Triple Bunk Beds

Updates from August 2020 

Update: We have since taken the fan out of the room. Thanks for the concern. Just didn't have the new light when we took these pics. 

The Triple Bunk Completed Project

Over Thanksgiving break, my incredible husband and our good friend Daniel completed my triple bunk vision. In just over a week, they produced this awesome new bed for our two kids 

(and one to come!). 

We used the plans from The Handmade Dress link originally posted here and the plans for the link have been removed - sorry about that. 

The plans were very helpful to get us started and then we changed a few things to fit our needs and space. We did all of the construction in the room and then painted the whole thing afterwards (which was not as bad as I had imagined). 

Changes we made from the plans:

-We made our railings out of 1x4s. 

-We made our ladders a little differently (Did not make a solid vertical piece and then insert the steps. We put the steps all the way across and rested on the vertical pieces as the vertical pieces were cut to fit between steps.)

-We routed all of the boards for a nice smooth finish (not sure if that was in the plans or not, just a mommy request). 

Details:

-We painted the plywood frame bases to match the walls. Provided some good contrast for underneath. 

-We painted the wall supports to match the walls, as done by The Handmade Dress. 

-We cut out the baseboards on both sides of the room to accommodate the bed going all the way to the walls. 

-We made a sweet little vent adaptation so that our floor vent would not be covered. (Not shown in pics but I should post one). 

-We pre-drilled everything to avoid splits. 

-We filled the holes with wood putty and sanded it all down. I would not recommend wood putty if you are planning to stain it (original idea) as it looked "dirty" after a test stain. 

-We jammed the drop cloth under the structure in order to paint the edges well. Very helpful. 

-We used floor paint to paint it white, as recommended by the sweet older employee at Lowes. I will let you know how that goes in about five years....if it is more durable or not. 

UPDATE - The white floor paint worked well. It is easy to wipe down. I have repainted the side panels once in the last couple of years. 

Construction Pictures

 

The kids already loving it! 

You can see the plywood base in this one. 

Final Project Pics

Bedding is from Land of Nod

Update: The beds are holding up so well! 2020 and I have three big kids in them! 

No durability problems at all! And look fun with some Christmas bedding from last winter. Bedding from Target's Grinch line.