Brimnes daybed becomes a cotbed plus seating
Our daughter had been using a compact cot since birth and was quickly outgrowing it.
After rejigging the bedroom setup we decided she could use my son’s IKEA BRIMNES daybed with some modifications so the furniture wasn’t wasted. (We’ve only had it a year.)
I had been looking for instructions to modify the daybed into a cotbed. But they were only ever for the HEMNES range.
And always with a changing table that we didn’t need.
After searching Pinterest for weeks I found a photo of what I wanted but no instructions! So I made my own. I hope you like it.
IKEA items used:
- BRIMNES daybed
- IKEA mattress for extendable toddler bed
Other materials and tools:
- Second hand crib
- Wood screws
- Wood paint
- Saw
- Tape measure
- Clamps
Before
AFTER!
Cotbed hack instructions:
1. Measure the area of the daybed that you want to be the bed area. I used the mattress as a guide so the cot was 135cm long by 80cm wide. The mattress is not perfectly 80cm wide so it left a perfect gap for the cot rail.
2. Cut the cotbed rails to size. I bought one for £12 on eBay because I knew I’d be chopping it. I only made a rail for 2 sides, but if you have enough pieces you could go all the way around.
3. Optional: Sand and paint the pieces white (I wanted them to match the bed base). I needed 3 coats of a water based wood paint, a thicker gloss would probably only need 2.
4. Screw the pieces together so it resembles a cot so it stands alone ready to screw into the bed.
5. Clamp tight to the BRIMNES bed frame and screw it together. I screwed into the baseboards along the width, and into the inside frame along the length at every other cot pole.
6. I have added a support bracket to the rail end here as it just wasn’t stable enough, I’ll see how long it lasts it might need improving.
Mattress options
7. The small part of the mattress becomes the bed base, and the additional extendable pieces become the seat base. You could use a full length daybed mattress but this allows easier sheet changing and a more stable cot frame.
I added cushions around the edge of the cot so she doesn’t bang her head (this was a problem in her previous cot), and used large cushions to provide a backing to the seating section.
It took a week to complete, around naps, children etc.
What’s the hardest part of this hack?
The hardest part of the project was making sure it was stable enough with the space in the room. (You can see it fits wall to wall, so there’s no room for much modification once it was in place)
What do you like most about it?
I love that it frees up her small bedroom. And it’s 3 pieces of furniture in one.
~ by Rebecca
Jules is the author of IKEAHackers.net: 25 Biggest and Best Projects".
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