built-in day bed - furniture plans & affordable diy ... · place the completed frame in its...

Built-In Day BedCopyright © 2014 Shanty-2-Chic.com

Any custom built-in project such as this will be unique. While the dimensions in this plan are unique to my situation you can still follow the same process to create one of your own.

You could also modify the plan slightly to make a single corner built-in day bed. Whatever your situation may be I hope you are able to find some inspiration in this project to tackle

your next big DIY project.

Built-in Day BeD - Page | 2 Shanty-2-ChiC.Com

Supply List

Item Quantity Description

2 x 4 x 8’ 4 Pine or whitewood board





1 x 2 x 4’ 1 As short as you can find. You only need 25”

1-1/4” pocket hole screws 92

2-1/2” pocket hole screws 18

Wood glue

3-1/2” screws handfull To attach the frame to the wall

1-1/4” screws handfull To attach the plywood mattress panel to the frame

Wood trim of choice To trim the drawers and the top of the day bed

Baseboard Matching the room

3/4” plywood 2 4’ x 8’ sheets

1/2” plywood 1 4’ x 8’ sheet

Metal thumb tacks 1 pack To use any place to eliminate wood friction


Drill p

ock

et h

oles

as

indicate

d b

y th

e arrow

s. A

ll of th

e pock

et h

oles

should b

e drilled w

ith the

appro

pria

te d

epth

to a

ccep

t 1-

1/2” pock

et

hole s

crew

s un

less

oth

erw

ise

note

d o

n th

e diagra

m.


Assemble the front face frame. For my day bed the spacing was 24.25” on the side openings and 20.5” in the middle. Every connection

in this project should be glued and screwed.

Assemble the back frame. These are the only 2-1/2” pocket hole screws in the project. The center pieces are centered on the frame.


Make the L and T shaped runners. As noted in the layout, you will have to drill a few pocket holes on the short ends of the 2 x 3 boards. The front end needs a pocket hole for a 1-1/4” screw and the back end needs a

pocket hole for a 2-1/2” screw. Make sure the 2 x 2 has the correct hole orientation as well. Glue and screw

these boards together.

Attach the L and T shaped runners to the frames. It may help to attach them to the front face frame first. The corners of the L and T runners should meet up with the corners in the front face frame

openings. Again, these are the measurements for my application but the process is the same for yours.


This is just another view from the front showing how every-thing should line up. To prevent wood wear as the drawers are opened and closed you can add metal thumb tacks to

the bottom corners of the drawer openings.

Then attach the top 2x4 pieces. These pieces should be centered above each drawer opening and will prevent

the drawer from tipping forward when opened.


It’s a good idea to hold off on cutting any of the drawer parts until the frame is complete so you can verify all of your dimensions. These drawers are sized to

be 1/8” less than the width and the height of your drawer opening. Adjust your

dimensions accordingly. Each drawer is constructed with pocket hole screws on the sides and the bottom is screwed on from below. Make sure you predrill and

countersink the screws from below.

With the drawers out, start two screws per drawer along the back 2x3 piece (dark green in this diagram) to act as drawer stops. The

screws can be backed out or driven further to adjust the closed position of the drawer. This way you can customize how flush the drawer front is with the front face frame. Next, add

metal thumb tacks to the top middle of the back of the drawer. This will prevent wood to wood wear due to friction with the top 2 x 4 pieces

when the drawer is opened.

Add some trim to the drawer fronts. QUICK TIP: using trim that has rounded outsided edges will help even the seam shadow if the drawer is

pushed to one side


Place the completed frame in its final resting place. Secure the

back frame to the wall with 3.5” screws at the stud locations.

In my case the day bed sticks out from one wall by a little bit. I cut a piece of plywood to cover this

opening. It is pocket hole screwed to the front face frame and secured to the corner stud in the wall with

screws.

Add the rest of the exterior support pieces and then screw down your plywood panel. It’s a good idea to predrill for the screws that will go into the front face frame and the plywood side (if you have one)


Add the finishing details such as base board and some trim along the top to cover the plywood edges. A built in day bed like this is a fun way to get more use out of a space such as this. I hope you were able to

find this project less intimidating and are able to make one of your own. If you do make one be sure to stop by our website and let us know!

built-in day bed - furniture plans & affordable diy ... · place the completed frame in its...

Documents