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August 24, 2012

Building a West Elm Inspired Daybed

The best thing about DIY is with a little courage and practice you can have West Elm taste on a Kmart budget.  Last year I fell in love with the West Elm Outdoor Sectional, and saved over two thousand dollars by building it myself.  So I did a little happy dance when I found these plans for the West Elm Rectangles Daybed on Ana-White.com, which I wanted desperately for our Nursery.  I'm not going to walk you through every step of the building, since Ana does it so clearly, but I'll give you the general process as well as some notes I would add to make the process a little simpler if you plan to build this daybed yourself.

First I started with this pile of wood.  I've noticed that a lot of Ana's plans call for x3s (as in 1x3s or 2x3s...), which are hard to find in Minnesota.  I ended up finding x3s at Menards in the framing lumber area, which meant it wasn't great quality, but I figured since I would be painting it all, it would be fine.  All the wood cost me just $53.

And after 45 minutes of cutting, I had this:



*Note*- I thought I had an extra 1x2x8 left over after all the cutting, but turns out she forgot to include the (24) 2.25" 1x2s on the cut list.  She accounts for it in the materials list so you buy enough, but don't forget to cut these little 1x2 pieces as well.

Ana has a smart plan for making H's and T's instead of rectangles so that you can easily nail the pieces together, (rather than trying to fit your tools within the small spaces.  My little man was a super helper on this project, he put together the H's for me and then brought them over to me to assemble.  Best. Project. Partner. Ever.



  *Note*- Ana's plan has you using a Kreg Jig and pocket screws for all of these connections.  I can't imagine how much filling that would be, and personally I bet it would look quite messy.  For all my decorative pieces I just used my finishing nailer and wood glue.  I found 2 small nails close to each other in the center prevented the wood from cracking, but also made it so the pieces couldn't rotate or spin.  Once the glue dried, the joints were strong.




After you make all the H's, and T's you fit them together with precut pieces on the top and bottom.


*Note*- Ana doesn't have you attach the 2.25" pieces to the 6.5" pieces first that connect the H's and the T's together.  I highly recommend you put these together first  in little Ts so that you don't have to try to get your tools in the small rectangle later.  As you can see in the photo above I didn't do that for the back piece, but got smart for the sides.


I did use my Kreg Jig to firmly secure the structural parts of the bed, the legs, arms, top bar, and the arms to the back of the bed.  To keep a low profile on this daybed (and to give maximum exposure to those sexy details along the back) I opted to install wooden slats along the bottom of the bed instead of using a box spring.

*Note* Ana gives you a visual on how to install the slats, but doesn't tell you how much wood you will need.  Add (17) 1x3x8s to your shopping list if you plan to go this route.

Once again my little man helped me by placing the 34 slats on the bed and I measured and secured them.  Ry loved helping make this special bed for Boomer, and I love that he'll have the memory (or at least the photos) of him creating something special just for his baby brother before he was born. *Tear.*


Put it all together and what have you got...


My inside decorative pieces are already white, since I found a pre-sanded, pre-primed 1x2x8s.  They were really affordable, and they saved me a lot of time on the finishing stage.  I did still have to go and apply wood putty over all my nail holes and joints though.


It was nothing that a couple days of sanding couldn't cover up though.  I started with 120 grit on an electric palm sander (since my wood was so rough to begin with), and finished with a 320 grit on a hand sanding block to make it baby smooth.  It was a bit pricier, but instead of hand painting, I went ahead and purchased primer and white gloss spray paint, for a smooth and even finish. (The spray paint cost $21 total.)


It took about 7 cans of spray paint in all, but it was totally worth it in time (and frustration) savings.


After a few days outside to cure, the Hubs and I finally hauled this beast inside.  Then I had a preggo dance party.




 

 I will say, if there is one thing that I've learned from this house, (and seem to keep forgetting) is that your project is only as good as the lumber you use.  While the bed looks great, I can't help but wish I hadn't purchased a slightly higher quality lumber to achieve a smooth and shiny finish.  The vibe for this room is supposed to be rustic though, so I'm going to give myself a little pass.  

Now that all the tricky details are done, I can't wait to start decorating this room.  More on that soon! 

17 comments:

  1. Looks gorgeous!! Someday I want to have the guts to be able to build something like this!

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    1. You can do it Amanda! My advice is to start with one of her smaller projects (like an end table or something and just give it a try. You'll probably be surprised by how easy it is, and will be conquering beds and couches in no time! :)

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  2. The bed looks great! I am totally distracted by those beautiful boulders lining your driveway, however!

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    1. That's so funny Carrie- I didn't notice how cool those boulders were either until I was editing these photos. Its definitely a part of this big project house that I had been taking for granted.

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  3. Very nice,but I don't think any body could jump on it.

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    1. Ryder has certainly already given it a few test runs, and so far so good. The cleats (the wood that runs across the back and front of the bed that supports the slats) are attached with dozens of 2.5" wood screws, so the whole piece actually feels very secure. You're right though, the lack of a box spring makes it less bouncy... hopefully that's a good thing. :)

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  4. Lack of a box spring is always good time in my book. How amazing is your latest creation?! Dude I think it is awesome! :) Great job

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  5. How do you attach the sides of the bed to the main back piece? Am I missing that step? I can't seem to find it on Ana's website either...but maybe I'm just not seeing it. It is BEAUTIFUL.

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    1. If you see in Ana's step #7- there are pocket screw holes drilled to the top of the arm and the bottom of the arm. Use these pockets to screw the arms to the back.

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  6. Looks Great! Can you please tell us the general dimension of the final product?

    What are the dimensions for length, width,and height?

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    1. The final piece is 78" x 42" and just 30" high, which makes for a nice low profile.

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  7. That is STUNNING! Wow!!!! I am very impressed. And I love that you used the white boards. Painting is my least-favorite part, and all those details would make it SUCH a pain in the heiney! lol

    Aloha,
    Charlie

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  8. Im very interested in doing this project with my hubby. The only difference is that i will be hand staining it to a dark cherry shade. Two questions: how long did the project take? And what tips or changes might you offer for stainin as opposed to painting?

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    1. Definitely if you are going to stain I'd use high quality wood. In addition, I'd get the Keg Jig wood plugs you can buy to fill the pocket holes. There are a lot of them, and if you fill them all with wood fill and then stain it won't look as nice. Glue and clamp a lot! Good luck!

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  9. this turned out amazing, great job! would it work/be strong enough to make just the "headboard and footboard" part of this design? I love the design, but it would be a bit hard for my son to make his bed with the original plans. Thanks!

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    1. You'd have to adjust the plans slightly- as the 2 side arms open to the back panel, but I think it would be pretty easy to make the adjustment. Good luck!

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  10. I'm getting ready to tackle this project, thanks for the helpful tips!

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