DIY Built-in Bunk Beds with Stairs

DIY built-in bunk beds with stairs are the perfect addition to our twin boys’ room! Lots of storage, shiplap, dimmable lights, and more. All the details below!

It was time to make a change in my twin boys’ room. It’s a small bedroom, and bunk beds would really give them some much-needed room and extra space. One of my boys is really tall for his age, and he was also ready for a queen bed.

DIY Built-in Bunk Beds with Stairs

I decided to design something that would be exactly what we needed! The top bunk is a twin XL, and the bottom is a queen–they have the same measurements in length. Extra deep drawers that hold all of their clothing were also a must. Dimmable lights make it perfect for sharing a room. They’re only 11, but they’ll be using these beds into their teenage years, so stairs were also important. Then I added in farmhouse style with shiplap, industrial lighting, and white wood. I love the end result!

Farmhouse bedding…

I went with simple comforters with a striped duvet cover in grey and a creamy white. They go work really well in the space, and the the style will grow with them. A leather striped pillow brought the look together.

I often get questions about bedding on bunk beds, so here’s the scoop…

I’ve always used Beddy’s on our bunk beds, and that’s what the boys were using on their separate beds before these were finished. I really love them, and still highly recommend them. But my boys just don’t use them in the way they’re designed. They were consistently sleeping on top of the bedding, and just using a comforter. Even if they unzipped the bedding and used the top blanket, it wasn’t heavy enough to keep them warm, so they’d use a comforter anyway. You still have to put Beddy’s on the corners of the mattress just like a fitted sheet, so it wasn’t going to save me in that respect either. So I just decided to use a bottom sheet, and cozy comforter on top. All they have to do is smooth out their comforter and fold it down in the mornings, which is pretty easy to do.

I spent less than $100 on each bed for the comforter, duvet comforter, and sheets for each bed. The lights were $20 for both! The cute farmhouse leather striped pillow was less than $20. I was able to decorate this space on a budget, which is always a huge plus! (Details at the end of the post.)

How to build DIY bunk beds

Framing…

Building stairs…

Shiplap…

“X’ railing on top bunk…

Prep & Paint

Lots of sanding to prepare painting, then we taped off the lights and walls around the bunk beds.

A paint sprayer made the job go really fast!

Between coats, we sanded with a fine grit sandpaper to get it nice and smooth. After the paint was dry, we added a clear protective coat.

Source List:

• Paint color: Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore
• Duvet cover & pillowcases set
• Down comforter
• Leather stripe farmhouse pillow cover
• Pillow insert (pack of 2)
• Light fixtures
• Stripe Area Rug

Find more farmhouse style projects here!

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Farmhouse bedding / Kitchen Faucet / DIY Greenery Hoop Wreath

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