DIY Plywood Mini Daybed (Upcycle an Old Crib Mattress!)

As you know, I’m slowly working on transforming our playroom into a “tween” hangout. One of the things I wanted to incorporate into the space was a reading nook, and we have this little corner in the room that works perfectly for it.

I also had a leftover crib mattress from Jonah, and I wanted to find a way to use it rather than let it go to waste. I decided it was the perfect size to use as a seat cushion for a DIY mini daybed that the boys can lounge on in their corner reading nook.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Home Depot. All opinions are my own.

This is a fairly simple build. And bonus if you already have a spare crib mattress on hand! If not, you could always modify the dimensions to fit a regular size mattress, or customize your own cushions in any size you choose.

Supply List:

• (2) sheets of 2′ x 4′ hardwood plywood (I used 3/4″ thick maple.)
• (4) Mid-Century style furniture feet
• (1) 2×2 board (or scrap)
• (1) Crib Mattress
• (2) yards of home decor fabric
• 2′ x 4′ sheet of 1/4″ thick plywood
• Circular Saw
• Diablo Blade
• Clamps
• Square or Straight Edge
• Countersinking Drill Bit
• Drill
• Sander
• (1) 2 inch screw (for the center support leg)
• 1 1/2″ wood screws
• Staple Gun and 1/2″ staples (or velcro strips)
• Pocket hole jig
• 1 1/4″ Pocket Screws
• Brad Nailer
• 1 1/2″ Brad Nails
• Wood Glue

I am part of Home Depot’s ProSpective program, which means I get to try out all sorts of tools and share them with you. They sent me this Diablo 5 1/2″ Framing Saw Blade with Bushings, and I decided to give it a try for this project.

I’ve actually never tried Diablo saw blades before, even though I’ve heard great things about them, so I was excited to give it a try.

This one is ideal for hardwoods, softwoods, 2x lumber, pressure-treated lumber, OSB, plywood, and laminated beams. I opted to test it out on some plywood. I always like to clamp a board or a square down to use as a straight edge to guide my saw.

I cut my plywood to the following dimensions (you can adjust your dimensions accordingly depending on the size of your mattress and how much space you want around it):

(2) at 63″ x 33″

(2) at 24″ x 33″

(4) at 12″ x 33″

(2) at 6″ x 33″

This blade cut like butter! Maybe I’m just used to an old, dull blade because I haven’t swapped mine out in forever, but truly this blade worked so well.

It also comes with multiple bushings to fit 1/2″, 5/8″, 10 mm and 20 mm saws. This allowed me to use the blade on my Ryobi saw without a problem.

I just slipped the 10 mm bushing in the center so that it would fit over my saw’s arbor properly, and I was good to go.

They also sent me the Diablo 6 1/2″ 24-teeth framing saw blade and the Diablo 6 1/2″ 32 teeth wood and metal saw blade.

I need to upgrade to a larger circular saw and then I can’t wait to put these blades to the test. In the meantime, let me tell you a little bit about them.

The Diablo 6 1/2″ 24 teeth framing saw blade. It’s compatible with any 6 1/2″ corded or cordless circular saw, it can cut hardwood, 2x lumber, pressure treated, OSB, and laminated beams, and it has 5 times the life, 2 times the durability, and performs 65% more cuts per charge than the average blade.

As for the Diablo 6 1/2″ 32 teeth framing saw blade, it is optimized for all corded and cordless saws and it is the industry’s first multi-purpose blade for cutting wood and metal.

Its specially formulated TiCo carbide provides durability in wood and metal cutting applications. I am really excited to try this one out when I get a larger saw, especially since I’ve gotten more into metalworking and this provides the option of cutting metal and wood for a single project without swapping out the blade.

Now, on with the project!

After I had cut all of my plywood, it was time to assemble everything.

First, I needed to attach the sides and partitions. I did this by using my pocket hole jig to create pocket holes along each end of one of my large panels (this will be the bottom), then I attached the sides (my 24″ x 33″ pieces) using 1 1/4″ pocket screws. (Sidenote: If I were doing it over again, I would have flipped the panel over so the pocket holes are on the very bottom and not visible.)

Then, I flipped it over (on its side), and marked and measured 21″ increments along the back, and used a straight edge to mark a vertical line at each of those points (so two lines).

Then I used my countersinking drill bit to drill a few holes along the vertical lines. This is where I will screw from the back to attach the cubby partitions.

I lined up my 12″ x 33″ partition panels on the other side and drilled from the back into my pre-drilled holes to connect them. It took some playing around to get them straight but I was able to do it. If you have someone to help you, a spare set of hands would have made it easier.

I drilled a couple of pocket holes at each end of my second long plywood panel, then placed it in front of those partitions to attach it (this will be the seat when we flip it upright).

I used my countersinking bit to pre-drill holes on the front of it, and I drilled into the partitions from the front of the seat panel. I awkwardly attached it to the sides using pocket screws.

After everything had been assembled, I went ahead and added the legs before flipping everything upright. I ordered some Mid-Century style furniture legs online a long time ago for another project that I never ended up building, so they worked perfectly for this.

I measured 2″ in from each side and marked the holes for the furniture leg brackets. I predrilled holes, and then screwed the brackets on. Then, I used a larger drill bit to drill a hole in the middle.

Usually the bolt that comes with the furniture leg is adjustable and can be screwed into the leg to make the bolt shorter, but I couldn’t get these to cooperate, so I ended up screwing them all the way through the bottom of the daybed and then using my Dremel to cut the excess bolt flush from the other side.

I needed to add a center leg for support underneath the day bed, so I opted to use a 2×2 cut to 6 5/8″ (cut to the same length as the other legs). I simply screwed this onto my bottom panel from the top using a 2″ wood screw.

After the legs were attached, I flipped the whole thing over, being careful to lift as I flipped it so I didn’t damage the legs.

I then attached my remaining 12″ x 33″ panels by drilling pocket holes along one side of each of them and attaching them to the seat with 1 1/4″ pocket screws.

I added the tops with wood glue and brad nails. You can use wood filler to putty over these but I didn’t bother since they weren’t noticeable. Just be sure to set your depth so the brad nails countersink themselves.

I gave everything a good sanding and then finished it with Polycrylic.

Next, it was time to cover the cushion. As I mentioned earlier, I used one of our old crib mattresses. I laid fabric out upside down, and then laid the mattress upside down on top of the fabric.

I placed a 2’x4′ piece of 1/4″ plywood in the center of the mattress (it doesn’t have to be the exact size of your mattress, you just need something to attach the fabric to if you want to make a no-sew version like this).

I folded the sides of the fabric in and stapled them to the plywood, and then I folded the ends in, pulling it as tight as possible while stapling that too.

I probably could have made the whole bed a couple inches more narrow as it ended up being a bit wider than the  mattress. Just measure your mattress and decide on the width you’d like based on that.

The boys love the new daybed. Jonah insisted on sleeping on it the first night we moved it into the playroom. He was so excited! It makes my heart so happy to make things for my boys, especially when they get excited about it.

Check out my YouTube video here:

Update!: I made over our playroom and updated the fabric and pillows on the daybed.

Disclosure: I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the promotional program described above (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

For more project ideas, check out my project gallery here!

UPDATE: You can see the full playroom makeover here.

Thanks for visiting!

-Erin