Make your own outdoor bed – rock yourself to sleep

If you have a large terrace or garden and are looking for the perfect lounge garden furniture, you should consider an outdoor bed. A wide variety of models are offered for this. These consist of polyrattan, wood or metal and usually have a canopy, which can also be designed in the form of a four-poster bed made of fabrics. A Outdoor bed in the form of a swing is even better and offers complete relaxation after a hard day’s work.

Build your own outdoor bed

You can also easily build and design such a bed yourself. In this article we provide you with simple instructions with which you can build a rocking outdoor bed for the terrace or garden yourself.

Materials and tools you will need:

– 20 thick, straight wooden boards (approx. 5 × 10 cm)

– 100 screws (approx. 7 cm long)

– 8 anchor bolts (10 cm long)

– Pilot drill that matches the size of the screws and anchor bolts

– approx. 15 to 16 meters of rope or a chain (should withstand at least 90 kg)

– Wood pore filler

– Paint as a spray for outdoor use

– coarse-grained sandpaper (medium and fine)

– tape measure

– carpenter’s square

– drill

– saw

The length of the finished outdoor bed should be 2 meters and the width 1.20 meters. If you have already procured a mattress, you can also measure it and choose the size of the bed accordingly. The length of the ropes can vary depending on the structure of the roof. If you don’t want to hang the swing on the roof, you can also build a special scaffolding to which you can hang it, or you can simply put the outdoor bed on the floor and create a four-poster bed to provide shade.

And this is how the outdoor bed is built:

1. Cut the better to the right length. This is often offered in the hardware store. You need:

– 2 pieces with a length of 2.10 meters (for the sides of the frame)

– 6 pieces with a length of 1 meter (for the crossbeams)

– 12 pieces with a length of 2.15 meters (for the bed surface)

2. Assemble the frame for the outdoor bed. Mark the locations on the side boards where the crossbeams will be attached. These should have the same distance from one another. Pre-drill the ridges with the pilot drill. Two holes are needed for each side of the crossbar. First glue the crossbeams in place with glue and then drill them into place with the screws. To make sure that the angles are right, you can use the carpenter’s square to help.

3. Now distribute the boards for the surface so that they are evenly spaced. This will be about 12 millimeters. The beams or boards should overlap the frame by approx. 2.5 cm on all sides. If you are satisfied with the arrangement of the boards for the outdoor bed, you can temporarily glue the boards back in place. Then screw it back on. Each board should have two screws per transom.

4. Now it is the turn of the anchor bolts, which, as I said, are only required if you want to use the outdoor bed as a swing. Pre-screw the holes for the anchor bolts in each corner of the bed. These should also run through the frame to guarantee a better hold. Then put glue in each hole for extra grip and turn the anchor bolts into the holes. In doing so, you should not over tighten the screws and damage the wood inside. This will make it weaker and you risk the screws slipping out of the holes over time.

5. Since the outdoor bed, as the name suggests, will be outside in rain and sunshine, you should give the wood a protective layer accordingly. To do this, use the wood filler and sand the whole bed with a coarse-grained sandpaper. If necessary, you can apply wood filler again afterwards. Then sand the wood with the medium-strength grain and finish the processing with the fine sandpaper. After that, you can apply any color or clear varnish.

6. Hang up the outdoor bed. If you want to use the roof or a canopy for this, you should choose a beam, as these can withstand the weight. The standard distance from the floor is approx. 50 cm, but you can of course decide for yourself which height suits you best. Finally, add a cozy mattress and nice throw pillows.

What else you should pay attention to:

– Always wear protective glasses!

– If you’re looking to achieve a vintage style, you can choose boards that are naturally flawed. Still, it is important that the boards are straight!

– If you are working indoors, make sure there is good ventilation when dyeing and varnishing. If the weather permits, it is better to build the outdoor bed outdoors.

We wish you pleasant naps on your new outdoor bed in the form of a swing!

Source: www.hgtv.com