DIY Bed Frame with Headboard - Hipster Bedroom Part 1

While searching for some new furniture I stumbled across a few bed frames I really liked but were out my price range. Why do manufactures used expensive re-purposed wood harvested by blind orphans from exotic countries instead of just using cheap bulk lumber? "What's a hipster to do?" I asked myself while twirling my mustache.

Fueled by outrage and sustainable-farmed cruelty-free kale I decided to make my own bed frame for less (~$175 for parts) and was pretty successful. Here's how I did it.

Before/After

[Part 0: The Disclaimer]

I was able to do this without losing any eyes, fingers, or toes. However, this did involve the use of power tools, open flames, and chemistry. Be careful, take precautions. Wear safety glasses and protective gloves, work in well ventilated rooms, read labels, so on and so forth. 

[Part 1: The Lumbering]

The diy network has a decent page on building a bed frame which I stole followed closely. All the wood pieces are made uses straight cuts, so the degree of difficulty is fairly low. I didn't like how loose the frame fits the bed and the finish, so those were modified.

This wood stain is best described as 'campground toilet' [Source] 

Here's the lengths of wood I ended up getting:

• Four 2x12x8's for the frame
• Four 2x6x8's for the headboard (more =  taller, less = shorter)
• One 2x4x12 for the headboard

The original version left around a 3-5 inch gap on each side for bedding. I wanted a pronounced 'muffin top' look so I reduced the clearance to 1/2" on each side. A circular saw worked great for the cuts - adjust the blade to slightly larger than the thickness of your board to avoid excess splintering. Here is the length of each board as cut by me:

• 64" - Two 2x12's, Four 2x6's 
• 81" - Two 2x12's 
• 31" - Three 2x4's (Cut 3 pieces from the 12' board)

[Part 2: FIRE]

When you get the wood it's going to look pale and boring. This is where the propane torch comes in.

Torching the lumber raises the grain of the wood and otherstuffwhocaresFIRE.

Pictured: Me not have any fun. At all. Whatsoever.

I'm sure there is a proper technique here that I'm not using. The IKEA Hackers link recommends laying the board down and working at it from the top but I had zero success with that due to the wind. Turning it on it's side made an effective windscreen for me and made torching it much easier. Surprisingly the propane torch lasted me through a single pass of all the boards. Two passes would probably work better and help remove some blotches but I'm not made of time, internet. Speaking of time saving, remember you only have to do the sides that are going to be showing. 

Sanded (bottom) vs not (top). I recommend an orbital sander for the lazies.

Remove the excess char and sap with some ~320 grit medium sandpaper and you're ready for the next step

[Part 3: Science!]

This is really cool.

Okay, maybe not that cool

1.  Stuff some steel wool in a jar and fill it up with vinegar. Let it sit overnight and remove the steel wool. 
2. Brew some strong tea and wipe the board down with it. I used 3 teabags to 6 cups. Also make sure your wood is free of debris before wiping it down
3. Once the tea has dried rub the board down with the vinegar, let it sit, and... 
4. SCIENCE! "Tannic acid treatment for conservation is very effective and widely used but it does have a significant visual effect on the object, turning the corrosion products black and any exposed metal dark blue." [wiki]

Significant visual effect. 

The wood starts darkening and looking like driftwood. Alternatively you can use a stain - but where's the fun in that? 

[Part 4: Boring regular wood treatment stuff]

Once you're done it's time to seal up the wood to protect it from the unspeakable horrors of your bedroom. A few passes with wiping varnish is probably the easiest way to get a top notch looking finish. The downside of wiping varnish is it takes a while to dry and is smelly. I opted to use a water based polyurethane which is difficult to work with but quicker. Also it looks like android blood:

 If you want the wood to look natural go for a satin. If you want it to be shiny go for a gloss. If you want it to be in the middle go for a semi-gloss (my choice). Prep/paint according to the instructions on the can.

[Part 5: Assembly]

By this point you should have all your boards ready. Follow the instructions from the diy page and bam, bed frame. I couldn't find the long corner brackets like they used so I just doubled up two smaller ones and it worked just fine. 

I'll take some better pictures if/when I have access to a real camera. Until then:

hey gurl