How to Build Children's Furniture

Decide what type of furniture pieces you want to build, and what size they should be. Beds should be built around the mattress that you want to use, but can also be made to adjust for larger mattresses as the child grows. You can choose to search online or at your local home improvement store to find plans for your furniture piece of choice, or you can design your own. Once you have your sketches and measurements ready, you can begin building.

Purchase the wood you will need for the project, as well as any screws, nails, nuts, and bolts required to assemble the furniture. Finishing nails will be needed for trim and drawers, while wood screws and nuts with bolts are best for stability. It's important to remember to purchase 10% more material than you will actually need to compensate for scrap.

Measure and cut the wood according to your plans to create the pieces of children's furniture you are building. If you are using an expensive type of wood, you may want to consider using cardboard cutout templates to test the piece before you actually cut the expensive wood piece. This can save you a lot of money and reduce scrap in the long run.

Assemble the pieces according to your plan using the best fasteners, considering durability and look. Along with fasteners, you should always use wood glue to join to pieces of wood. This will provide a better seal, as well as minimize squeaks and cracks as the furniture gets used over the years.

Sand down the wood using 125 or 150 grit sandpaper first. Then go back and use a higher grit sandpaper to create smooth edges - usually 225 grit works best. A power sander will greatly speed up this step, so it's worth considering purchasing one if you don't already have one in the garage.

Once the furniture piece is sanded, paint or varnish to your liking. If painting, make sure to use a primer coat first to ensure better adhesion when painting. Make sure to have a window open or perform this step outside, because paint and varnish fumes can be very toxic. A low VOC paint is the best choice, because the fumes aren't as strong as the alternative.

When the paint or varnish is dry, add stencils or decals to personalize the children's furniture for your child. Including your child in this step will be a fun way for them to feel like a part of the project, and they will appreciate their beautiful new furniture much more.