Yes, my husband and I share our bedroom with 6 dogs and an occasional cat (or 4). Our older dog (Petra) has slept on our bed for over 10 years, and she's getting too old to jump anymore. We didn't want her to feel like she was getting kicked off the bed, so I made Petra her very own bed at the end of ours so that she wouldn't feel left out. I was inspired by MurdaRae's dog bed (http://ana-white.com/2012/06/doggie-daybed), and thought it was genius to use a toddler/crib bed. So I went looking for plans on Ana-White, and came up with a mixture between a couple of twin bed plans. I love that the plans are easy enough to modify my sizes, and come up with exactly the custom solution that I need. This was my first big project using Bri-Wax. The last one was kind of a disaster when the wax changed the stain color to something not-so-great. With this project, I learned to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to wax it. I was blown away with the results. It is a beautiful subtle satin finish that feels great to the touch. Plus, I can easily touch up all the dog fingernail scratches that will inevitably occur. When I re-assembled the bed in my bedroom, I actually nicked it in a few places. No problem -- slap on some more Bri-Wax! My Bri-Wax was 11 years old, and pure liquid. I tossed it in the fridge (per Bri-Wax's recommendation), and it was as good as new. The only real problem I had with this project was leaking sap from one of the 4x4s. I'm still fighting this today. In talking with Rustoleum/Zinsser reps, they said that no sap could penetrate their "Seal Coat" shellac product. After 5 coats, the sap is still penetrating, but only if I turn it on it's side or upside down. I'm still baffled. I made the mattress cover out of a dog blanket, and made the cushions from some remnant fabric (suitable for dogs and weekly washing), so this was a fairly inexpensive project. It was a success because Petra slept in her bed from the fist night and loved that she had all the room to herself, and no boston terrorists (I mean terriers) attempted to bother her.
Estimated Cost
$65 for Wood, $60 for Crib Mattress, $7 for stain, $9 for Decorative Clavos
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Combination of Minwax Water-based stains: 6 parts Colonial Pine: 1 part American Walnut, followed 4-5 Coats Bri-Wax (Light Brown)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
bran2511
Tue, 04/09/2013 - 12:41
How to alter for easy moving?
I really love this bed, however, being military we move quite often. Is there a way that you would recommend I could alter it so that it can be broken down a little to make it easier for moving? Thank you much :D
In reply to How to alter for easy moving? by bran2511
Juanita_r
Tue, 04/09/2013 - 14:29
For easy moving
For easy moving I can not recommend the highly enough. You attach them to the side rails and the head and foot of the bed and instead of screwing the whole bed together it just locks into place. They are THE BEST! http://www.rockler.com/m/product.cfm?page=11
Tsu Dho Nimh
Tue, 04/09/2013 - 15:59
Bed brackets R UR Frend
Attach the sides to the headboard and footboard with bed rail brackets so you can knock the bed apart to move
http://woodworking.rockler.com/search#w=bed%20rail%20brackets&asug=&sli…
There is even a bracket for the center rail of a king-sized bed.
bran2511
Tue, 04/09/2013 - 12:41
How to alter for easy moving?
I really love this bed, however, being military we move quite often. Is there a way that you would recommend I could alter it so that it can be broken down a little to make it easier for moving? Thank you much :D
jlouki01
Sat, 08/24/2013 - 18:31
Moving
I just posted a brag post with this bed in black. I will see if I can upload a photo of how I built this bed for very easy break down. I looked at all the brackets etc.. with this being built out of pine I was not 100% confident in the Rockler / Wood craft brackets. I used a forstner bit and a 4.5" bolt with some washers.