking, like me, for loft beds for kids and coming up with nothing that grabs your attention? I was. Okay, in all honesty I knew I was going to build it from the moment my friend Kim suggested a loft bed for this space. However I have searched for loft beds for kids before and never saw anything I could afford that was unique and cool. So, of course I decided to make my own. Here’s how I did it, it was a pretty easy build.

This post contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.

Materials

2x4s

Joist Hangers

Plywood

Brackets (similar)

Paint or Stain

Wood Glue

Nails

Screws

Plywood Edging

Tools

Drill

Magnetic Stud Finder

Jig Saw (optional)

Clamps

Jig Saw (if you want to cut the circles)

Router (for circle jig)

Jig Saw (for cutting out rail)

Jig Saw (for cutting 2x4s)

Circular Saw (for cutting plywood – you can also get this done at the hardware store)

First things first. This is a built-in loft bed. There are no legs – if you don’t have 3 walls you’ll have to add a leg to the outside corner. But, if you do have a little nook like this…perfect! Start by finding your studs. I like a simple magnetic stud finder. I have never had luck with the electronic ones. Anyway, once you find your studs, nail or screw some 2x4s into the studs to frame your bed. Make sure to put a couple of nails in each stud. Really secure that thing in there. And make sure they are level or you’ll end up with a lop-sided loft bed.

Next you’ll want to add support beams. I used joist hangers and wood glue for extra support. You basically nail in the hangers and then place a 2×4 lengthwise inside them and secure with more nails from the side. You can find more info on installing the joist hangers here. I just used clamps to hold everything together until it was secure.

Now you’ll need to add a piece of plywood to the top. A little more wood glue and some nails to hold it down.

This is basically your bed. See?

Now, for the fun part. You can do anything you want with the rail but here is what I did. I cut a piece of plywood to fit the space, cutting out a spot for the ladder and rounding that edge with a jigsaw.

Then I made sure it fit.

Next, I attached my palm router to my circle jig and drew 5 circles level across the space. Then I used the jig and router to cut them out and attached the whole thing with brad nails and brackets on the inside.

To finish it up, I added some more 2x4s across the top to frame out the top and to give it a little hollow for the mattress to fit into as well as to cover the seams.

I put plywood edging inside the circles and around he top and bottom of the rail to make it looked more finished and then painted inside the circles and underneath the bed the same black as the wall. I stained in Minwax Golden Oak to match the desk and other wood tones used in the room.

Then there was the issues of getting up there. The ladder actually caused me more headache than the loft, but I’ll write a separate post about that coming soon ;).