If you’re a DIY-loving, eager beaver, soon-to-be parent that has the crazy idea that you want to build your child’s crib, you’ve come to the right place.
We created a DIY mid-century crib with our own two hands. If you think you can do this, I know you can.
We thought building our son’s crib would be very special, so we tried to do it ourselves. While it wasn’t quick, it wasn’t that hard either.
This was one of our first big builds, so we weren’t experts at the time and I bet our plans can get you through this and help you make a special memory too.
This post will show you how we built our DIY mid-century modern crib and you can also grab our woodworking plans to make it yourself!
Be sure to click over and check out our Jungle Theme Nursery Reveal!
This DIY mid-century crib meets the appropriate regulations that we found for what a crib has to be, however, make sure you check the regulations for your state.
The big things were to make sure that the space between the slats is no more than 2 3/8″, that there’s no gap between the mattress and the sides, and that the railing height is at least 26 inches.
In creating our plans for our crib, we used inspiration from this West Elm mid-century crib and the blog post written by DIYstinctly Made. These were a good jumping off point for us.
We also used the same legs that we built for our IKEA Hemnes dresser hack.
Here’s all the supplies and the general steps for how to make our DIY midcentury modern crib.
You can get the full cut list, material list and step-by-step instructions in our downloadable PDF woodworking plans!
I started out by setting my table saw to 1 1/2″ and created 28 slats that were 29″ long. Then I cut four slats at 52 1/4″ long.
I drilled one pocket hole on each end of each slat and sanded everything down. Each side needs 14 short slats and two long slats.
I started with the first short slat 1″ in from the ends of the long slats and used wood glue and a pocket screw to attach them.
Repeat 13 more times with 2 1/4″ of space in between each and finish with another 1″ gap on the other end. Repeat for the other side.
For each of the two sides, I cut a square of plywood 32 7/8″ tall by 30 1/4″ wide.
I then used a router to make a fancy edge on strips of poplar that were 1″ wide with mitered edges and the same dimensions as the plywood sheets.
I used wood glue and a nail gun to attach the strips around the outer face of the plywood.
Then attach a 28 1/2″ long by 2 1/2″ wide board to the inside base of each side where your moveable base will sit on.
I cut two long boards 52 1/4″ by 2 1/2″ and seven shorter boards at 24 5/8″ by 2 1/2″.
These I just used pocket holes to join together evenly spaced apart. This base will be used as an adjustable base for the mattress that can be started higher in the crib and then lower to base level.
One note is that we ended up not even needing to use the mobile base because by the time we moved our son out of the bassinet, we were able to get him in and out of the crib easily. However, you still need this base as the base of the crib even if you don’t move it.
Use pocket screws to attach the open sides to the inside of the solid sides. Add another 28″x2 1/2″ board to solidify the to open sides to each other in the middle at the bottom of the crib.
I did this same leg system for our IKEA Hemnes Dresser Makeover.
Start out by cutting four legs out of 2x4s. These should be 8″ long with a 7 degree parallel miter on the two short ends.
Next mark a spot 2 1/2″ down from the top on one side and a spot 1″ in from the bottom on the other side. Draw a straight line between those points and cut that triangle out.
Next cut your beams. You’re going to want to cut your 2×4 down to 2 1/2″ wide to match up with the part of the leg you just cut off.
Then, cut two pieces the length of the diagonal from your corners. Use pocket holes and wood glue to connect a beam to two legs.
Now comes the tricky part. Lay one of the diagonal beams where you want it on the base.
Then, lay another one in an X pattern and mark where you need to cut out a gap. Then attach your two shorter pieces to the longer piece using wood glue and pocket screws.
Attach the whole leg system to the base of your crib in the corners and in the middle.
Fill in all your holes with wood filler and sand smooth. Choose a stain or paint color that matches your decor.
We chose Rust-Oleum Varathane in Early American to match the other wood pieces in our home.
How incredibly awesome does this DIY mid-century crib look? And I built it with my own two hands!
I can’t wait for our child to start sleeping in this homemade crib and then pass it down to our future children or someone who needs a crib.
Love the look of this project and want to make one for yourself, make sure you grab our woodworking plans!
Our woodworking plans come with a full material list, cut list, and step-by-step instructions with computer model imagery to help you along.
Our plans will offer more in depth information and you can reach out with any questions!
After you’ve built the crib, here’s a couple other kids woodworking projects you should take next!
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Hey there, I’m Sean, the woodworking enthusiast and builder behind CharlestonCrafted.com! Since 2012, I’ve been sharing the magic of turning raw materials into beautiful creations. I love teaching others the art and satisfaction of woodworking and DIY. I try to inspire fellow crafters to make something extraordinary out of nothing at all.
