Do-it-yourself metal bed, what you need and the order of work

One of the most important elements in the bedrooms is the bed. The most common are beds made of wood or particleboard panels. Metal beds are not so popular, because the choice of models is not too wide and many of them instead of a mattress suggest a soft metal mesh (sleeping on such a bed is very harmful and even dangerous for the spine). But still you can make a good bed of metal with your own hands. It will be much cheaper than a custom product. But it takes a lot of time to make a metal bed, especially if there is no experience in carrying out such work. Having prepared for work and having purchased the necessary tools, you can master the production much faster.

Preparation for work

Before you make a metal bed with your own hands, you need to know the size of the mattress placed on it. Since it is almost impossible to change the dimensions of the metal base frame, you should buy a mattress before making the bed. Purchased mattresses are standard sizes. Their length can be (in centimeters):

190;
195;
200;
220.

The width of the bed can be (in centimeters):

80;
90;
120;
140;
180;
200.

After purchase, even if the size of the mattress is indicated by the manufacturer on the label or packaging, the length and width must be measured with a tape measure yourself. Before starting the manufacture of a metal bed, it is necessary to make diagrams and drawings of the base of the bed, frame and headboard. Following the drawings will ensure the speed and quality of work, as well as minimize errors that affect the appearance and symmetry of the bed. Before starting work, it is necessary to purchase all the necessary materials and make sure that there are tools, including electric ones, that will be needed during the work.

Create the drawing of the desired size

Choose the size of the mattress

Materials and Tools

In order to make a metal bed with your own hands, you will need such tools:

Welding machine;
Monolith electrodes;
Drill;
Drills for metal;
Square file;
Roulette;
Pencil;
Brush for metal;
Sandpaper with different numbers of abrasiveness;
Square;
Bulgarian;
Grinding wheels for grinders;
Cutting wheels for metal for grinders;
Paint brushes;
Primer "stainless steel" for metal;
Paint or varnish for coating.

We prepare tools

With a bed size of 190-200 cm long and 80-200 cm wide, a standard drawing can be used for a bed. It is designed for a mattress height of 20 cm. You can also find a drawing on the Internet, or you can do it yourself. The following materials will be required:

Corner dimensions 40 * 40 mm - 4 m 50 cm;
Strip of metal (thick) 20 * 4 mm - 6 meters;
Square steel pipe 10 * 10 mm - 14 meters;
Channel 65 * 32 mm - 11 meters;
Metal strip (thin) 25 * 2 mm - 4 m 50 cm;
A square pipe made of steel 20 * 20 mm - 12 m 50 cm.

All materials must be made of steel or metal. If it is possible to order a cut of the material when ordering, you can use this service. This will greatly simplify the process of assembling the bed and speed it up. If this is not possible, it is advisable to add at least 10% of the material to the above figures, taking into account its consumption during processing (sawing, welding and grinding).

Manufacturing process

Before starting to weld a bed of metal, you must cut the available materials along the length of the grinder to have all the details of future metal furniture available. If we systematize the manufacturing process, that is, first cut all the materials and then weld them, much less time will be spent on creating a metal bed. The table below shows the cutting scheme of steel elements.

Destination	What is used	Cutting length in cm	Total dimensions, in mm	amount
For the upper cross member of the headboard	square tube 2 * 2 cm	200	20002020	2 pieces
For foot cross member: lower part	square tube 2 * 2 cm	168	16802020	1 piece
For the mattress frame: base	thin strip 2.5 * 0.2 cm	200	2000252	2 pieces
Foot parts: for vertical	square tube 2 * 2 cm	25	2502020	2 pieces
Tsargi	channel 6.5 * 3.2 cm	200	20006532	4 pieces
For bed frame: center brackets	channel 6.5 * 3.2 cm	12	1206532	2 pieces
Elements for backs (transverse)	square tube 1 * 1 cm	80	8001010	16 pieces
Elements for the frame (end)	corner 4 * 4 cm	100	10004040	4 pieces
Frame base (for mattress)	thick strip 2 * 0.4 cm	100	1000204	6 items
For a headboard	square tube 2 * 2 cm	90	9002020	4 pieces
Brackets (side)	channel 6.5 * 3.2 cm	12	1206532	4 pieces
For lower back cross member	pipe 2 * 2 cm	80	8002020	2 pieces
For ankle stand	square tube 2 * 2 cm	60	6002020	4 pieces

After cutting all the parts from metal, metal profile or steel, you can proceed to their welding.

We make furniture details

Frame and base

After cutting, the frame and frame are welded. How to make a bed:

Cut elements for the frame, that is, steel strips, channels, corners and ready-made brackets are laid out on a horizontal surface;
The angle of the parts should be 90 degrees. You can achieve it by checking the diagonals - they must be the same. Aligned parts are welded;
Brackets made of channel are attached to the frame. To do this, holes are drilled in the frame according to the dimensions of the studs of the brackets. The diameter of the holes is 9 mm, but it can be manually adjusted to the size of the spike with a file;
Then legs are welded to the base. Particular attention is paid to their evenness with respect to the floor. When the structure can already be put on the legs, the base for the mattress is welded. You can not use corrugated board for the base of the mattress - this is too "weak" material. Use steel strips or sheets previously cut.

We lay out all the elements on the floor

We connect the elements of the frame with hardware

We check the frame for strength

Fasten the legs

Headboard

The head is welded separately from the pipe for the rack and the transverse elements. First, the lower cross member is welded to the backrest, and then the remaining transverse elements. When welding the cross-member and the stand, an angle of 90 degrees and the correspondence of the size of the head to the dimensions of the base of the bed should be maintained. The arrangement of the transverse elements can be varied, but they must ensure the reliability of the fastening of the structure.

The free arrangement of transverse elements makes it possible not only to strengthen the headboard and add strength to the structure, but also to ensure the aesthetics of the appearance of the bed. Upon entering the room, the metal headboard will be visible first, and it is on this part of the bed that it is recommended to add decorative elements or paintings. If such a bed is intended for newlyweds, then declarations of love, couple names or important dates can be placed on the head of the bed.

Weld pipes

Be sure to make the crossbars at 90 degrees

We fix the created headboard to the base

Assembly

When the headboard structure is fully assembled, the metal foot stand of the headboard is welded to the bed base. When the structure can already be put on the legs, the base for the mattress is welded. After welding, all seams are sanded with a drill with a special nozzle or grinder to a state of smooth and even joints. A coarse pelt can be used for small parts.

From the remaining materials, you can make glides for racks. They can be made of steel sheet. The sheet is first cut into stripes. Cut off the edges of the strips with a file. Then the steel strip is cut into dimensions corresponding to the side cut of the legs and is mounted on the lower rack. Stubs for the upper transverse elements are made in the same way, but they can be made more beautiful. Instead of a steel sheet or strip, you can come up with other ways to make plugs. They can also decorate the bed.

We make the base for the mattress

Grind the elements

We make glides for racks

You can use stubs

Final processing

A fully finished prefabricated iron bed, welded and sanded, is treated with a rust primer. It is impossible to paint the metal immediately after welding, since rust may appear at the joints, especially those that are refined after grinding. After drying the primer, which is desirable to be applied in 2 layers, you can begin to stain the bed.

The most beautiful way to paint metal is to spray gold lacquer onto it using a spray gun. However, it is long and expensive. If it is not possible to do this, you can paint the bed with metal paint using ordinary brushes. It turns out beautiful in beds, decorated with metal roses, paintings or engravings. Home-made jewelry items are usually prettier and more creative than purchased items. Decorating metal products with your own hands is painstaking and hard work, but it allows you to approach the design of the bed with a creative approach and eccentricity.

As can be seen from the information described in this article, to make a metal bed yourself is a workable task, if you prepare for it and have the necessary materials and tools.