May I present you a unique, DIY daybed that even a beginner can create.
Yes, you heard right- Even if you have no woodworking experience, you too can make an easy wooden daybed. If you are looking for some free outdoor furniture plans, I will attach my sketch below. Even though we used it as a bed, this would make some pretty sweet handmade patio furniture. You could modify the plans to make an outdoor sectional, or even a bench if you have a small backyard as we do.
And yes, it can even be built in one day if you hustle. Heck, you could even put a trundle underneath, or make a daybed from a twin bed if you already have one! The only thing you would need to make is the fluted headboard.
(Or is is even called a headboard on a daybed? Sideboard?)
Anyway, you can turn this into whatever you want if you have you own idea.
What is a good first woodworking project?
This is. Let me tell you why: It’s cheaper to build your own furniture.
I wanted a rattan daybed so that I would have an extra seating area or a place for guests to sleep. So, as usual, I went to Anthropologie and loved everything they had. You can see them here if you want some inspiration, or if you want to skip this whole thing, and just buy one. They cute.
My wallet didn’t love it though. Because I’m on the hunt for a house, I needed something I could make on a budget.
I love mid-century, rattan, and fluted furniture, so I decided to put my DIY skills to the test. I actually bought this saw just for this project and I am OBSESSED.
What else could I make out of wood? I have so many projects in mind!
Keep in mind too, that I made these woodworking plans from scratch. They may not be perfect- this is my first time doing this.
It will fit a standard size twin mattress, but I’m sure you could make a bigger version to accommodate a queen bed.
Or turn it into a couch. Whatever you want to make.
Side note: If you want to make a fainting couch, here is some cool inspiration!
This post probably contains affiliate links. However, I wouldn’t recommend anything I didn’t truly love or use. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure here.
Things you’ll need to create your wooden daybed:
No worries if you don’t have a truck! Home Depot delivers free with $45 order if you purchase online!
- 72 half inch dowel’s (Get these so that when you cut in half they will be 2ft long.)
- 5 21 inch 2×4’s
- 2 40 inch 2×4’s
- 76 inch 2×4
- 2 69 inch 2×4’s
- 3 33 inch 2×4’s
- You will need 7 2x4s in all
- 2 inch dowel cut into 5 7.5 pieces
- Wood glue
- Pocket Screws
- Pocket Jig
- Clamp (at least 1, but 2 is better)
- Miter Saw (I got this one based on reviews. It makes me feel powerful and safe.)
- Tarp (If you are working outside.)
- Extra clamps for tarp
- Painter’s tape (For holding dowels in place.)
- Stain (I used Golden Pecan)
- Stain Brush
- Outdoor Polyurethane (optional)
- Latex Gloves
- Tape Measurer
- Pencil
- 33×69 Plywood (Put in the notes to have them cut this size for you.)
- Twin Mattress ( Standard size, 38×74)
- Twin Sheets (I got these.)
- Drill
Before you start thinking about DIY daybed ideas…
If you aren’t a woodworking beginner, skip the next section and scroll down to the step-by-step tutorial.
Get familiar with your saw.
First, watch some YouTube videos about how it works if you’ve never used one.
I had not used any type of saw since my college sculpture classes, so I was pretty much convinced I was going to lose some part of my body in the making of this bed.
I promise it’s not near as scary as it seems.
If you bought the Ryobi saw that I have, then you know that you have to squeeze the trigger in two different places before this table saw will even cut, which makes it super safe. The cover of the blade won’t even slide up until you pull the handle of the saw all the way down. I promise it’s not near as scary as it seems.
Also, for some reason, I was thinking that as soon as I cut through the wood, the scrap piece would launch off of the table like a speeding bullet.
That doesn’t happen either. This saw is going to cut through your wood like a hot knife through butter. It doesn’t kick, or anything like that. I didn’t even have my saw bolted down to my table and it never moved an inch.
I would recommend securing your saw though. Safety first.
What is a pocket hole?
Second, you will also need to know what a pocket hole is and how to make one, so that you can assemble the wooden joints.
I read the instructions over and over and I still couldn’t understand it until Walt demonstrated how to make one.
Basically, all you need to do is set it to the 1 1.5 settings, then clamp the jig to the edge of your wood, then drill to make an angled hole. Use your table for this because it makes it so fast and easy once you get the hang of it.
Can you use glue? How do I style a daybed?
Decide if you want to make an indoor or outdoor daybed. Do you want to make a DIY daybed on a budget? Where should you place a daybed in your home?
We were originally going to place our homemade wooden bed in our teen girls’ room, but then realized it wouldn’t fit up the stairs.
We couldn’t take it apart because I had used wood glue before I drilled.
If you are making this easy project for your living room, I’d suggest picking a stain that matches any wood elements you have there already, so that it will seamlessly with your decor.
And yes, even adults can sleep on it.
DIY Daybed Plan (free!)
Hopefully, this is easy to follow for beginners. You’ll probably have to zoom in, because I took this picture on my phone.
I re-worked this sketch for hours, but if you need these plans in a pdf format, let me know.
Keep reading to see pictures of every step that will guide you through!
More DIY Projects:
Sculpture Wall Art
Printed Wrapping Paper
DIY Floating Glitter Tumbler
Create This Anthropologie Inspired Mirror
Make Your Sweater Look Like The $118 Rosie Sweatshirt
How do you make a daybed? (step-by-step tutorial)
1.Assemble the base.
The first thing you need to do is cut your wood. Then, you need to make some pocket holes at the ends of the 40-inch boards so that you can assemble the frame together in a big rectangle shape.
After that, make pocket holes at the end of each 33 inch piece of wood and screw them in so that they look like bed slats.
At the end you can lay your plywood on top of this to support your mattress.
Boom. The part where the mattress will lay is done.
2. Make the back of your day bed.
Cut 5, 21 inch pieces out of your 2x4s and put pocket holes at the end of each. Cut a 76 inch piece of wood and screw 2 of the 21 inch pieces of wood to the sides, like an upside down “U” shape.
Spread the other 3 pieces out in the middle to support the back. I just eyeballed this part- the dowels are going to cover them anyway. Attach perpendicular to the base using the pocket holes you made earlier.
I made the back first and then turned my bed on its side to glue the dowels on. A better option would be to glue the dowels onto a piece of plywood before securing it to the back with glue in one easy step.
I didn’t have the plywood or the patience to go back to home depot, so I’m just going to tell you the way I did it. Also, if you are okay with having a shorter “back” to your bed, then you could cut your dowels into thirds instead of halves. This would save a little bit of money.
3. Glue on the dowels. Buckle up. It’s gonna be a long one.
First, cut 72 dowels in half. If you want to save a little money, you could use less dowels and cut them into thirds; this would just make the back shorter.
Turn your bed on its’ back and start gluing some dowel rods to the beam in the center. You are going to start in the middle and work your way out.
Then. line up about 15 at a time on the ground and use painters’ tape across the backs of them to hold them together. It’s okay if the ends aren’t even- the mattress will cover them anyway.
There is no need to remove the stickers. (I realized this the hard way about 30 minutes in.) If all of the stickers are face up, they wont show when you attach them to the back of your DIY daybed. I did make sure they were all at the bottom, just in case.
Squeeze out some Gorilla glue all over the backs of the dowel rods. As long as you have them taped together snugly, it won’t run between the cracks to the front. I placed some plant pots on each side, just to make sure they were as close together as possible.
Move on to step 4 if you need to save time, then come back to this section.
When the dowels have dried for a couple of hours you can glue them to the back.
This is way quicker than doing them one at a time, which is what I started out doing. Use your clamp to hold them to the back if you need to. It also helps to place a scrap piece of wood behind them as they dry, so that they will stay level.
If you are using an old twin bed instead of building this from scratch, then you can just make the back and anchor it to the back using E600.
I once made a giant T-Rex sculpture out of found, (heavy) metal objects and this held it together perfectly.
4. Add the legs.
While your dowels are drying, you could go ahead and make the legs. Cut your 2-inch dowel into 5, 7.5-inch pieces.
You can use the screws for this, but I glued them down with Gorilla Glue first to make sure they wouldn’t get loose.
I wanted my bed to have a similar look to the Anthropologie daybeds, which is why I did not line them up with the corners.
If you like, scoot the legs a little bit toward the center instead of having them right on the edge so that the piece will have a mid-century modern vibe.
5. Apply your stain and polyurethane.
I used Golden Pecan and applied it with an old rag, but used a stain brush for the lacquer because it works much better.
Also, word to the wise- use gloves. I had a sticky coat of stain on my hands for a good two days.
You don’t have to use a weatherproof lacquer if you aren’t going to use this as an outdoor couch, but I would still recommend it.
If you do, the stain will blend beautifully. As a result, the shine will make it look so much more finished.
Can a wooden daybed be used outdoors?
Yes! If you put an outdoor sealant on the wood it will be fine, just remember to either cover your mattress with a tarp or bring it in when it rains. The one we got is great because it can be maneuvered easily into the closet on our patio.
How to build an easy DIY daybed that you can make in one day.
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