Easy DIY wooden bunk bed ladder

This light-duty bunk bed ladder is perfect for your child’s bedroom–even if you don’t have a bunk bed. Plus, it’s a lot easier to make than you might think. Here’s how to do it.

I had been searching online for a bunk bed ladder and it was surprisingly difficult to find one. In fact, I couldn’t find one at all. The only ladders available were utility ladders or blanket ladders. So, I finally found an instructional video online. My husband used this video with a few modifications and came up with some simple steps.

#1: Gather bunk bed ladder supplies

You’ll need the following materials to get started:

• One piece of wood (6′ long, 6″ wide and 3/4″ thick) or two pieces of wood (6′ long, 2 1/2″ wide and 3/4″ thick)
• Two dowel rods (4′ long and 1 1/4″ in diameter)
• Wood glue
• 1 1/4″ hole saw
• Power drill
• Tape measure
• Sand paper
• Miter saw and/or table saw
• Framing square (optional)

#2: Cut wood to size

Regardless of what lengths of wood you decide to buy (dimensions listed above), you want to end up with the following:

• Two lengths of wood (5’2″ long and 2 1/2″ wide )
• 4 dowels (15 1/2″ and 1 1/4″ in diameter)

We decided to cut a 6″ wide plank lengthwise using a table saw. However, if you don’t have a table saw, you can buy two planks of wood that are already 2 1/2″ wide. Then you just have to cut a bit off the ends so that your finished size is 5’2″long.

Then you need to cut your dowels to measure 15 1/2″ each. You’ll need four total. We used our miter saw to cut each of the dowels. But if you don’t have one of those, you could even use a sawsall or a handsaw.

#3: Drill dowel holes

Using a framing square (if you have one), mark the center of each plank every 12 inches. You should have four marks on each plank.

Then, using a hole saw that is 1 1/4″ in diameter, drill four holes into each plank. We didn’t have a hole saw, so we used a paddle bit. It worked, but it chipped away a little bit of the wood on the other side. If you want a clean cut, a hole saw will work the best.

Drill four holes total on each plank. Leave a space of 12 inches at the top and the bottom. Make sure you’re precise in the measurements on each plank.

#4: Glue and insert dowels

The next step on your bunk bed ladder is the fun part. Place a small amount of wood glue on the ends of each of the dowels and insert them into the holes. Don’t put too much glue.

To make our ladder even stronger, my husband put some finishing nails into each dowel once it was inserted.

#5: Sand your ladder

As an added touch, we used a power sander and sanded down all the rough edges. Since this is going in our kids’ room, we didn’t want them to get any slivers. But it gave the ladder a nice, finished look.

I was so excited that way this ladder turned out. My husband was too (just look at how happy he is in the picture below, ha ha).

The best part about this ladder is that it only cost $15! And now my son can actually climb up to his bunk bed every night. My husband was able to make it in an hour. I’m so happy with how it turned out.

I hope these instructions were helpful. Please keep in mind that this is a light-weight ladder. As always, use caution when using a ladder. How did you ladder turn out? Leave your comments below.

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