Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Making the Bed

We just acquired (i.e. were given) a practically new squishy memory foam King sized mattress from our wonderful neighbors.  They bought it, slept on it for two weeks, didn't like it & since there was one of those "If you don't like it, bring it back for a refund" deals on it they wanted to return it for a different one.  But the store didn't want to bother with taking it back so they just put it in the extra bedroom for the past year.  Our neighbors have decided to clean out the extra bedroom and wanted to know if we (meaning "I") wanted it.  Of course!!  (Yeah, I know it sounds creepy to get a second-hand bed, but seriously, I know these people and wasn't squeamish about it)

Our old (probably going on 13 years) mattress is Queen sized and I've actually been bugging Paul for the last few months to get a new one, and a King sized one.  Excessive?  Probably, but I really like being able to have all that wonderful room.  And it really helps when a certain kiddo insists on coming up from her room to read a book in bed with us & then conveniently falls asleep.

Anyways.  The neighbors and I hefted the two-ton mass of squishiness into the house and promptly dropped it onto the living room floor.  Where it stayed for three days (much to Rhiannon's enjoyment), because we didn't have a King size frame or box springs for it.  I went to town looking for a frame and box springs and found out it would cost about $270 for a set.  A crummy set, at that.  And honestly, I couldn't imagine the frame & box springs being able to support such a massive mattress.  So I did some internetting & found a few simple platform bed frame plans that I (meaning Paul) could whip out in a relatively short time and without having to spend a bunch.


We didn't even have to buy a single screw or 2x4 for the bed frame since we already had everything.  The framework was brought into the house, the legs were attached with like eighty-five screws and a plywood top went on.  I found an old sheet and put it on top of the plywood before we placed the mattress on.  The platform bed and mattress weigh a ton.  If we ever move, it's staying right where it's at.

Although our free mattress and sort'a-free (stuff we already had on hand) didn't cost us anything, I still had to go and buy a sheet set.  And now I'm having to decide what to do with the quilt.  It's obviously too small for the King sized mattress, but I haven't been able to justify spending hundreds of dollars on a new quilt.  So this adventure wasn't so much "free".
Black Susan approves. 
I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the frame itself.  If I get an actual bedspread (i.e. a cover / blanket that goes almost to the floor) I'll probably just paint the 2x4 legs a medium brown.  If I get a quilt or blanket that doesn't go far enough down I'll make a bed skirt to hang down leaving a few inches of space before it hits the floor.  Guess I'll be internetting some ideas tonight.

Oh, and another great thing about this bed?  Would you lookie at all that storage space under there?!?

I could land a 747 under there.  And I see double-stacked under-the-bed boxes filling all that empty space.  Oh, the possibilities!

10 comments:

  1. FABULOUS! I would've grabbed up that second hand mattress as well. Folks are tres' weird in the US about having to have "new" all the time. Nice job on the platform.

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  2. Take your quilt sew a border around it, use a thin fiber filler sheet and a kingsize sheet. Sew all three together and you have a king size quilt. I take scrap fabric squares sew them all together and do the same. You can make a bed skirt out of an old sheet and a staple gun.

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  3. Well you didn't say if you like the new squishy memory foam King sized mattress! Are you going to put it in your extra bedroom or is it a keeper?

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  4. Hey, we have IDENTICAL bed frames! We've never had a box spring or "real" bed frame. Our 2 x 4 legged and plywood topped frame has been with us for . . . good grief, probably more years than you've been alive! I have a dust ruffle around it that stops a couple of inches from the floor and hides the legs which have never been painted or stained. Our bed is also king-sized and I store unbelievable amounts of stuff underneath. Right now, besides various miscellaneous other strange things, it has the laminated flooring (still in the boxes) that we're going to put on the beat up bedroom floor. Someday. It's not very high on the priority list.

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  5. Good idea! Maybe you could add some fabric to your quilt to make it bigger???

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  6. That's awesome!!!!! I love your floor and Rhiannon is such a cutie :))))

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  7. Carolyn,

    What a great neighbor!!! King size beds are not cheap, and the squishy ones are a little more pricey. So how did you like sleeping on it? Was it better than the old bed?

    Hubby and I love our squishy KING bed :P

    Rhiannon looks so adorable modeling the extra storage space under the bed. Please give her a big hug from an Oklahoma friend.

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  8. That looks wonderful just like it is. Perfectly simple, and very useful with space.

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  9. Donna, I'll have to thank Paul & his brother as they did most of the work. But I take credit for lighting the fire under their butts.

    Victoria, I was thinking about adding a border around it, my sewing machine can't handle stitching something that large together in the middle of the quilt.

    Mike, I love it. Paul complains about it. There's no "bounce" and it does take some getting used to....especially when trying to bounce yourself OUT of bed in the morning. And I will admit, it IS warm.....Paul says it's hot. I think it's because there's not room for any circulation between your body & the squishy-ness. I like it, but I like it warm anyhow. Probably not the best in the summer for those who like it cooler, but I bet it'll be great in the winter.

    Mama Pea, I don't think we'll ever buy another traditional frame & box spring for any beds from now on. Too easy to make it by ourselves and it's built like a tank.

    Nancy, that is an option that I'm still mulling in my head. But since there's a quilt on it right now, I'm lazy and it will probably be months before I get going on something.

    Kelly, I absolutely LOVE our laminate flooring. It's practically indestructable. Although I do admit to really, really wanting real wood floors, it's just not going to happen.

    Sandy, I love the bed, the verdict is still out on Paul (or I haven't talked him into it yet). I'll give Rhiannon a hug...she asks about my "Blogging Buddies" when she sees pictures :)

    Kristina, I like simple..... and cheap :)

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  10. What a fabulous deal! And how nice to have someone who knows how to build that stuff. I would have given it a try, but I fear that I would have ended up pitched on the floor in the middle of the night. What a cute dust bunny you have.... :)

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