As I begin the boys bunk room project, I'm excited to work with Home Depot on the VERY first step (and arguably the hardest)- the framing! I've never done framing work before and after spending MANY hours researching- I decided a nail gun was a must to do this part quickly and efficiently.
It's been over a year since I've tried a new 'heavy duty' power tool, and like most power tools it seemed intimidating at first! The only nail guns I have to compare it to are my cordless and pneumatic brad nailers. This one's much more powerful that both and took me a few shots to stop closing my eyes when the nails discharged- but after that I became obsessed!
A few tips that helped me with framing:
Break apart your project into sections
I could've framed the whole bed in one piece from the floor to the ceiling, but breaking that apart into two sections (top & bottom) helped make it easier to
Make sure the boards that matter are straight:
Use your level always, but especially when attaching the boards that act as the 'walls' of your beds. This saves time later one when you're trying to wrap the frame with the prettier wood so you don't have to use shims to make sure everything's straight and even. If you have a bowed/warped 2x4, use it somewhere that it won't be exposed!
Have the right tools to be efficient:
Every time I've framed anything in the past, I've used screws and my drill/driver. This works great to small projects, such as building a base for cabinets, but had I used screws for this bed frame it would've taken me TWICE the amount of time. For larger framing jobs, I highly recommend a framing nailer and the Paslode Compact Framing Nailer from The Home Depot was perfect for the job. It was powerful, lightweight, and make the job a quick and fun one.
So how much did the framing cost?
It's no secret lumber prices have gone through the roof this past year. A 10' 2x4 costs a little under $6/each right now and I used about 40 including doing the right side. I also chose to use (16) 2x6x8s for the bed supports which are a little more than $6. That alone cost about $336. Keep in mind this includes the entire structure to the right of the bed, so if you're only building beds the cost would be less.
Lumber: $336
Framing Nailer: $229
Framing Nails: $73
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