How to make a Montessori floor house bed (full size)

A few years ago, while I was pregnant with my second daughter I picked up some power tools and got determined to make her a house bed. That was my first ever build and it turned out fabulous. That bed survived a move and lasted for 3 years before we replaced it with a bunk bed (oh, I made that one too haha)

Since that bed, I’ve done a lot of projects but that’s how it all started. This year I decided to take on a few projects for other people and got an order for a twin floor house bed, floor bed with rails, and a Montessori house bed in full size that you can see here.

So let’s get started!

As usual, a video tutorial is available on YouTube.

Step by step on how to make Montessori floor house bed

Step 1 - Assemble sides of the bed

Cut one 2x4" at 76 ½" and two 2x3" at 48".

2x3"s are the posts and you need to do a bevel cut at a 45-degree angle with a taller side going inwards. Taller side is 48". You could use a table saw but a miter saw is a better fit for this.

Using Kreg jig, 2 ½” pocket holes screws, and my favorite right-angled clamp, attach polls to the side. Don't forget to use wood glue for stability. But if you plan to disassemble it while moving then don't use the glue.

Make two of them.

Step 2 - assemble the base of the bed

Cut two 2x4" at 54" long. Cut four 2x3"s at 73 ½".

Make pocket holes from both sides of 2x3"s. Attach them to the 2x4”s together using Kreg jig and 2 ½” screws.

That's will be the base for the slats.

Attach sides to the base using 2 ½" screws. I like to also use a countersink bit to make sure that screws are flush with the sides.

PIN IT TO MAKE LATER

Step 3 - make a roof

Cut four boards from 2x3” to make a roof. Two of them at 41 ¾" and two at 40 ¼".

Pay attention to those quoters of an inch.

Make a bevel 45 degree cut on one side of each board.

Place the taller board over the shorter and attach it at a 90-degree angle. To attach it I used wood glue and self-tapping 2 ½" screws. Use a countersink bit to make sure screws aren't popping out. And always check with a speed square to make sure it’s at a perfect 90-degree angle.

Repeat this twice to make another side of the roof.

Step 4 - attach roof to the polls

This is probably the hardest part of this build if you are doing it yourself without any help. It wasn’t easy to assemble since the bed is quite wide and it's hard to hold both parts together. I used clamps to help me hold one side during assembly but it didn’t quite work.

If you can get a helping hand, that would be a perfect time!

Place the roof over the polls. Use the countersink bit, make a pilot hole, and drive screws from the top to the bottom.

Do the same thing on the other side. And then attach the second part of the roof with the same method.

Step 5 - attach top rails and side boards

Cut three 2x2" at 71 ½". Make pocket holes on both ends using a Kreg jig. Using wood glue and pocket holes screws attach the first one to the highest point of the sides of the roof.

Measure 10” from the highest point of the roof (or it could be less, that’s optional). Attach two 2x2” on each side from the top center to make top rails.

If you place the bed by the wall, make sure to attach pocket holes on the side that is not visible to you.

Attach sideboards. Cut two 2x3"s at 71 ½" and make pocket holes from both sides. Attach it to the bottom of the roof. Make sure it's leveled. Use the level for that.

Step 6 - attach brackets

To add support to the bed and make it less wobbly and more stable we'll be adding brackets.

First, you need to measure your mattress to make sure the brackets won't stick out from the mattress height.

Cut 2x3" at 16" and make 45-degree cuts on both sides. To attach them I used 2 ½" screws and wooden glue. To have a nice finish, use a countersink bit.

Adding brackets in 4 corners would add stability to the bed and it will be structurally more sound. ( I show only two on the plan, but in fact, I added four of them)

You can also add a board in the header from 2x3" that would help with stability and could also be used to keep bottles on it.

Step 7 - add slats

For the slats, I ripped the ¾" plywood sheet to size and attached them using 1 ¼" screws.

As I mentioned before, you could also use 1x4"s or an MDF board, if you want the space to be fully closed off.

Step 8 - finish as desired

To finish this bed, first I used a layer of white primer. When the primer has dried, I used wood filler to fill out some knots.

Then I applied two coats of "Whisper white" paint by Behr.

I love the way this Montessori floor house bed turned out! What do you think?

If you are looking for inspiration on how to decorate this bed, here are 10 Montessori floor house beds with free plans. I have some suggestions on cute decor from small businesses including a super fun drapery that you can put on top to take this bed on a whole new level.

Check my Instagram @ifonlyapril where I post behind the scenes of what's is happening in If Only April world 🙂

If a full-size bed is too big for your kids, check out the Montessori floor house bed in twin size.

xoxo,

April