I am finally getting around to this post, because I've finally gotten around to actually repurposing the crib!
I searched Pinterest high and low for a tutorial on how to turn a crib into a kid couch... turns out, not many people had the same idea, because I couldn't find a tutorial anywhere. I saw tutorials on how to turn it into a porch swing, or entry way bench, but I wanted it to be a comfortable seating area for both of my kids to use in our reading nook.
I opted to repurpose the crib because A) I'm cheap. B) My in-laws bought it for Honey when she was born, so it is a tad sentimental. C) Everyone I knew who was having a baby has gotten a crib elsewhere, so there was no one to pass it along to.
That brings us to today. Well, actually, a few weeks ago I took the crib apart, estimated how high I wanted the seat to be, and measured the legs accordingly. I cut 5" off the bottom of the crib legs, but make sure that you look out for any metal pieces, as ours had holes to use it as a double headboard.
Once that was decided, I used the circular saw to cut each leg the length I wanted. After I cut each one, I just ran the electric sander over it to get rid of any rough patches. I also added little padded feet so it won't scratch up the floor. Once I was sure the legs were all the same length (Yay me! Anyone who knows me will know this is a major accomplishment, since I'm a 'hmmm this looks about right' kind of person when it comes to measuring.)
After that was complete, I assembled the 3 sides of the frame, made sure I liked how it looked - I didn't want it to look so much like a crib, so I liked that the bottom of the side rails nearly sat on the floor, giving a daybed appearance. I had Honey help me install the support base for the mattress in the highest spot on the rails. Ours has 3 heights, but I wanted it to be around average couch height, so we chose the top one.
I threw a white crib sheet on the mattress, and a white cot comforter overtop to make it a little squishier - yes, that's a word. I added 5 pillows across the back to make sure the back is completely covered, and voila!
My kids were over the moon excited. Funny, because neither one of them really used the crib to actually sleep in! I'm happy it's getting some use now!
I angled the new "kid couch" in the reading nook so I could have a nice bright lamp behind it to make for easy reading. Our book ledges are just a few feet away, so they'll have a lot of opportunity to read anytime they want!
This really was a super easy project, and after I finished I realized why there were no tutorials on how to do it.... because a dummy could do it. However, I promised I would make a post about it, so I did. Ta-Da.
I searched Pinterest high and low for a tutorial on how to turn a crib into a kid couch... turns out, not many people had the same idea, because I couldn't find a tutorial anywhere. I saw tutorials on how to turn it into a porch swing, or entry way bench, but I wanted it to be a comfortable seating area for both of my kids to use in our reading nook.
I opted to repurpose the crib because A) I'm cheap. B) My in-laws bought it for Honey when she was born, so it is a tad sentimental. C) Everyone I knew who was having a baby has gotten a crib elsewhere, so there was no one to pass it along to.
That brings us to today. Well, actually, a few weeks ago I took the crib apart, estimated how high I wanted the seat to be, and measured the legs accordingly. I cut 5" off the bottom of the crib legs, but make sure that you look out for any metal pieces, as ours had holes to use it as a double headboard.
Once that was decided, I used the circular saw to cut each leg the length I wanted. After I cut each one, I just ran the electric sander over it to get rid of any rough patches. I also added little padded feet so it won't scratch up the floor. Once I was sure the legs were all the same length (Yay me! Anyone who knows me will know this is a major accomplishment, since I'm a 'hmmm this looks about right' kind of person when it comes to measuring.)
After that was complete, I assembled the 3 sides of the frame, made sure I liked how it looked - I didn't want it to look so much like a crib, so I liked that the bottom of the side rails nearly sat on the floor, giving a daybed appearance. I had Honey help me install the support base for the mattress in the highest spot on the rails. Ours has 3 heights, but I wanted it to be around average couch height, so we chose the top one.
I threw a white crib sheet on the mattress, and a white cot comforter overtop to make it a little squishier - yes, that's a word. I added 5 pillows across the back to make sure the back is completely covered, and voila!
My kids were over the moon excited. Funny, because neither one of them really used the crib to actually sleep in! I'm happy it's getting some use now!
I angled the new "kid couch" in the reading nook so I could have a nice bright lamp behind it to make for easy reading. Our book ledges are just a few feet away, so they'll have a lot of opportunity to read anytime they want!
This really was a super easy project, and after I finished I realized why there were no tutorials on how to do it.... because a dummy could do it. However, I promised I would make a post about it, so I did. Ta-Da.