Platform bed: Round One.

My husband and I have been thinking about getting a new bed for quite some time now.  Our box spring had really seen better days. Well, the other day I found some inspiration on Pinterest. (If you are not familiar with this website, I highly recommend it!) My thought was to make a platform bed (on the cheap) using the existing box spring- it is after all already shaped to fit the mattress!

*Advice: If you are able to use existing parts of something old to make something new- do it!  It will save you some serious $$.

**ALSO! Start projects in a clean room... you will see why I say this later on. I'm sure this is a "duh" type piece of advice, but if you are like me- being impulsive means it needs to be done NOW.

The box spring was just an average queen size. It was pretty easy to remove the outer fabric layer and the top was made of cardboard...Watch out for staples!

We ended up removing the small slats across the body of it because some of them were broken or warped.  We did however keep about four of them for support later on.

As you can see, the smaller slats are removed and there is just a rectangular base left.  This will save you some money on wood later when you go to your local lumbar/hardware store.
(Sorry for the mess, but like I said earlier- it's way easier to do this a little more prepared than I was. )

**I had the wood cut to the length of the bed, which it actually would have a better idea to cut it to the width.  Three pieces probably would have been a better idea than two.

**Also, underneath the plywood sheet are those four small slats I mentioned earlier. It is just for extra support.

One the bed was put together, we took it outside and spray painted it with a semi-gloss paint.  We decided to leave the open ends at the base and head for storage of small books/cds.  If you do not want this, you have the option to place a  board across the bottom and secure it in place.

**I also added on all four sides (inside) and one middle block style legs. While we were at home depot, I had the lumbar guy cut us five 10 inch blocks from one long piece of wood.

We also redid a headboard that we had on our bed.  This was very easy.  Just chose your fabric and you can either nail or stable gun (recommended) your fabric in place.  Pull tightly to avoid wrinkles.

**The headboard will later be attached with three 'L' hooks to the top of the bed. (I will add photos after that has been completed)

Once it was dry we brought it back inside and started to set the bed back up.  Note that the headboard looks a little low, that's because it has not been placed on the back at the time of this photo.

Difficulties:

1. Screwing into parts of the existing box spring wood was a bit difficult, but do-able.  It's going to be loud, use a trusty drill.
2. Plywood either needs to be sanded or use a more smooth cut of wood.  This is mainly for your sheets.  
3. Speaking of your sheets... If I were to do it again or edit my project I would have sanded and then painted the wood instead of spray painting it.  Spray paint is an easy and quick option, but it is not as smooth as good old fashion paint.
4. Like I mentioned earlier, clean before you make another mess... other wise your house will look like and episode of hoarders.  When you are redoing your bedroom, it helps to take everything out...(see below)

Start early.

One last thing, clean-ups are a mother bitch.