Platform Bed with Storage
We are back with a full-blown DIY project with a Platform Bed with Storage! Now, this bed is a lot. There are a lot of pieces, a lot of measurements, it's big, but don't let that scare you. We have a full set of plans here that you can grab to help you out. We are so thrilled on how this turned out, so let's get started on sharing how it's done.
Materials (affiliate links)
(3) 4x8 sheets of plywood. We used Maple.
(1) 2x4x8
(4) 1x4x8
Storage CubesWe ordered 2 packs, so 12 cubes total.
Tools (affiliate links)
Table Saw
Miter Saw
Cut Materials To Length and Width
We used our table saw to cut all the sheets of plywood down to length and width. We used our crosscut sled that we built in our last project to cut the length for the majority of the pieces. We will pieces for the headboard, top shelf, side shelves up by the headboard, bottom storage cubbies, and foot end storage. That's all for the plywood, but we will also need the 1x4s cut to length as well. We cut those last, like after everything was built, so we could make sure our measurements are correct. If you don't have a table saw, you could cut everything with a circular saw, but when we get to the joinery, it might be a bit difficult.
Cut the Joinery
We first were going to use the router table with a rabbeting bit for the end joinery, but it wasn't turning out the way we wanted, so we used the table saw to cut the rabbets for the corner joinery of all the pieces except the shelves we have. For the shelves, those get left alone, but we are putting in dados on the side pieces so the shelves will sit inside. We used an undersized plywood dado bit from Bits&Bits in our DeWalt plunge router (affiliate link) for this part. This dado bit is great because it matches up with the true thickness of plywood, so our dados are perfect!
You can use code "WOODBREW15" to get 15% off from Bits&Bits!
We made a video of just how to cut all this joinery here if you want to check that out for a more in-depth and visual explanation! We made a few jigs to be able to cut most of the joinery, and that video will explain just how to do that.
Sand
Once the boxes are all put together, it’s going to be difficult to sand inside, so we are going to go ahead and sand everything now! We got new sandpaper in the shop made by 3M, but got it through Taylor Toolworks, again 10% off using code “WOODBREW10”. This 3M Cubitron sandpaper actually gets sharper the more you use it. It’s also way more cost-efficient than any sandpaper you’ve ever used. Mike from Taylor Toolworks did a study on all kinds of sandpaper and this one sanded off the most grams and lasted longer than any other kind. Worth checking it out!
Assemble the Boxes
After the joinery is cut and sanding is done, we are going to put together all the boxes. Use just a little bit of glue in the joinery, we messed up and put way too much and Dylan spent hours cleaning up dried glue. We also used some pin nails, along with clamps, to hold things in place while the glue dried. Just using wood glue along with the dados makes a super strong joint, so we aren't worried about any more fasnters.
Apply Finish
We used Total Boat's Halcyon Clear Gloss Varnish for sealing it all. What you can do is apply the gloss varnish pretty heavy for 2-3 coats, and then come in with the satin varnish as the topcoat to matte it down. You want to build with the gloss so it's a clear finish and not cloudy like the satin would look if you were to build with it, and then topcoat it with the satin. We didn't end up doing this because we diluted the gloss enough that the finish came out just how we wanted. What you do is pour the varnish into a container then find out what 18% of that volume is and add 18% of water. Then, mix and take a strainer and pour that into another container, in our case this would be our sprayer, but you can totally use a foam brush. A foam brush works best if you are going to brush on this varnish.
We sanded with 320 grit sandpaper every so lightly before we add the last coat. This is just to really smooth things out nicely.
Assemble All the Boxes Together
We first started off with the headboard with the front-facing down on the workbench. We took one side shelf, laid it in place, and screwed it down with our flush mount drill bit system. We added wood screw covers (affiliate link) as well to all the screws to conceal them. Then, did the same thing to the opposite side with the other side shelf.
The new Ryobi HP One+ Right Angle Drill (affiliate link) came in handy for this part! A normal or even compact impact would not fit into the part of the cabinets, so we are so happy we had this drill on hand!
Next, taking the big side cabinets, we added on plywood strips to the side facing inside the bed to hold the 1x4 slats going across. We laid those slats out evenly and then pin nailed down spacers between each one to keep them square because we didn't screw those down so someone could still access under the bed for more storage.
Then, the end cabinet gets screwed in as well to the side cabinets.
We did add a ripped down 2x4 down the center of the bed to help support the slats. This also isn't screwed down in place, we made a c channel or "u" shaped bracket to hold each end.
DONE
The last few steps are just adding on your mattress and this Platform Bed with Storage project is a wrap! We did add some storage cubes on the sides of the bed to offer some closed storage. We absolutely love how this project turned out! It was definitely a process, but well worth it! Don't forget about the video we made of this project listed at the top and the joinery video! If you would like to get yourself a set of plans, those are here too!
