I was surprised at how many people are interested in this type of design so I thought I might as well dig into it and see what the possibilities are. I put on my thinking hat and it gave me some unique ideas that I hope some of you will find interesting.
Bed frame with no legs includes converting a box spring, removing the legs, Murphy bed laying flat on the floor, pallet bed, low profile legs, milk crate foundation, storage bed, sunken into the floor, solid foundation rails, hammock, and mattress on the floor.
Update May 4, 2023: This one is 48% off here at Amazon!
10 Bed Frames with no Legs
Option 1: Convert a Box Spring
Buy the super heavy-duty US Box Spring for $325 which is rated at 1,500 lb and install it on the floor rather than on an ugly metal frame. This saves you $575 over the cost of the Thuma! And you can buy a short skirt like the Biscaynebay Wrap Around for only $16 to cover up the box spring.
There are two height options, 5.5″ and 8″ so if you want the top of the mattress to be at a more normal height you can purchase a 12″ – 14″ mattress. With the 8″ box spring the top of the mattress will be 20″ – 22″ high.
If you want the top of the mattress to be even higher it is very easy to add 2×4 lumber to the bottom of the existing 2x4s. This increases the height by 1.5″ for every 2×4 you add. It requires four 2x4s per row (1.5″) so it costs about $15 for every 1.5″ of height you add.
For a slightly cheaper solution, you can consider this low-profile 4″ metal bed frame with a 700 lb capacity.
TIP: If you are cheap like me you can use two 2x4s per 1.5″, cut them into lengths of about two feet, and space them around the base of the box spring foundation.
Option 2: Remove Legs
Buy a bed frame and don’t install the legs on it. This can be done with an attractive upholstered wood frame that will look great without a skirt. Or any wood frame.
This height is perfect for most people. But if you want to increase the height even more you can simply add 2×4 lumber to the bottom rails and the height increases by 1.5″ with every new row of lumber you install.
Option 3: Murphy Bed That Folds Down Onto the Floor
If you want a real simple DIY option that will save you a lot of money you can check out the step-by-step instructions, plans, and material list here. This is a super cheap option for saving space and all materials should be available at your local hardware store.
TIP: If you want to have it higher off the floor you can adjust the measurements to build a bigger Murphy cabinet and attach the US Box Spring (from Option 1 above) to the base plywood.
Option 4: Pallet Bed
This is another cheap solution for a bed frame with no legs. The benefits of building with pallets include:
- Free or cheap
- Incredibly strong
- Adjustable height options (6, 12, 18, 24″) Source
- Easy to assemble with a few screws
Disadvantages include:
- Pallets may need to be cleaned (and not an easy task)
- They are heavy, so use two people to move them to the bedroom
- They May have sharp edges and splinters as they are made with rough-sawn wood
I think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages and everyone should consider this as a viable option.
TIP: If you don’t have a truck you can ask hardware store lumberyard workers if they can drop them off at your house on their way home from work. Offer the worker a case of beer or $20 and I am sure you will have several offers!
IP: Read my article How to Build a Pallet Bed to learn how to build and where to find free pallets.
Option 5: Low Profile (ok, not legless, but close)
If you are a little flexible with your requirement for the bed frame to not have legs then you might want to consider these low-profile options that have very short legs. With legs as short as the below models, there will be very little flex in the legs to potentially squeak and creak in the future.
If you only have a mattress and you find the below models too low you can simply add a box spring to increase the height of the top of your mattresses by 5.5 – 10″.
- Zinus Arnav Modern Studio 10 Inch Platform 2000 Metal here
- Home Accent Furnishings Twin here
- Cardinal & Crest 900 lb capacity here
Option 6: Milk Crate Foundation
Another cheap and super easy option without legs projects that anyone can do in minutes. Advantages of this project include:
- Super easy to install
- Can usually find free milk crates
- Can install the perimeter milk crates on their side for underneath storage
- Very strong
Disadvantages include:
- Potential damage to carpet flooring (permanent indents) and hardwood and laminate flooring (scratches)
- Not easy to adjust the height of the. Milk crates are about 13 x 13 x 11″ outside measurements.
TIP: If you install the perimeter milk crates on their side for storage you will need to install all crates on their side to keep the heights the same.
Option 7: Storage Bed
This option can have the mattress sitting on a solid wood platform that raises up on hinges to reveal large storage space underneath. Or, you can use the space under the mattress as a piece of solid furniture with drawers for clothes, bedding, seasonal items, night toys, etc.
A good example with no legs can be seen here on Amazon.
Option 8: Sunken Bed (flush with floor)
This is a freaky design that I found while doing research for this article. I have seen sunken living rooms and tubs… but I have never seen sunken beds! Obviously, you would need to do some serious construction to make this happen, especially in an existing house.
Perhaps this idea is something to keep in mind when you build your next house. Check out some different designs and styles at Home DIT.
Option 10: Solid Frame Foundation Rails Instead of Legs
These bed frames have solid metal rail frame systems rather than legs. So the bottom rails sit flush on the floor to distribute the weight and this design is stronger than single post legs. Some models have this system on all four sides and some only have it on the head and foot of the bed.
Obviously, the four-side models should be stronger as the head and foot rails system cannot flex as easily during north-south movement (late-night wrestling?).
You can see various designs with the models below:
ZINUS Brock Metal and Wood here
Zinus Joseph 10 Inch Metal here
Zinus Trisha 7 Inch Heavy Duty Low Profile here.
Mellow 9 Inch Metal here
Zinus Suzanne Metal and Wood Platform with Headboard and Footboard here
ZINUS Therese Metal and Wood Platform here
Option 11: Hammock Bed
This is can work for some sleepers, but not me. I love having a little siesta in a hammock, but I sleep poorly when I try to use one all night. I am a restless sleeper and flip and flop all night long so it is not a fit for me. But I see many on YouTube who love using a hammock as a bed, and obviously, there are no legs if you hang it from the ceiling.
Even if you are single I would recommend trying a two-person hammock like this one to see if it works for you. If it does you can upgrade to a more expensive one in the future.
Check out my article about Hammocks Instead of a Bed here.
Option 12: Mattress on Floor
Do as the Asians do and just flop the mattress onto the floor and you are good to go. You can also make it beautiful and decorate the bedroom to match.
I hope that if you made it this far you found some of this information helpful. Please feel free to let me know if you have an idea to add to this article and I will be happy to update it.
