DIY Upholstered Boxspring Mattress

It was time to move my son out of his crib and into a toddler bed; but instead of getting a small bed that he would be sure to grow out of in no time, we decided to go ahead and throw him in a full size bed that would last him for years to come. Since he is only 2+ years old we opted to leave the mattress and box spring on the ground instead of in a frame. We were a little hesitant at first since he has never been up so high or had such a large bed before. We made him a part of the process of breaking down his crib and bringing in the new mattress and box spring and he had a blast. He was easily able to climb on top and thought it was the greatest thing in the world to now have that much real-estate to sleep on. 

He is still young enough that he doesn't use a top sheet to get tangled in or a comforter to smother him so we simply bought some fitted sheets that we jersey material for softness and warmth. But when it came to the box spring I was stumped. I couldn't put a bed skirt on it because there were no legs on the bed to heighten it so that the bed skirt would not just pile up on the floor. And there was no way I was going to leave the box spring uncovered because it was hideous. So that left only one thing to do! Cover it with fabric. I have seen multiple tutorials online about reupholstering a box spring but all of them included permanently attaching fabric to the box spring by stapling, or gluing it. I wanted the option to be able to take it off and wash it when needed or be able to switch it out when my son gets older. And that's why I decided to simply sew elastic around my fabric for easy on and off access. 

It couldn't have been easier to make; all you need is:

• fabric
• elastic
• tape measure 
• sewing machine

Lets get started:

First things first you will want to take some measurements. Measure the perimeter of the box spring frame and add 5 inches and that will be the length of fabric you will need to cover the perimeter of the box spring. Next measure the height of the box spring and add 5 inches and that will be the width of fabric you will need. After you take all of your measurements, sew together the lengths of your fabric to give you one really long piece of fabric that is the entire length of the perimeter of the box spring. Sew together the two ends of your fabric right sides together. So now you have one large fully connected piece of fabric, like one big box spring square. Next you want to fold over the ruff edges of your length to make a hem and sew all the way down both sides.

Then take your elastic and either sew elastic around the entire length of your fabric both top and bottom or you can just add elastic to the corner parts of your box spring mattress top and bottom.

Place your fabric cover onto your box spring to make sure it fits and voila, you now have a stylish cover that you can remove to wash or change any time you want!!