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How do I build a box spring bed myself?

How to develop and design your personal box spring bed Assembly instructions in 10 steps – How do I build a box spring bed myself?

A beautiful bed not only has to look good, but above all it should be comfortable. If you want to treat yourself to a new place to sleep, you are spoiled for choice. For every budget and design requirement, the trade has a large number of model variations that can be easily integrated into the existing bedroom.
For some pleasure sleepers, however, it should not be an off-the-peg bed, but an individual production. After all, the current do-it-yourself trend doesn’t end in the kitchen. Even long-lasting bedroom furniture can be designed and manufactured yourself, provided that there is a little technical understanding and creativity. The box spring bed poses a particular challenge in bed construction. It convinces with cubist shapes and the possibility of being able to match the color of the bed’s apron to the room.
Read here what you need to consider when building a box spring bed.

1st step: build the bed box

With the following construction it makes no difference whether a single bed or a double bed is to be developed from it. Measure the available space beforehand and decide on the desired format. Also assume the standardized sizes of the mattresses in order to be able to purchase them in normal stores. This results in the size of the bed box.
First and foremost, the bed box must be stable. It encompasses the later inner workings, provides support and ensures that the pressure is relieved downwards. In order to enjoy the new box spring bed in the long term, it should be made of solid wood. The desired length and width of the bed as well as the preferred height must be taken into account.

Those who are skilled at handwork can get sturdy spruce boards in the hardware store and cut the four rectangular side parts themselves . Pay particular attention to the right angle so that everything can then be screwed together flush. Alternatively, the boards can usually be ordered cheaply from the local carpenter. The four planks are firmly fixed to one another in the corners with so-called angle connectors, i.e. wide metal angles. Very heavy sleepers should drill through holes and a screw connection on the reverse side so that the bed box does not creak or warp later.

Step 2: Choose a nice design

The nice thing about a self-made box spring bed is that you can determine the look of the bed box yourself. High-quality beds of this type reflect the spatial living environment in the choice of fabric. They practically fit into the interior of the bedroom. A hard-wearing fabric that is minimally stretchable should be selected. Above all, special furniture upholstery fabrics that are UV-resistant and have a stain-resistant finish are abrasion-resistant. But leather, artificial leather or other exotic features such as fur would also be possible.

Natural solid wood gives the bed a rustic charm:

Fabric or synthetic leather makes the finished bed particularly comfortable:

The textile covering is lined with thin foam. For this purpose, the side part is covered with a layer of foam and, based on this, a layer of cover material. The layers are stapled neatly on the back. When cutting, make sure there are a few centimeters of seam allowance and work the corners flush.
If you prefer a rustic look, you can leave out the veneer. In this case, however, the corners and long edges of the bed box should be rounded or sanded a little to prevent any splinters. The natural wood grain comes out particularly nicely when a thin layer of oil or glaze is applied.

3rd step: insert the underbody plate

Now it goes to the underside of the frame construction. For more stability, a cross beam is drawn in, which divides the bed in the middle. This is also used for single beds. The beam is fixed with metal angles. The cut-out underbody plate is then placed on the deep-seated beam . It has several functions. On the one hand, it offers protection against allergy-causing dust flakes, on the other hand, it can be used to provide a certain amount of ventilation below the later bed. In any case, the retracted plate serves as a carrier material for the spiral springs.

4th step: The base mattress – the actual box spring

Now comes the critical part of the in-house construction: the spiral springs. They make up the core of the box spring bed, because after all they are the heart of the entire construction. In contrast to classic European beds, box spring beds do not have a slatted frame, but a spring construction that covers the entire area. This ‘box spring’, the American name that gives it its name, now needs to be cleverly installed. If you want it to be as true to the original as possible, you can buy tried-and-tested Bonell springs (pocket spring core or spring core) from specialist retailers and mount these spiral springs individually and continuously over the entire inner surface directly on the underbody plate. The closer the springs are, the more point-elastic the entire substructure can later react. Above that comes an ordinary one Mattress protector to protect the rest of the construction.

If this variant is too complicated to implement, you can alternatively cut open a pocket spring core mattress or remove the cover and use the entire interior as a box spring. Such an implementation is much more practicable because the spiral springs are then already sensibly attached, connected to one another and have a certain basic stability. In addition, the cut mattress should also be covered with a thick mattress protector. The advantage here: The springs are in barrel pocket spring core mattresses, which gives the whole construction a high level of stability. In addition, almost all models have foam covers, which can be perfectly retained as a protective layer. You can continue to use almost all of the mattress components.

The box spring is also often referred to as a base mattress, as it is usually very heavy mattresses that do not have a designated division into zones and support them from below. However, it can also be a little more comfort – if desired. That is why you should pay attention to good quality when choosing the base mattress. The base mattress must always have a lot of springs and can have a robust textile cover.

Skilled tinkerers now cover this base mattress with the same material that was used to cover the bed box. Such a variant can be seen above all in US series or feature films and is becoming increasingly popular with us too. This results in the typical appearance of the box spring bed. But if you have no talent at the sewing machine, you can cover the base mattress with a washable XL cover or use special box spring mattress toppers that are color-matched.