How to Make a Mid-Century Modern Bed frame with Hairpin Legs

DIY Bed Frame from Old Box Spring

9/15/2021

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It's been a long time since I shopped for a new mattress and box spring and had no idea that the standard size was so deep. Which meant the combination of mattress and box spring on a standard metal frame is much taller than what I was used to.

And that is the reason that after I ordered my new mattress and box spring and put it in place, I found it to be much too tall to be comfortable getting in and out of it!

I tried placing the bed on the floor which made it easy to get in and out of, but let's face it, it looked silly!

The solution was to make a custom bed frame to the style and height that I needed.

Materials/Tools:

Queen size deconstructed box spring
Found lumber or purchased boards (The found lumber shelves I used were 34” long, and 10 3/8” wide with about a 3/4” overhang. The shelves were about 3/4” thick.)
Ryobi Bolt Cutters (Home Depot)
Ryobi Brad Nailer (Home Depot)
Bernzomatic Torch (Amazon)
Osborne claw tool (Amazon)
Double Rock Staple Remover (Amazon)
Wood Glue (Amazon)
Rust-Oleum gloss spray paint (Amazon)
Rust-Oleum gloss paint (Amazon)
Zinsser BIN primer (Home Depot)
4” Hairpin legs (Rockler)
Dixie Belle Slick Stik (Amazon)
Rockler Clamp-It (Rockler)
Makita 10” Sliding Miter Saw (Home Depot)
Dremel SawMax (Amazon)
Kreg Pocket Hole Jig (Amazon)
Makita Cordless Drill (Amazon)
T-Rex Tape (Amazon)

A deconstructed queen size box spring will be the base of the new mid century look bed frame.

My new bed frame starts with this old box spring at Steph's house! I decided that once this queen size box spring was deconstructed the wood frame would make the perfect base for the new bed frame. (Steph happen to get a new bed around the same time I did).

Deconstruction of the box spring starts with the removal of all the textiles. There are lots of staples holding everything in place that need to be removed.

The metal parts are attached with staples that need to be removed. Then we used a Ryobi bolt cutter to cut apart the metal for easier removal.

The wood base of the box spring with all the staples and metal removed.

This is the box spring wood base all cleaned up. We torched those little bits of textile fluff in the upper right hand corner rather than try to remove them by hand.

This upcycle bed frame project uses an old box spring and shevling we found curbside.

In addition to the old box spring base, I'll be using old shelving that was set out for trash day. It looked to be in really good condition so we made a quick stop and picked it up!

Using a Dremel SawMax to cut the old bed frame.

My new bed frame will replace an old king size bed. This is one of the box springs from that bed. I'm cutting sections from the sides to use in the new build.

Adding support pieces to the sides of the new bed frame base.

I wanted to add additional support on the sides of the bed. This is where I'm using those pieces I cut in the picture above. I wish I had placed these new pieces just a bit off the edge to give a little more space on the sides. When the new box spring was put into the new bed frame, the fit was just a bit tight. Even a quarter of an inch on each of the sides would have helped.

Using a Kreg Pocket Hole jig in the shelving sides of the bed frame.

The side pieces are connected to each other with pocket holes. I reazlied that in all the years we've been using a Kreg pocket hole jig, I've never actually made any solo. So, I learned how to make them so I could use them in this project!

Using the Makita miter saw to made bevel cuts for the corners.

I wanted the two front corners to beveled. As I've never done this before, I did a bit of practicing before I actually cut into the boards I was using. It was scary, but I was successful!

This Rockler Clamp-It and T-Rex tape helped to keep everything tight and in place until the glue dried.

The corners were glued and brad nailed. This Rockler Clamp-It Clip and T-Rex tape helped to keep everything tight and in place until the glue dried.

Securing the side pieces with pocket hole screws with the aid of a clamp to keep everything in place.

Dry fitting the sides of the bed frame to determine what needed to be cut.

Fitting the sides to determine where to cut.

Time to assemble! We turned the base upside down and with lots of clamps, wood glue, and brad nails, we got the base attached to the sides.

A bit of Dixie Belle Slick Stik was used to prime them before spray painting.

Putting the new box spring into the bed frame. It was a tight fit but it worked. Those hairpin legs are 4 inches tall and were spray painted glossy black before they were put into place. A bit of Dixie Belle Slick Stik was used to prime them before spray painting.

How to DIY a mid century bed frame with hair pin legs using scrap materials.

Here it is all finished and made up. It is the perfect height and look that I wanted!

This was such a fun and creative build. I love that I was able to use "found" materials and make them into something useful. Even the hairpin legs had been used before!

By building a custom height bed frame, I was able to make my new mattress and bed spring purchase work!

If you're shopping for a new mattress anytime soon, be mindful of the thickness of the mattress and box spring if height is an issue for you.

Now, it's time for a headboard build! Do you have any suggestions?

Please note: This is not a sponsored post.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

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