This Platform bed DIY shows you how to turn seven standard SEKTION kitchen cabinets from IKEA into a platform bed with storage underneath. It’s a perfect solution for anyone with limited closet or attic space.

The approximate cost of this project was $480, roughly broken down as follows:

$355 – Cabinets

$85 – Lumber

$40 – Paneling, carpet, knobs

I’ve had a number of questions about the specific cabinets used. Keep in mind, you can do this project with any brand or style as long as they are wall cabinets. For my cabinets, go to ikea.com and look at their SEKTION wall cabinets. The cabinet sizes are shown in the video at 0:34. I selected the cheapest doors (Häggeby white).

NOTE: The smallest step is actually a TUTEMO open cabinet (IKEA article #802.783.53) laid on its side. This cabinet measures 9 x 14 3/4 x 15. It’s not the exact size shown in my design, but it’s the closest I could get.

The bed has been tested with three full-size adults and two dogs so I’m not worried about weight capacity. The “steps” are very strong and do not sag under my weight (and I’m a big guy). Really, don’t worry about weight.

If you live in a rented apartment and are worried about drilling holes in the walls, think hard about building this bed. If you can’t (or don’t want to) spackle holes before moving out, should you really be considering such an aggressive DIY project?? You can certainly adapt my design to be free-standing; just make sure it is well-supported underneath. Keep in mind that the entire structure will need to be disassembled to move (so don’t glue everything together!).

Watch the Platform Bed DIY video

One minor detail that I omitted from the video: I installed four plastic furniture glides under every cabinet (one in each corner) to keep them off the floor by approximately 1/4″. These will prevent the cabinets from scratching the floor, and prevent the doors from rubbing on the floor. If you have carpeting, you may need to build up the cabinets even higher to prevent the doors from rubbing on the carpet.

Several people have asked if this could be made free-standing so they don’t have to attach it to the wall. If you want to structurally incorporate the cabinets in the design, as I’ve done here, I recommend attaching it to the wall because the wall provides a huge amount of stability. If you want to build a bed like this without attaching it to the walls, start with a freestanding bed frame such as this and add the cabinets to enclose it.

Get more details and a blueprint of the platform bed DIY on my blog.

~Chris~