subject: Hints in Making a Kid's Bedroom Furniture [print this page] Hints in Making a Kid's Bedroom Furniture
New families surely get a kick out of furnishing their children's bedroom. Excited as they are, they probably may not know where to start. For those of you who want to build your own furniture, you may want to do a search online or visit your local home improvement store to find plans for a bed, dresser, toy chest or storage shelf. Building them using wood as your material of choice is the least expensive option. What's more, the end product often looks the best as well.
Now that you know what you want to build, first, measure and determine amounts and sizes of wood required for your project. Shop around to get the best prices. To save on materials, the exterior of the furniture is the only part you should use high quality wood, since the interior of the furniture piece is hidden. For inside of drawers on a dresser, for example, use a lower-grade wood.
Next, measure and cut your wood to match your plans. Measure twice, cut once; expect about 10% scrap with any project but that can be greatly reduced if you measure accurately. Next, assemble the furniture according to plan utilizing wood screws and or nuts and bolts for durability. Of the head of the screw or nail is visible on the exterior of the furniture, counter sink just below the surface of the wood, then fill the gap with wood filler and let dry. Next, sand down the bedroom furniture to create a smooth, splinter free surface, starting with low grit sandpaper and work your way up for an ultra-smooth finish.
Finally, paint or varnish the furniture to your child's liking making sure to apply a primer coat if painting. Use high-quality paints usually only need one coat, while less expensive with paints often need two or three coats to get equal coverage. With higher quality paints, you save on time and on paint. Remember to involve your children in making their own bedroom furniture where they can so they will more likely care for it and make it last.
