# Småstad Loft Bed Assembly

Build a loft bed with a shelf unit and ladder, one board at a time

By JamieH

Topic: Home & DIY

[Open the interactive Jig](https://ask.jig.com/j/09kklvwfEIWh)

## Guide

### 1. Småstad Loft Bed

A loft bed lifts the bed up high, about 1\.4 metres off the floor, so there is room to play or study underneath\. Here are the big pieces: a shelf unit, a tall end panel, two long guard boards, a ladder, a stretcher bar, five slats and ten screws\. Tap any part to see its name\.

This is a job for two grown\-ups working together on a soft rug, with children helping to hand over parts\.

### 2. 1 · Stand the Shelf Unit

Stand the shelf unit at the right\-hand end and push it back towards the wall\. It is one of the two "feet" of the bed: it holds up the ladder end and gives you shelves at the same time\.

### 3. 2 · Stand the End Panel

Lift the tall end panel upright at the left\-hand end, about two metres away from the shelf unit\. It is made of two boards joined side by side, and it reaches all the way from the floor to the top of the bed\.

One person holds the panel steady until the boards above join it to the rest\.

### 4. 3 · Fit the Back Guard Board

Lower the long back board between the end panel and the guard on top of the shelf unit, against the wall side\. Its steel strip faces inwards: that ledge is what the slats will rest on\.

### 5. 4 · Stand the Ladder

Stand the ladder up and push it against the front of the shelf unit\. It goes straight up, not at a slant, and has five rungs, each with a grey grip pad on top so feet do not slip\.

### 6. 5 · Fit the Front Guard Board

Lower the front board between the end panel and the ladder\. Now the frame is a closed box around the sleeping area, and the gap above the ladder is the only way in\.

### 7. 6 · Slide in the Stretcher

Slide the stretcher bar in low at the back, between the end panel and the shelf unit\. A stretcher is a cross bar that stops the frame from wobbling from side to side\.

### 8. 7 · Lay the Five Slats

Lower the five wooden slats across the bed, so each end rests on a steel ledge\. Slats are flat planks with gaps between them, so air can flow under the mattress\.

### 9. 8 · Screw Down the First Slat

Put an M6 screw into the hole at the end of the middle slat and turn it clockwise with the hex screwdriver until it is snug\. "M6" means the screw is 6 millimetres thick\.

Turn by hand\. The manual warns not to use a power drill here\.

### 10. 9 · Screw Down the Other Nine

Fix the other nine screws the same way, one at each end of every slat\. Ten screws keep all five slats from sliding about\.

### 11. Ready for a Mattress

The loft bed is built\. Lay in a mattress of 97 by 189 centimetres that is thin enough to keep its top below the guard boards, so nobody can roll over the edge\.

Check every connection again after a few weeks of use\.