Pine Bunk Beds

[Mt. Gomer]

Greetings Folks,

I'm going to be making a set of cheap and sturdy bunk beds for the kids using Matthais Wandel's design. What's the best way to prep and finish it? I want something kid proof, durable, and as no fuss as possible. My first inclination was to go satin or glossy poly but I'm open to suggestions. Finishing is definitely one of my weaker points so more instruction is better, including surface prep (sanding grit, etc).

Thanks!

Travis

 

[gfernandez]

If your kids are anything like my kids, I'd go ahead and grab a hammer, nails, chain, markers, some stickers and whatever else is handy and "distress" it now. Will save lots of grief later!

 

[Don Alexander]

:gar-La; i wasn't aware there was such a thing as "kid proof" :gar-La;


i strongly suspect that the aesthetics of it will only matter to you and then only for ashort period of time (about long enough for the youngens to get creative with the decorating hehe)

personally i would be tempted to go with whats the easiest kid safe (as opposed to kid proof) finishing method and be sure to take pictures prior to letting the kids near it :rotflm:

 

[Mt. Gomer]

Yeah, kid safe/friendly is a much better way of putting it. Im not going for pretty here...... think functional. Heck, I'm tempted to leave it unfinished and let 'em have at it but I'm not sure mom would go for it .......

 

[Howard Acheson]

Use whatever you are comfortable using and have experience with. All finishes are non-toxic once they are cured. Bringing the kids up right is the best assurance that the finish lasts. Kids will be kids. If you finished the beds once, you can do it again in the future.

The way to become a better finisher is to not jump around looking for another new finish. Learn to use two that answer your needs and experience.

 

[MarkE]

Poly is a pretty tough finish. If you put on 3-5 coats of Polyurethane, it should survive for a few years. Even if the pine gets dented, the poly will most likely dent with it.

If you are planning to stain the pine before finishing, make sure to sand it well, down to at least 220 grit. Maybe even use a sanding sealer (dewaxed shellac, etc.) to help even out the color. Pine can get real blotchy if not properly prepped.

 

[Mt. Gomer]

Thanks everyone!

Mark, that's pretty much what I was thinking re: Poly. No plans to stain.

Thanks,

Travis

 

[Don Alexander]

this is a win/win project :wsmile: you get the fun of building something nice and useful for your kids and they get the fun of using the finished product for years to come

 

[Gofor]

I think your initial instinct of poly is spot on. I would go with satin or semi-gloss for the final coats to blend any scuff marks sure to happen with a bunk bed. Gloss, altho slightly harder, will show any defect/damage quite readily if its the top coat. If you wipe on the first couple coats as a 50-50 thinned mix, it will penetrate into the softer pine areas well, actually hardening them somewhat. After its cured a couple weeks, add a coat of wax to the most exposed surfaces occasionally. This works well to deflect adhesion of things like chewing gum, sharpie markers, red crayons, plastic model glue, etc.

One coating I would not use is latex paint. It absorbs too much in the way of stains, etc, and is not wear resistant at all.

JMTCW

Go

 

[Bill Clemmons]

One coating I would not use is latex paint. It absorbs too much in the way of stains, etc, and is not wear resistant at all.

JMTCW Go

+1 on this. If you decide to go w/ paint, I'd definitely use an oil base w/ a good primer under it. I like Zinsser's B-I-N primer. The only reason to go w/ a painted surface is if the kids might want to cover it w/ stickers. In that case a white or pastel color works well. Just a thought. I know a toy box and dresser I built for my granddaughter this year are already smothered w/ stickers. :wsmile:

Bill

 

[Greavous]

Its been my experience that if you work with pine to simplify things you create a finishing challenge. Pine tends to be hard in areas and then soft in others which results in blotchy finishes. You will find your finished product to be much improved by applying a wood conditioner just prior to staining. An example of this is a bed/desk i built this summer. This project was built from 2x4s and 2x8s along with some 1x4 white wood strapping from Lowes. Without the conditioner it would look like it was built from framing lumber. If you havent used conditioner before I strongly recommend you give it a shot sometime.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/Greavous/DSC02553.jpg

 

[Mt. Gomer]

Chris - I was under the impression that conditioners were only used/needed if you're planning on staining. There's no need to condition if you're just putting on poly right?

Thanks,

Travis

Its been my experience that if you work with pine to simplify things you create a finishing challenge. Pine tends to be hard in areas and then soft in others which results in blotchy finishes. You will find your finished product to be much improved by applying a wood conditioner just prior to staining. An example of this is a bed/desk i built this summer. This project was built from 2x4s and 2x8s along with some 1x4 white wood strapping from Lowes. Without the conditioner it would look like it was built from framing lumber. If you havent used conditioner before I strongly recommend you give it a shot sometime.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/Greavous/DSC02553.jpg

 

[Don Alexander]

that would be correct Travis

 

[Jeff]

Trav,

Waterlox "Original" is a dream to work with. It can be brushed or wiped on (wiping is easiest for me). It's durable, but no finish will stand up to kids! No sanding required between coats for adhesion (like poly needs) and it's easily repaired when necessary.

Just get a couple of cans of "Bloxygen" to blanket the unused portions in the original container to prevent gelling from oxygen exposure. :icon_cheers

 

[NCPete]

nice Chris. did you have plans for this bed?

 

[Mt. Gomer]

nice Chris. did you have plans for this bed?

Here's the plans: http://woodgears.ca/bed/bunk_bed/plans.html

Mattias originally made the plans for a twin size bed. Another guy adapted them into bunk beds: http://woodgears.ca/bed/bunk_bed/plans.html

Mattias then took his modifications and worked them back into his own plans (if that makes any sense).

Travis

 

[Mt. Gomer]

Trav,

Waterlox "Original" is a dream to work with. It can be brushed or wiped on (wiping is easiest for me). It's durable, but no finish will stand up to kids! No sanding required between coats for adhesion (like poly needs) and it's easily repaired when necessary.

Just get a couple of cans of "Bloxygen" to blanket the unused portions in the original container to prevent gelling from oxygen exposure. :icon_cheers

Sounds great but man, it's pricey isn't it??? I'm doing this on a shoestring as that's all I've got right now. How much do you think I'd need per coat and how many coats? At $100/gallon the finish could easily end up costing more than the rest of the bed!

Travis

 

[Jeff]

Trav,

I think that you'd get a lot of mileage out of just 1 qt. (about $27 at Highland Woodworking).

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/waterloxoriginalsealerfinishquart.aspx

If wiped on you'll probably need 3-4 coats. Beyond that it's your choice, but maybe overkill. Brushing works, but is more prone to running/sagging on vertical surfaces if you apply too much at a time.

 

[Bas]

Sounds great but man, it's pricey isn't it??? I'm doing this on a shoestring as that's all I've got right now. How much do you think I'd need per coat and how many coats? At $100/gallon the finish could easily end up costing more than the rest of the bed!

Travis

I used to use oil-based poly as well. After several projects didn't turn out so great, I have ditched it in favor of Waterlox. What a difference. Yes, it's more expensive, but it is very economical in use. For an oil/ varnish blend (which is probably not going to provide enough protection for your project), poly seems to do OK.

Another option is to go with a water-based finish such as Minwax Polycrylic. It looks a little plastic, but it's very tough, easy to apply, and fairly cheap. Plus, it dries a lot faster than oil. It doesn't give any warm color though, so you may want to apply a coat of wax-free shellac first. I've also used Boiled Linseed Oil under Polycrylic, and it's held up well.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

(Many) years ago (my kids have turned 30!!) I built bunk beds in the "Cargo" (out of business) or "This End Up" style which obviously takes its name from the traditional wooden cargo crate appearance. I attached the rails with bolts but everything else was glued and nailed together. They were quick and easy to build, very durable, but heavy.

When assembled with two headboards on the bottom bed they were a bunk bed, but both could also be set up as two single beds. The headboards, footboards, and upper bed rails went to college with my son as a "loft bed" 16 years later and we still have one bed from the set!

My recommendations- use yellow pine because it is harder, but don't spend a bundle- unless you want classy looking crates- especially if you have boys. Round or soften all corners to prevent splinters. Don't attempt to seal it with a "good" finish, they will beat it up quickly. Likewise, don't attempt to distress it- they will accomplish that in short order too! I used a tinted "Danish" oil finish (same as used by the manufacturer) by Watco. With boys you can decorate it with travel stickers or interesting stenciling like "Danger, Wild Animals". If you have girls, that requires a different approach- better wood, paint, fru-fru decoration and stencils, etc.