Easy Full Height Bunk Bed Stairs

Easy Full Height DIY Bunk Bed Stairs

Materials: TROFAST, STUVA, 1×2 pine boards, random hardware/scrap wood, standard height bunk bed set

Description: We bought this bunk bed set a while back, but haven’t yet been regularly using the top bunk. It is now time for our oldest to move into the top, but she is not ready for a ladder and needs stairs instead. I saw another post using the IKEA TROFAST unit as stairs, but as our bunk beds were standard height with a standard thickness mattress on top, the distance to climb from the top TROFAST step to the top bunk was too far.

We explored other options at IKEA to keep the construction process as quick and simple as possible. (We are a two-working-parent family without a lot of free time.) The best option we found was to add a STUVA frame (plus drawers, doors, etc.) as the final stair step. The height worked out perfectly!

Easy Full Height DIY Bunk Bed Stairs

We had to use some additional scrap wood and anchoring hardware from our stash to make sure that the steps would be stable. Even though the STUVA unit is not solid wood, it is still sturdy enough to hold an adult who needs to climb up to make the bed.

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We used some 1×2 pine boards from the hardware store to create a basic railing. We figure that if we start seeing kids trying to climb through the railing, we can always add more side rails. Our kids tend to be very cautious, though, so this has been enough to keep them safe.

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Because the STUVA wasn’t made of solid wood, we used a metal bracket from the hardware store to attach the top railing post to the TROFAST unit instead of drilling into the STUVA. This worked beautifully!

Construction on this project was definitely faster and easier than making something from scratch, plus the added storage allowed us to fit more toys and clothing for one more kid (coming soon!) into the bedroom which is currently shared by our two daughters.