Gary in Texas built this OP Loftbed for his daughter. He added a lot of extra touches and shared a lot of details and tips. We’re happy to share both Gary’s craftsmanship and tips with our readers. He says:
This was my first significant wood working project, but it turned out great! I built this for my 8 year old daughter Claire and she (and all of her friends) love it. I built a simple ladder (thanks google for the ideas) to make it easier for her to get up top (a plunge router and a good protractor made that job straight-forward). I also got inspired to hard-wire in two LED under-counter lights that I purchased at Lowes along with some lamp wire and a male plug. One light over the couch on one end and one over her desk at the other end. They actually produce very nice light (I was uncertain about using LEDs). I hid the wires using thin plastic conduit that had an adhesive backing and I painted it the same color as the dark purple frame. I’ve never installed lights like that before, but it turned out to be really simple. My wife added a curtain with a cheap $5 dollar rod we bought at Walmart to help hide the computer and give her a little hide-away.
I used a two-tone purple paint scheme with dark purple on the main frame features (legs and side-boards) and an almost white-purple (same as her walls) for the supporting cross members to make the cross members disappear a little in the background and make the frame stand out (and make the room look less full because it’s such a large structure in her small room). Originally I was going to stain the bed, but I used a soft pine wood and I just couldn’t get the stain to go on light enough and I had problems w/ blotches – even used wood conditioner to prevent this. So I gave up and painted. Ultimately, I am much happier that I painted because I think it works better with the colors in her room. The other important thing I learned: use shellac to cover up those knots! I could see them bleeding through the primer the day after I primed them. After I applied shellac, no more bleed through.
It’s a simple design, but I’m impressed with how great it looks and how sturdy it is (it’s build like tank!). My son is now convinced he needs one too
Thanks!
Gary
Thanks for sharing these photos with us, Gary. You did a wonderful job and we’re sure many of our other customers will appreciate the tips you shared too.
Click on the pictures below to enlarge them. For more pictures of customer’s loft beds, visit out photo gallery.
