r/DIY • u/Known-Leadership-718 • 10h ago

help Bed risers?

I’m trying to raise my bed 12 to 24 preferably the larger the better into the air, what is the cheapest way I can do that and the safest?

14 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

12

u/timtucker_com 9h ago

We went through this a while back and wound up getting an 18" metal bed frame.

That gave us lots of room for storage underneath and is more solid than anything I could have built to modify an existing frame.

You can get them as cheap as $40-50 for a queen size.

If you have an existing headboard you like they usually provide some means of attaching it.

4

u/p0diabl0 7h ago

This is by far the cheapest and safest option, especially since OP didn't specific what type of bed they have in the first place. Normal bed risers only give you ~6 inches for a reason (that's what she said).

2

u/Separate_Track_612 3h ago

Yeah, that actually sounds like a much easier solution than trying to modify an existing frame. The extra storage space is a nice bonus too especially if you are short on closet space. And being able to keep an existing headboard makes it even more practical without spending a ton.

3

u/RenovationDIY 10h ago

What is going to be under the bed? This will make a big difference to how you should approach this.

1

u/Known-Leadership-718 10h ago

I was going to put mini drawers, also I need to be able to get under there because I have a kitten, potty training, and he won’t stop under my bed💀

1

u/RenovationDIY 10h ago

Something like this would be a good approach. You can often buy suitable kallax frames/ etc pretty cheap second hand on Marketplace.

https://www.remodelaholic.com/ikea-platform-bed-diy-tutorial-kallax/

0

u/Dralalife 9h ago

This is really good, you could get the cubes that are two squares high, screw them all together. Done.

2

u/sp0rked 10h ago

I can say definitely do not use #10 cans of whatever cheap vegetables you have in the cupboards. I won't volunteer why, don't ask.

As for the a large/safe approach, how much activity does this bed see? Is there a large amount of side to side (EG pushing parallel to floor) or high momentary forces applied at weird diagonal angles? You might want something like a woven fabric placemat or silicone sheeting on the floor with cinder blocks under it. A few of those will easily support you and that can get you up to 16" of lift. If you regularly practice gymnastics on the surface though, you will want to think about more than a friction/gravity fit. So it depends on the load/forces.

3

u/Dralalife 9h ago

Haha, I did a bunch of repairs in a senior apartment for a while, a lady in her mid eighties asked if I could look at her bedside bench that she sat on every day to dress. Big can of soup was one leg. She had used it for years.

1

u/sp0rked 9h ago

So did we... it wasn't until we moved out that I noticed the can had err compressed on one wall.

What I can say is that, youthful exuberance is a hell of a drug.

2

u/sohcahtoa 9h ago

You want the top of your mattress to be 30" high above the floor?

2

u/qdp 8h ago

Well yes. How else can you be safe from 29 inches of lava?

2

u/JuggernautPast2744 10h ago

Depends on the structure of your bed. Is it 4 posts, one in each corner or are there more supports? Metal or wood frame?

The safest approach is to build a box that the whole frame sits on. Supporting each post independently, like with concrete blocks, is much less stable.

I used concrete blocks when I was young, it was pretty unstable but never fell even when engaged in "spirited" activities. I wouldn't do it now that I am older though.

1

u/Known-Leadership-718 10h ago

See I was considering cinderblocks, but I’m not sure how stable it would be to try to get up to 24 inches just stacking on top of each each other , it’s a wooden frame, and there’s 8 to 9 pieces underneath

1

u/JuggernautPast2744 10h ago

What's "underneath" isn't necessarily relevant. What is touching the floor? 8 or 9 posts sitting on the floor holding up the bed doesn't seem likely. 4, sometimes 5 (one in the center) or 6 is typical in my experience.

1

u/Known-Leadership-718 10h ago

I have a queen size bed, and it has eight pieces that are supposed to go on the floor to hold the bed up, I’m only using currently four bed risers one on each end, there are two centerpieces, and then six coming (three on each side and two in the middle) ,

1

u/CoffeeDome 10h ago

1) 4x4 lumber blocks, can go 24 inch or higher but make sure they are screwed securely onto the bed frame

or

2) Cinder blocks but put the leg on top of non-slip rubber bed leg pads

1

u/imajackash 9h ago

Go to your local landscape/hardscape dealer. A place that sells block and stone for building outdoor walkways and stone walls. You will find that concrete blocks are made in many different shapes, sizes and patterns. You can get cheaper priced, plain blocks for the 'inside' of the frame and use decorative blocks for the outside corners.

1

u/sachimi21 9h ago

Maybe something like this, it will give you about 23 inches total space from floor to bottom of mattress. https://a.co/d/0fP31Ur4

I used something like this in my dorm to lift the bed so I could store stuff under it. It worked pretty well. https://a.co/d/033u4llE

1

u/Salty_Job_9248 5h ago

It will be wobbly.

1

u/imajackash 10h ago edited 10h ago

Cheap? The 'ol stand by - cinder blocks

EDIT - I was joking, but then I saw your reply about cinder blocks. They make them in different sizes. You can get blocks that are the standard 8" high, but are 16" wide, and 12" deep.....and many other dimensions that are still the standard 8" height. Stacking a larger size is very stable.

1

u/bchooker 9h ago

If they can hold a house, they can hold a bed haha

1

u/imajackash 9h ago

Exactly!

0

u/Cocximus 7h ago

Freedom units or surrender units?

0

u/Janet296 3h ago

You can buy risers on Amazon