I've been trying to fix up my guest room without spending much money. I love antiques, so when I had a chance to trade for an antique bed I was thrilled since I was, essentially, getting the bed for free. Then I got a new mattress and box spring at less than half price because the fabric coverings on them didn't match. (Who cares if the mattresses match and who looks at that stuff anyway?) I spray painted the bed, and repaired the trim with some metal glue.
But then I ran into a problem...Antique beds had to have "slats" to keep the mattress in place. There was absolutely no way to put slats in this bed frame. I'd never seen anything like it. I puzzled over it for months before it finally occurred to me that I could use a solid sheet of plywood and glue it to the sides of the bed.
Another problem: I have severe asthma and all of the kinds of glue that I should use for the project would make me ill.

But I had another
AHA! moment: heavy-duty zip ties.

It gave me another excuse to go to the hardware store--in spite of being a really girly-girl, I love the hardware store and my power tools! :look: :lol:
So this morning I cleared the room, drilled some holes, attached the zips, vacuumed up the sawdust, put things back together, and in only about 30 minutes the bed was just as sturdy as it could be. :nod:
If I had bought the bed and everything that went with it, it would have cost me over $800. My total was less than $200.