DIY Bed Risers and Bed Riser Alternatives! [UPDATED 2021]

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Inside: How to make DIY Bed Risers for less than a few dollars; plus alternatives to bed risers to save you space; as well as other types of furniture risers

It seems like storage space is always at a premium, especially if you are decorating a playroom or a dorm room.

Using the space under a bed effectively can be an excellent and affordable storage solution and I’ve figured out How to Make DIY Bed Risers for $2!

I’m basically obsessed with easy and affordable organizing.

From these thrifted drawers turned wooden cube wall shelves, to this DIY storage ottoman and my latest small space linen cupboard storage project – I’m always on the hunt for ways to maximize space and take advantage of what we’ve got on hand.

This DIY guide can also be used to create similar wood furniture risers for things like day beds. Note: I would not recommend using this method for furniture risers for sofas or arm chairs.

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Supplies to Make DIY Wooden Bed Risers

• Fence Posts
• Mitre Saw or Hand Saw
• Mod Podge
• Gold Foil Paper
• Power Drill
• 1 Inch Drill Bit (to make the hole)
• Felt

Please forgive the state of these photos 😐 They were taken looooong before I really knew what I was doing on an old point and shoot… Aaak!

Make your own bed risers: Step By Step

Step One

Determine how high your risers will be. You want to figure out two things: how to raise your bed for storage and how to raise your bed safely. We cut our bed risers to 6 inches each.

Basically, sliced our 2-foot post into four equal parts. Make sure at least one end is as flat as you can get it because then it will sit better on the floor.

Update: I’ve had A LOT of questions about height. Do not make these any higher than six inches or you will likely create a hazardous situation.

If you need to build something that has even more space – I would recommend building your own platform bed or a trundle bed so that you stay safe and sound and aren’t at risk of toppling over or hurting someone.

Step Two

Using your large drill bit, make a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch (or deeper if you really want) indent in the top of the wood.

Step Three

Double-check to make sure your indent is large enough to hold your bed frame leg without too much wiggling around.

If it’s not, then just use your bit to expand the hole ever so slightly. You want it to be snug so it’s safe.

Step Four

If you don’t mind the treated wood look, you can be done now! But I chose to make ours look like gold bricks.

Using gold metallic wrapping paper, I cut pieces to wrap around the risers. I applied Mod Podge to the paper and lined up the bottom of the riser to the bottom of the paper.

Then I kept applying Mod Podge and tightly rolled and wrapped the riser. The last step was to fold the remaining paper around the top, kind of like a present, and trim the excess away from the indent.

Step Five

That’s it! Lift up your bed and put on your risers!

Here’s the beauty part about this – the cheapest or most inexpensive risers we found in a retail store were $10 for 4 inches.

Some of the nicer wood ones cost as much as $35. These DIY ones cost $2. Yep, just $2! That’s all the lumber yard charged us for the 2-foot piece of post.

It’s also a great idea if you want to maximize style and function in a small bedroom.

One thing I didn’t do, that I guess you could do if you’re concerned about them scratching the floor is to glue a piece of felt to the bottom.

That also might help the bed glide better if you want it to move while making the bed or whatever.

If you’re looking for further DIY projects in your bedroom, have a look at my popular tutorial on how to DIY under bed rolling storage crates.

So there you have it: your DIY Bed Risers! A super simple, done in 30 minutes storage solution!

How to make decorative bed risers

Storage space always comes in handy, especially if you are decorating a dorm room or playroom.

Plus, the height of the bed matters a lot for different people with different reasons. The perfect solution to both of these is a bed riser. If you don’t have one, you can create one!

Here is the step-by-step guide to making DIY furniture riser.

Step 1:

Take a piece of scrap wood, and paint it white using a Matt acrylic paint. Let it sit until the paint gets dried.

Then you can add some black paint around the corners, edges, and different areas spreading it with a brush. This will give the wood a warm and rustic, old farmhouse feel. That is how to make bed risers look better.

Step 2:

After the paint has dried, you can try out different vinyl decals to the wood. You can either make them or buy them for adding to the wood.

You can try any quote like ‘family’, ‘blessed’ or ‘love’. These will help to create a more decorative bed riser.

Step 3:

Use decorative wooden caps for the feet of your bed riser. These will add detail and sturdiness to your DIY furniture risers. Attach them with wood glue and let dry.

Step 4:

Repeat the same until you have four risers for the four legs. Place them under the legs of your bed.

If you wonder how to make your bed higher, DIY it at home!

What are some great bed riser alternatives?

Many people often underestimate the importance of bed height. The height of a bed can make it easier or challenging to get in and out of bed.

Since it has a significant effect, there needs to be a solution to adjust the height of the bed to a comfortable level according to age, height, and health status.

To do so, bed risers can be a great solution.

However, due to some reason or the other, you may want to use homemade bed risers. Below, we have mentioned some bed riser alternatives to raise the height of the bed and how to use them.

1. Bookshelf or Dressers

Use two long and tall bookshelves for a wooden bed lift. Turn it into a large size bed. It will allow you to have a bed with incorporated storage section.

2. Cinder blocks

Cinder blocks are a great alternative for DIY sturdy bed riser. Use at least 10 cinder blocks and place them together. The number of cinder blocks depends on how high you want your bed to be.

3. Lofting kit

Looking kids come with extra pegs, legs, a ladder and a safety rail. You can elevate the bed induce the space underneath for placing furniture or storage. It is a great bed riser DIY technique you can try.

4. Wooden pallets

You can create a solid and uniform bed base with wooden pallets. They act as wood bed lifts by raising your bed to a few inches. Use multiple pallets for more height.

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Short FAQ about DIY Bed Risers

Alternative Bed Risers and Furniture Risers [from retailers]

You aren’t always going to be able to make your own risers, and let’s be real, you might not want to DIY them! Lots of big box stores will sell great furniture risers that are affordable and do the job.

You can check out a really cool Dorm Room Bed Riser set here. I like these because they add a lot of extra height!

And if you are in the market to raise a heavy couch or chair, you might want to consider these Heavy Duty Furniture Risers to give you the extra lift along with stability.

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