How to Build a Daybed From Two Doors

The Bottom Half

• 1

  Choose a flat, solid core door as your bed frame. If the door is new and unfinished, lightly sand it with 220-grit sandpaper. Painted doors require 100-grit.

• 2

  Measure the length and width of the door. Cut 2-by-4-inch sections of wood 6 inches shorter than the width and 6 inches shorter than the length of the door. Screw the pieces together with 3-inch screws, creating a frame.

• 3

  Lay the frame on a clean, flat work surface. Position the door on top of the frame so that the frame is centered beneath it. Screw the door into the frame with 3-inch screws. Drill a screw every 18 inches for added security.

• 4

  Cut four 4-by-4-inch posts, each 10 inches long. Sand and stain the wood to match the door.

• 5

  Place the 4-by-4's inside the corners of the frame. Screw them in place, drilling the screws from the outside corners of the frame into the legs with 3 1/2-inch screws.

• 6

  Cut two pieces of 1/4-inch molding 75 inches long. Cut two more pieces 39 inches long. Cut the ends at 45-degree angles with a miter saw. Sand and stain the molding.

• 7

  Center the pieces on the door, forming a rectangle. Shoot 3/4-inch finish nails into the molding every 6 inches.

Option 1: A Headboard and Footboard

• 8

  Cut the second solid core door in half. Sand and stain it to match the bed frame.

• 9

  Screw the bottoms of each half into opposite ends of the bed, using 4-inch screws every 6 inches. This will leave a head and foot board that measure 3 feet 4 1/2 inches tall on each end.

• 10

  Place the daybed against the wall. Insert the mattress into the molding frame. Adorn the mattress with bedding. Line over-sized pillows across the bed, along the wall for comfortable seating when the daybed is not being used for sleeping.

Option 2: A Backboard

• 11

  Remove the glass panes from a glass panel door. Sand and stain the door to match the bed frame.

• 12

  Cut tin to fit the panel openings with tin nips. Insert the tin into the panel openings. Secure with hot glue around the edges.

• 13

  Turn the door on its side and screw it into the bed frame. The side, which is now the bottom, of the panel door should be even with the bottom of the other door. Use 4-inch screws to secure it in place. Space the screws every 6 inches for added support.

• 14

  Screw L-brackets into the doors, positioning them so they cup both doors inside the crease of the L-shape. Screw these brackets on each end and in the middle to complete your daybed.