A bed made from pallets for children: how to make a small jungle-themed bed

There is a child’s bed made from pallets with decorations in a child’s bedroom. — The pallet bed features a special design thanks to the beautiful jungle-themed decorations.

Difficulty

medium
Cost

25-42 £
Duration

5-6 hours

Introduction

It’s only natural that you want your children to have a suitable bed for them to have especially sweet dreams. It’s even very easy to build it yourself if you have two EUR pallets available. Our step-by-step guide will explain how to make the pallet bed for children and decorate it in cool themes.

Have you heard about our 18-volt system yet? It offers a huge variety of devices for many different applications. The thing that makes the project below so special is that you can use the same rechargeable battery for every part of this project. Simply swap out the battery pack, insert it into a different device that’s part of the 18V system and move on to the next step.

It should go without saying that your safety is paramount at every stage of the project. Make sure you take the necessary precautions to protect yourself. You can find everything you need to know about the correct protective clothing you need when using each type of tool in our overview.

You need

Tools

Utilities

Edge router
pocket rule
pencil
g-clamps
hammer
mortice chisel

Materials

Two EUR pallets (approx. 1,200 x 800 mm)
Wood screws, 4 x 50 mm
Two wooden slats, 80 x 80 x 700 mm
5x100 mm wood screws
3.5x40 mm wood screws
3.5x35 mm wood screws
Several panels of three-ply wood
Wood paint

L: Length, W: Width, H: Height, D: Diameter

Let's go - step by step

Step 1 6

Making the pallets narrower and stabilising them

A section of a pallet is being sawn off to make it narrower. — The sawn-off sections are used later in stabilising the pallet.

You need: Jigsaws, BIM jigsaw blade, T 308 BF, Cordless combi drill, suitable bit set, pencil, pocket rule, g-clamps, hammer, mortice chisel, Two EUR pallets (approx. 1,200 x 800 mm), Wood screws, 4 x 50 mm

The new pallet bed consists of ordinary EUR pallets measuring approximately 1,200 x 800 mm. You have to cut about 100 mm off of both pallets in order to fit a child’s mattress (assuming a width of 700 mm). Mark the corresponding spot and saw the pallets on the long side.

The two (very narrow) sawn-off sections of the pallet do not get thrown away. Instead, place them on your workbench and remove the top pallet board. This is done best with a hammer and chisel.

The lower part of this pallet piece – not including the upper board – is now screwed back onto the actual pallet used as the bed to provide support. You now have two complete but narrower pallets again, at least visually.

Paletten.

Step 2 6

Sawing off the foot supports

A large section of a pallet is being sawn off to make it narrower. — The foot supports for the bed will be built using one of the two pallets.

You need: BIM jigsaw blade, T 308 BF, Jigsaws, g-clamps, pencil, pocket rule, A prepped pallet from step 1

Now place one of the prepped pallets on your workbench. Use them to make the two foot supports for the child’s bed. Simply saw off a piece at the top and bottom of the pallet. Note, however: The more you saw off, the higher off the floor the bed will be. In our case, we want a toy box to still fit underneath. That is why we use 3,500 mm for the measurement.

Mark the appropriate spots and use a jigsaw to saw off both foot sections. Alternatively, you can also use a reciprocating saw.

Step 3 6

Attaching the beams and foot supports

Two sections of a pallet are being screwed together perpendicularly.

You need: Cordless combi drill, Jigsaws, BIM jigsaw blade, T 308 BF, g-clamps, pencil, pocket rule, Two wooden slats, 80 x 80 x 700 mm, 5x100 mm wood screws, 3.5x40 mm wood screws

You will need the other pallet, which hasn’t been prepped yet, in the next step. Lay it on your workbench with the surface you have chosen for the top of the bed facing down.

First screw a thicker beam that has the same width as the pallet (700 mm) to the head and foot of the bed. You may have to saw it to size beforehand. Use one 100 mm screw each for the right and the left side (picture 1).

Then use the beams and attach both foot sections from step 2 to the head and foot of the bed (picture 2).

Step 4 6

Sawing out the design and sanding the edges

A design is being sawn out of a wooden board.

A sawn-out wooden leaf is being sanded down.

A cordless edge router is used to put the finishing touches on a sawn-out wooden shape.

You need: Jigsaws, 3-piece jigsaw blade set T-shank, Multi-sander, g-clamps, pencil, Several panels of three-ply wood

The frame for the pallet bed is now ready. Now we need to prepare several wooden shapes for the bed frame creating a beautiful aesthetic. Of course, you can freely choose the design. But since you have to draw and saw them out, they shouldn’t be too complicated or too small. We have chosen a total of four jungle-themed shapes.

Draw the shapes on a wooden board, saw them out using a saw blade for fine curves (picture 1) and sand them thoroughly (picture 2).

To make sure that there are no sharp edges and that the shapes are nice and round, it is worth finishing the edges again with an edge router (picture 3). Another example of where less is more!

Step 5 6

Adding some colour

A wooden shape is being painted with a paint spray system. — It is best to place the wooden shape on a small mount, enabling you to reach it from all sides.

You need: Paint spray system, Shapes from step 4, Wood paint

Time for a bit of colour: You can now paint the wooden shapes from step 4 according to your wishes. The fastest way to do this is to use a paint spray system. You can find everything you need to know in our guide.

Step 6 6

Attaching the shapes

A wooden shape is being screwed to a bed frame made from pallets. — The shapes can also overlap when you attach them with screws.

You need: Cordless combi drill, suitable bit set, Bed frame from step 3, Colourful shapes from step 5, 3.5x35 mm wood screws

Finally, all you need to do is screw the wooden shapes to the bed frame. It is up to you to determine where you want to place them. Our tip: If you attach them at the head and foot of the bed, then they will provide a nice visual border for the bed frame, protect the children from falling out at night and keep the mattress in position. Once this step is done, you can make your child’s bed. Sweet dreams!

By the way, there are many more step-by-step guides for various beds or projects with/for children in our All about DIY magazine. For example, check it out if you’re considering making your own suspended, space-saving or loft bed.

But there are also many great DIY projects using pallets, such as a garden bar, a cosy sofa or a cool playhouse for the kids.