How to Make a Captain's Bed With Cabinets

Making a homemade, twin-size captain's bed from cabinets is a super easy project. With a few simple materials cut to size by your local home improvement store and ready-made wall cabinets, you can create a captain’s bed without special tools. Once you purchase your materials, you can have a completed bed in about two hours.

One 36-inch-by-12-inch unfinished wood wall cabinet
Four 30-inch-by-12-inch unfinished wood wall cabinets
One 1/2-inch piece of plywood; cut to 39-inch wide by 75-inch long
Heavy duty liquid construction adhesive in applicator tube
Two 1-by-2 pieces of lumber in 75-inch lengths
Twelve 2-inch finish nails
Hammer
One 1-by-2 piece of lumber in a 37 1/2-inch length
Finish paint or wood stain and brush, optional

Instructions

- 1
  Set the 36-inch by 12-inch unfinished wood wall cabinet in place as the front cabinet bed base.
- 2
  Set two of the four 30-inch by 12-inch unfinished wood wall cabinets flush against the back side of the front cabinet on each side to create the outer-facing side cabinets. The result is a U-shaped configuration of cabinets as a base for the captain's bed.
- 3
  Run a thin, curvy bead of heavy duty liquid construction adhesive along the outer perimeter of the cabinets. Then place the 1/2-inch pre-cut plywood on top of the glued cabinets and center the plywood on the cabinets as the mattress platform. Let the glue dry.
- 4
  Run a curvy bead of heavy-duty liquid construction adhesive along the wide side of a 1-by-2 piece of lumber in a 75-inch length. Then center and attach the piece as trim along one long side of the 1/2-inch plywood. Secure the trim piece in place with a hammer and four evenly-spaced 2-inch finish nails and let the glue dry. Repeat this step to trim the other long side of the plywood.
- 5
  Run another curvy bead of heavy-duty liquid construction along the wide side of the 1-by-2 piece of lumber in a 37-1/2-inch length. Then center and attach the piece as trim along the front side of the plywood. Secure the trim piece in place with a hammer and four evenly spaced 2-inch finish nails and let the glue dry.
- 6
  Stain or paint to complete the project, if desired.

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