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Rustic Wood Farmhouse Bed

Like any of us, Annisa from A Pretty Happy Home just can’t bring herself to fork over the big bucks for furniture when she knows it’s something she and her husband can make together.

That was the case with this farmhouse bed that they pulled together for their guest room just in time for their guests to arrive.

Annisa shares a little tip for saving money on your builds – use the “not-so-great” lumber that others don’t want and give it an extra good sanding.

But there’s a tad more…

We also learn a little trick when it comes to staining. Something you can definitely consider for this and other wood stained projects around your house.

pottery barn inspired farmhouse bed

You Don’t Need GREAT Wood

It’s true, Annisa and her husband used the rough, cheap wood from Home Depot. Why? Because it’s cheap…and it’ll do just fine.

That’s because the farmhouse look of this bed looks even better when you have knots and other irregular grains peering through your finished stain.

Cheaper woods can save you at the cash register but they also don’t always come from the straightest cuts. But some slight variation in the lines of this decor style can enhance the rural charm right?

There’s a limit though…

In fact, Annisa’s husband ended up joining two straighter pieces together on the foot board instead of using one long, warped looking board. All was well though when he sanded and glued the pieces together neatly.

Curved pieces aren’t the only characteristic that makes cheap wood inexpensive. You’ll find a little roughness to the edges and surfaces. This is mainly because the supplier hasn’t spent the extra time sanding and smoothing out this Grade B wood.

Sander to the rescue!

If you’ve invested in a good sander like Annisa this is the time it pays for itself. If you don’t have one (yet), think about getting one, especially if you like to work with wood. Nicer wood isn’t cheap, so a good sander will be worth it in due time.

Farmhouse bed foot board

Yes, It Will Be Heavy

Cheap wood aside, it’s still solid material. As Annisa found out, this means it’s heavy. As with any piece made with real wood it’s just something you accept.

With this acceptance comes the piece of mind that the work you’re going through to make this custom knock off will last a lifetime and beyond. A bed like this isn’t something you break apart and throw away in a few years. This is solid stuff that can stick around!

Can you make it lighter?

If weight is a big concern for you however, one idea is to alter these plans and just build the head board only. You can simply put your mattress on a metal frame and leave off the foot board.

It’ll still look great and be a lot less load to heave around if you have stairs, move frequently, or just like to rearrange furniture a lot. Yes, you know who you are!

Staining Tips to Make Your Bed Look Great

Stain and polyurethane combo

Use this stain and polyurethane all-in-one mix for a great finish!

One particular tip Annisa offers with her guest bed project is the staining process. Instead of having to deal with two different cans of stain and then the protective polyurethane finish at the end, Annisa tried the combo play – an all-in-one product that saves you an extra step.

This stuff goes on nice and even as you simply brush it on like you would paint.

It also dries pretty fast, where surfaces are ready to be handled within an hour.

Depending on how dark you want to go, you can apply several coats. Some people have applied 5 coats to get a rich, dark walnut color with the wood grain still showing through. Just use steel wool in between each coat.

Annisa herself discovered this combo stain and poly does go on a little lighter than regular stain. As a remedy, she mixed in her can a little regular stain of the same color to get her results.

This may save you from adding an extra coat or two. Again, it depends on the quality and depth of color you’re after. Just go one coast at a time.

The original inspiration came from Pottery Barn’s Farmhouse Bed.

farmhouse bed

To get all of Annesa’s insight for the project, see where she got her plans, and check out more photos, go on over to: A Pretty Happy Home. This can be a fun one, so give it a shot and you’ll be glad you did.

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