After wrapping up the custom bunk beds for my daughters, I obviously had to build a DIY bunk bed ladder so they could get to the top bunk. I’m no expert at math or angles, but I still managed to create a sturdy, great-looking ladder for their room. Let me show you how I did it!
This project was surprisingly simple! With just a few basic tools and quality wood, I built a ladder that not only works for a DIY bunk bed ladder but could easily be adapted for a library or even a treehouse ladder. The possibilities are endless!
Tools
Materials
Building a DIY Bunk Bed Ladder
I had just finished the custom built-in bunk beds for my girls, and now it was time for the ladder. I used 1×3 oak boards, matching the wood I used for the safety rails on the bunks, and kept it in its natural tone. It’s going to look amazing!
Since I’m not great with math, I leaned the oak boards against the bed to find the right angle and marked the cut directly onto the wood. See that line? No math necessary!
The angle was too wide for my miter saw, so I rigged a jig using a couple of boards and clamps to hold everything at the right angle. (Check out the full tutorial in this YouTube link)
After cutting both boards, I clamped them together and sanded them down, ensuring the rails on my DIY bunk bed ladder were smooth and flush.
Next, I marked the bottom angle by placing the board in position and marking where it hit the floor. Once I had the angle on one side, I repeated it on the other rail.
To soften the top edge, I freehanded a rounded corner, cut it with my jigsaw, and sanded it smooth. Then, I used the first rail as a template to match the second one.
With the sharp edges of the oak boards, I decided to use my router to round everything off—both for aesthetics and safety.
Pro Tip: Always move your router in the direction the bit is spinning to ensure a clean cut.
Adding Rungs to My DIY Bunk Bed Ladder
Now for the rungs! I cut and rounded off more oak boards to fit the width of the ladder, ensuring the drawers in the built-ins could fully open without hitting the ladder. I marked where each rung would go, starting at 9 inches from the bottom, then every 11 inches after that. I centered each rung and initially secured them with just one screw on each side.
Once the rungs were attached, I leaned the ladder against my worktable and used a level to ensure each rung was straight. I drilled pilot holes and used a spade bit to create recesses for the screws. After adding a bit of wood glue to each rung, I screwed them in place.
The spade bit can rough up the wood, so I smoothed the ladder sides again with a handheld sander.
I want this DIY bunk bed ladder to look clean and finished, so I plugged the screw holes with dowel pins. The spade bit was the same size as the pins, so they fit perfectly with some wood glue.
Once the glue dried, I trimmed the excess dowel with a multi-tool and sanded everything smooth. You’d never know those screw holes were there!
I built a ladder! It looks fantastic and I can’t wait to see it installed alongside the DIY bunk beds.
Installing the DIY Bunk Bed Ladder
Attaching the ladder was super simple. I used four of these angle brackets—one for each rail on the front and back of the ladder—for a secure and sturdy fit.
And that’s it! These bunk beds are done!
Want the full tutorials for how I built these custom DIY bunk beds and completely transformed the girls’ bedroom?
Part One: I built the basic frame for the bunk beds and modified IKEA Pax units to serve as built-in storage on each side of the bed.
Part Two: I wrapped the frame with plywood, built safety rails, and filled all the gaps and seams before painting everything.
And a bedroom wouldn’t be complete without the decor. For all the information on the furniture, drapes, artwork, and everything else in this room including the wallpaper, go to this post here.
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