With our plan of attack in place, I was ready for the first step, creating the frame. I had seen quite a few products where the frames were constructed of 3/4″ plywood, our living room couch being one of them. The couch frame has been broken twice in 4 years, each time, I replace the broken piece of plywood with an equal length 2×4.
Opting for 2-by construction made sense, but I was concerned with weight. We’d have to carry these frames up two flights of stairs, and I wasn’t certain how much additional weight 2x4s introduced over 2x3s. I was fairly certain though that 2x3s would be more than sufficient to support the weight of the box spring, mattress and a couple humans.
In terms of getting the dimensions correct, this was the most important step. If the box spring won’t fit within the frame, it won’t matter how smoothly the rest of the project goes. We also needed to build the frame as two separate, identical pieces (except that they are mirrored).
For most of the construction, I used a coil framing nailer with 2 1/2″ nails. For me, 2 1/2″ is ideal for joining 2-by’s, as it’s about as long as you can get without risking the nail passing completely through. I’m also partial to the coil nailer. The “stick” nailers may be a bit cheaper, but the nails coils are cheaper by the nail.
As I built the frame, I had to keep reminding myself that each component had to be able to fit through narrow hallways, stairways an door openings. Although the pieces were separate during construction, they can be joined once in the bedroom, preferably by a less permanent fastener such as screws or even cheap clamps.
