DIY IKEA Kura Bed Hack
When Henry turned two, he was ready to move from his crib to a big kid bed. But we needed his crib for Maggie, so we didn’t do the usual thing where you can turn the crib into a toddler bed. We went straight to a twin and just ripped off the bandaid. And he did great. For a kid who sometimes balks at change, I have to say, we couldn’t have hoped for any better transition. I think it’s partly because we got him a really fun bed from IKEA, and partly because we let him help us put it together. Since then, I’ve been meaning to add a little hack to it to make it even more custom, and we finally got around to it. So here it is! Our DIY IKEA Kura bed hack. I love it because it looks like a little house, and it gives you all kinds of opportunities for playing and decorating.
Materials
- IKEA Kura bed
- sander
- wood stain and seal (optional); we used Minwax Red Mahogany
- 2×2 pine boards
- miter saw
- screws
- drill
- pencil
- ruler
Make Time: 4 Hours
Step 1: If you like, sand, stain, and seal all wood portions of the bed. Henry’s room has dark wood in it so we sanded the wood to match.
Step 2: Build the bed according to the instructions on the packaging. Just a note about this bed: It’s actually reversible. For now, the mattress is on the lower section and the rails are on the top. But when the kid gets older you can flip it over so it’s a loft bed, with the mattress on the top and space underneath. We made our hack so that when the time comes, it’s completely removable.
Step 3: Cut the pieces for the “roof” of your house. Cut one piece of pine board to the length of the bed. This will be the peak. Set this aside. Cut another piece to the height that you’d like the roof. You won’t end up using this piece; it’s just for measuring. This is piece B in the diagram below.
Step 4: In the diagram below, A is the width of the bed. You can cut another scrap of wood to the same length if you’d like to lay it on the floor to measure out your other pieces. Otherwise, you can just set out a measuring tape that’s the same length as the width of the bed. Place the height piece (B) perpendicular to it, in the exact center. Then lay an additional piece of board (C) under the two, creating a triangle. Trace two lines on this board, extending from piece A and piece B. This will be the angle that you’ll need to cut on either end with your miter saw. Do this with three more boards. You can just set the angle on your miter saw and cut four boards total. You should now have four piece C’s.
Step 5: Drill pilot holes slightly smaller than the size of your screws through the diagonal pieces (all piece C’s) and into piece A where they will connect. Screw all pieces together.
Step 6: Optional! Stain and seal the roof of the bed.
Step 7: Attach the roof to the bed by screwing all pieces together using the drill.
That’s it! It’s so fun! Sometimes we toss a sheet over the top and read books underneath, or we balance all of his stuffed animals up there and see how long we can get them to stay. It’s also awesome for decorating because you can hang stuff off of it or drape things over it. I’d love to rig up some fun lights once Henry’s a little older. And finally, his big kid bed is done! xoxo
LOVE it!
Love this just stunning!
So glad I stumbled upon this bc I am currently buying this bed for my 3 year old son. What mattress did you use?
Hi Jennifer, so sorry we missed your comment! FYI, we used a simple twin mattress that was a hand-me-down from family. Not sure of the brand but a standard twin fits in the IEKA bed.
So great! How tall is the bed I clouding the roof?
Where did you get the you + me pillow?
Hi Tracy! It was a DIY project I shared a few years back. You can find it here: https://lovelyindeed.com/diy-team-you-and-me-pennants/
what was the length of ‘B’ in this photo?
Hi Kin! The length of your B piece can be however tall you’d like the roof of your bed. Ours is 20 inches. Thanks!
Super cute! Is there an option for a storage drawer under the mattress here?
did you have to sand the ikea kura itself? or just apply the stain? Looks great!
Hi Norma! We gave it a quick sand just to prepare and even out the surface, nothing too deep.
I just tried building this and it did not work according to your steps. Why would I measure the angled pieces (C) to the halfway point of the length of the bed (A) when I will attach them to the halfway point of the width? When I did it your way by angled pieces (C) were waaaaay too long or would attach way taller than 20” (B). What am I missing ??? I just spent 3 hours and have lots of wasted wood and can’t believe triangles are doing me in. 🙁
Hi MD! So sorry to hear you’re having trouble! To clarify, A isn’t the length of the bed, it’s the width of the bed. So the “A” piece is at the foot of the bed. I’ll adjust the instructions to try to clarify. Hope this helps!
Did you leave off the white boards on the headboard area?
We kept the white boards on! They pretty much blend in to the wall color-wise.
hi there,
lovely job on the bed! what color did you use for the stain, and what type of seal please?
What brand and color stain did You use?
Sorry meant to post not reply ?
I would like to know what you used to seal it as well!
What brand and color stain did you use?
Hi Lacey! Just added a link to the materials list within the post. Thanks for your question!
Curious as to how long the sanding took you and what coarseness you used that were effective. Thanks!!!
Hi Meaghan! We used a hand sander with 200 grit sandpaper on it. It took two 1-hour sessions to sand completely.
Did you make that cute little chair, too?
How beautiful everything is. I want this too.
Hi! Did you stain the slats under the mattress as well? Thanks!
Hi Sona! We actually left those natural.
So cute! Where is the tassel and Pom Pom garland from!?
Hi There!
I am in love with this idea! My son has recently asked for a roof on his bed so this is extremely helpful. If you don’t mind, I have 2 questions. Can you give me the exact measurements you measured for the boards? Do you have any suggestions on how I would create a closed roof instead an open roof? Any help is greatly appreciated. TIA! 🙂
So cute! Where is the tassel and Pom Pom garland from!?
Hi Christiana! We got them on a trip to Sayulita, Mexico. 🙂
Hi, I love how lovely your project came together. I wanted to know if you could tell me the measurements for all 3 pieces.
Thank you
Hi Jennifer! Unfortunately we don’t have exact measurements. The main thing to know is that piece A should be the width of your bed, with piece B being as long as needed to make your bed your desired height. I believe our piece B was about 18 inches. From there, you can follow the instructions to create piece C. Thanks!
Hello! How did you stain the Kura? I’ve been trying to stain ours and it will not take the stain. Thanks.
Hi Donna! We gave it all a good sanding first, wiped with a dry cloth, and it took the stain really well!
I’ve been trying to figure out how wide the Kira bedposts are ahead of purchasing to plan something similar. I see that you used 2by2 and they look in the photos to match exactly. Is that a post that actually measures 2” or is it really 1.5” like most marked 2 by 2 are. Or if you remember or can measure, what is the measure of the Kira post?
Hi Heather! I’m so sorry, we don’t have the bed any more — my son grew out of it. As best I can remember, the 2x2s matched the existing bed frame pretty well. Thanks!
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I know you don’t have this bed anymore, but I’m curious if you had trouble with the long rail that was above the “entry” to the bed. I saw another “hack” similar where they left it off. It looks better on but I’m curious about the functionality and how many times you bonked your head on it.
Hi! It wasn’t really much of an issue for us, no bonking that I can remember! We did switch out of the bed when Henry got taller — so maybe it’s best for little kids?