Building a pallet bed: 7 tips on how to build and design your own bed from pallets
A pallet bed is a bed system whose central construction element is the pallet. These beds are often built by people themselves, as the implementation is relatively simple. If the right materials, tools and a plan are available, a pallet bed can be built in a few hours.
Do it yourself, create well-being: Wanting to build a pallet bed yourself shows a desire to design, but also requires craftsmanship. The implementation can become a real project, but can be just as fulfilling. In order to build a pallet bed that not only looks good, but is also good for sleeping, a few tips should be followed.
Building a europallet bed: Possibilities and properties
If you want to build your own bed out of pallets, sometimes you don't know where to start. On the internet, there are many ideas and inspiring DIY projects for furniture made from pallets on various platforms such as Pinterest and blogs. The pallet bed has become an absolute favourite. It is quick and easy to build and makes a big impression in the bedroom. Nevertheless, instructions for a pallet bed are helpful to really achieve the best result. We have summarised a few tips and ideas that will help you to build your own pallet bed and enjoy it in the long term.
Pallet bed DIY: What are the options?
Whether queen-size bed or king-size bed: pallet beds can be built for any size. The desired lying surface usually depends on the size of the bedroom and the sleeping habits. Active sleepers, for example, need more space. However, a larger surface area can also lead to a better quality of life in the bedroom and make the room more homely overall.
Pallet bed dimensions: How big can I build?
A Euro pallet has the standardised dimensions 80x120 cm. With the right amount of pallets, a large bed can be built from them wonderfully quickly. The pallet bed can be 240 cm long - the remaining centimetres at the head or foot end can be used to create additional storage space. For example, a shelf attachment at the foot end is suitable to enhance the function of the piece of furniture.
If space is limited, narrower beds are also possible - for example, the 80x200 pallet bed is ideal as a single bed. With two Euro pallets next to each other, a double bed 160x200 is created. The pallet bed is suitable for tall people, as large lying surfaces can be built quickly by combining pallets. As mentioned at the beginning, the double bed 160x240 is easily finished in no time - simply combine four pallets. The dimensions 90x200, 120x200, 140x200, 180x200 and 200x200 are also possible. What makes the whole thing particularly easy: the dimensions are optimal for the standardised mattress sizes.
What makes a pallet bed comfortable: what matters?
A pallet bed always sets spectacular visual accents in the home. However, the bed system must not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also convincing in terms of comfort. The challenge with the pallet bed? It does not cushion. The feeling of merely sleeping on a pallet is not the point. All the more reason to buy a good mattress: After all, a person spends a third of his or her life on a mattress. The ratio is also noticeable in everyday life - either unintentionally due to a bad night's sleep, or because the bed is an effective place for regeneration. Because our conscious perception in everyday life and the quality of our sleep are mutually dependent.
To ensure that the user does not feel the pallet when lying down, the right thickness of the mattress is crucial. So what does the mattress for the pallet bed depend on?
The hardness level or the right body support: The mattress must be ergonomically adapted to the personal needs of the user. Every person finds a different degree of firmness comfortable. Long-term effect: The mattress should be tested in everyday use within the familiar four walls over several weeks. Only then is it possible to make a well-founded judgement on the lying sensation and the resulting sleep quality. Materials: The quality of the mattress is defined by the materials used. Natural materials have a positive effect on the sleeping climate.
The most effective way to find the best mattress for personal comfort is with ergonomically adjustable mattresses. These mattresses can be varied in their degree of firmness and body support according to preference, so that the user can determine their personal best lying feeling. Ergonomically adaptable mattresses are offered by Cosyworld, for example; here, the customer can adjust his or her own lying feeling as desired using the FLEXBONE plug-in system. Buying online offers another advantage: instead of going to the local shop, mattresses should be tested at home over a longer period of time. The mattress is delivered quickly and can be tried out for 100 nights - those who don't like the product can have it collected again - free of charge and without complications. This allows the customer to test the product unobserved and in everyday use. In the shop, on the other hand, the customer often receives a sales talk instead of expert advice; and at that moment it is difficult to assess whether a mattress will really serve its purpose in the long run - a trial sleep is not possible in a mattress shop.
Regardless of the bed system: The mattress is the most important component that enables restful sleep.
The pallet bed checklist: What do I need to build a pallet bed?
To build a pallet bed, you need the following tools and materials:
- Euro pallets (depending on how big you want your bed to be)
- Drill
- Ink rollers
- Jigsaw
- Random orbit sander
- Chalk paint
- Chisel (to cut wooden blocks and, if necessary, individual boards from the pallets)
- And of course: a mattress
Euro pallets dimensions: 120 cm x 80 cm x 15 cm. The base area is 0.96 m² and the weight is about 25 kg. A Euro pallet can carry around 1500 kg. Euro pallets can be bought from various suppliers - for example, in DIY stores but also online mail-order companies. There are various options: heat-treated and chemical-free, but also untreated. Many a person who is toying with the idea of building furniture out of pallets is tempted: pallets suddenly seem to be everywhere on every street corner. Why not just take them? Apart from the fact that in most cases this is tantamount to theft (Euro pallets cost money and are usually reused), you can never be sure what substances the pallet has already come into contact with on the street. Euro pallets are often exposed to harmful and chemical substances due to their use in logistics - surely no one wants to sleep on these. There are other types of pallets besides the Euro pallets, but they are often not suitable for building a bed - either because they are not stable enough or because they are not available in sufficient quantity.
Pallet bed ideas and tips
A bed made of pallets looks good in itself, but what other design options are there? As already described, additional storage space can be created during construction - for example, by adding a shelf at the head or foot end. However, it is also possible to store smaller items such as books or textiles in the spaces between the pallets, which are created by the construction of the pallets. This makes the bed multifunctional without losing its visual appeal - it simply makes use of the structural features of the pallets and at the same time retains the aesthetic characteristics.
Another question is the colour: many users leave it at the wooden look, which in any case gives the room a pleasant rustic accent. In second place is the white colour: this variant reduces the rusticity and makes the pallet bed appear more restrained and lighter in appearance. The pallet furniture thus no longer dominates the room. Black, on the other hand, makes the bed appear more dominant and chunky, which works well in larger rooms - provided the room is furnished in a minimalist way or the dark tone is regularly found in other components of the room. Bright and pure colours such as blue, green or even red tend to be used less often, because the already large pallet bed can quickly appear too dominant and bulky with a garish colour. An alternative can be gradations with grey or even pastel shades.
A popular pallet bed idea is to install one or more lamps in the pallet bed. The many openings and cavities between the pallets create interesting plays of light - the pallet bed glows from within and thus additionally enhances the atmosphere.
One or two more pallets are often used as a headboard, which stand vertically against the wall, are provided with cushions and decorated as desired or are left natural. To continue the look of the pallet bed in the bedroom, nightstands made of pallet wood are often added next to the bed or pictures on the wall with wooden frames made of pallet boards. As pallets exude a provisional charm, pallet furniture is often combined with minimalist and at the same time self-made materials, furnishings and furniture.
Buy a pallet bed: Is it worth it or not?
If you don't want the hassle of DIY furniture, you can order ready-made pallet furniture. There is a wide range of products online: Amazon, for example, offers pallet beds in all possible sizes and variations. There are also different price variants. Some pallet beds are offered with built-in drawers, which increases the price considerably.
The only thing that really justifies the price of buying a ready-made pallet bed is the effort saved. However, the material costs when building your own are incomparably lower. When buying a ready-made bed, we recommend buying only the bed system. The mattress, on the other hand, should be one that is adapted to your personal ergonomic needs - and which you can easily return if you have any doubts. The mattress and the matching pillow are the decisive factors, regardless of the bed system, and should be carefully tested over a longer period of time.