5 Bed Riser Alternatives & How to Raise a Bed with Them

Many people seem to overlook the importance of bed height. Since the height of your bed can affect how easily you get in and out of bed, your bed needs to be adjusted to a comfortable level that suits your age, height, and health status. In order to raise a bed and make a bed higher, you can use bed risers. However, you may want to use a bed riser alternative for a variety of reasons. Below, we’ll discuss 5 bed riser alternatives and how to raise a bed with them.

Bed riser alternatives include bookshelves or dressers, cinder blocks, lofting kits, chains, and wooden pallets. You can raise a bed by putting it directly on top of bookshelves or dressers, cinder blocks, or wooden pallets. You can use a lofting kit to lift your bed off of the ground and create storage space underneath, or you can use chains to hang your bed from the ceiling.

Raising your bed by a few inches could be a practical solution for a number of issues. You may want to raise your bed so you can sit comfortably on the edge of the mattress or have extra storage space underneath your bed. If you have limited mobility, you may also want to raise your bed to help you get in and out of bed more easily. Raising the head of your bed can help with blood circulation, respiratory disorders, acid reflux, and back pain. For more information about the benefits of partially elevating a bed, see this study.

Below we’ll discuss bed risers, bed riser alternatives, and how to raise a bed with them. If you have a platform bed, make sure to take a look at our pros and cons guide to raising a platform bed too.

What Are Bed Risers?

Bed risers help raise a bed by attaching to its legs.

Bed risers are safe and sturdy furniture accessories that are used to lift beds higher off the floor. Using bed risers will add extra height to a bed while increasing the storage space underneath the bed.

Bed risers measure between one and twelve inches tall. They are available in plastic, wood or steel and come in many different shapes and sizes. They differ in terms of durability and weight capacity, and the total weight they’re intended to support combines the weight of the bed frame, the mattress, the box spring, and the people sharing the bed. Here are some highly rated bed risers from Amazon.

Raising beds with bed risers is beneficial to ease the transition into and out of bed, especially for elderly people and people with back problems. For more information about the difficulties of getting up from low surfaces, see this study. Bed risers can also be used to raise only the front or the back of a bed frame; this can be helpful for people with medical conditions such as indigestion and acid reflux, and for those recovering from surgery. To learn more about how bed elevation can aid post-surgery recovery, see this study.

How To Raise a Bed with Bed Risers

Bed risers are designed for beds that have legs. Each bed riser has a hole into which each bedpost can securely slip and fasten. Even though bed risers slip on easily, it’s a good idea to have someone help you install them in order to avoid injuries. But how do you raise a bed with bed risers?

To raise a bed with bed risers, determine how much height you want to add to your bed, choose the right set of bed risers, and insert each leg of the bed into a riser.

Follow these more detailed steps to raise your bed with bed risers:

Step 1. Determine how much height you want to add to your bed

Use measuring tape to measure the current space under the bed. Then, estimate how much height you want to add. If you have specific items that you need to store under the bed, measure their heights to know how tall they are and how much space they need in order to fit.

Step 2. Choose the right set of bed risers to raise your bed height

Bed risers usually come in a set of four. Select the size that matches your height needs and choose your preferred material (plastic, wood, or steel). If you can’t seem to find the exact size that you need, you may want to buy stackable plastic risers to customize the height. Check the packaging to make sure that the risers have enough weight capacity to support the bed and everything that lies on top of it (including yourself).

Step 3. Elevate one corner of the bed frame

Elevate one of the bed’s legs and align it with the hole of the bed riser. Make sure that the bed risers match the diameter of the legs.

Step 4. Insert the leg into the riser

Lower the leg so that it slips into the hole and fastens securely.

Step 5. Do the same for all of the remaining legs

Repeat step 3 and step 4 for each of the remaining legs.

If you prefer to customize your bed risers instead of buying them, refer to this article: How to Raise a Platform Bed and Lift It with Bed Risers. Also, take a look at our article, Are Bed Risers Safe for more information.

List of Different Bed Riser Alternatives

If you don’t want to use bed risers to raise your bed, there are other unconventional ways to lift a bed frame from the ground. Instead of purchasing and installing bed risers, you can use furniture or anything sturdy enough to support the weight of the bed without collapsing. These bed riser alternatives can be used not only to raise a bed but also to provide useful storage options underneath it.

Different bed riser alternatives include bookshelves or dressers, cinder blocks, lofting kits, chains, and wooden pallets.

Alternative 1: Bookshelves or Dressers can be great bed riser alternatives

Use a bookshelf or dresser on its side to raise a bed (as a bed riser alternative).

Use two long, tall bookshelves or two dressers to raise your bed and turn it into a captain’s bed. You will end up with a bed with incorporated storage sections underneath, which is a good alternative for when you don’t have enough floor space for both a bed and additional storage.

To raise a bed with bookshelves, follow these steps:

Step 1: Place the two pieces of furniture on the floor and make sure they’re evenly spaced

Keeping the size of your bed in mind, space the bookshelves evenly (one at the head of the bed and one at the foot of the bed) so that they properly support the weight of the bed and everything on top of it.

Step 2: Stabilize the bookshelves with cross braces

Drill and screw in one cross brace (here’s an example from Amazon) on the inside of the bookshelf that is placed at the foot of the bed. Then, do the same on the one placed at the head of the bed. The cross braces will prevent the bed from swaying.

Step 3: Spread shelf liners on top of the bookshelves

Put shelf liners (here’s an example) on top of the bookshelves to protect them from scratches and to prevent the bed from slipping.

Step 4: Put the bed frame on top of the shelf liners

Finally, place the base of the bed frame on top. You may want to secure it to the bookshelves or dressers with screws. Then, place your mattress on top of the bed base.

Alternative 2: Cinder Blocks

Cinder blocks can be used as bed riser substitutes.

If you want to elevate your bed using cinder blocks, you will need to use at least 10 blocks. The more blocks you stack on top of one another, the more clearance space you will have under the bed.

To raise a bed with cinder blocks, follow these steps:

Step 1: Choose the number of blocks you want to use

The number of cinder blocks that you need depends on the way you want to set them up and how high you want to raise your bed. Two 6-inch cinder blocks will provide 12 inches of storage clearance when placed on top of one another.

Step 2: Paint the cinder blocks with gripper paint

Paint the blocks first with gripper paint (here’s an example) to protect them from becoming brittle and chipping. The next day, paint them with a color of your choice to make them look better.

Step 3: Cover each cinder block with a piece of shelf liner

Cut a piece of gripped shelf liner into pieces and cover the sides of the blocks that come in contact with other blocks and with the base of the bed.

Step 4: Arrange the blocks at every corner of the bed

Set the blocks in a way that corresponds to the middle and corners of your mattress. Add as many blocks as necessary to support the whole weight of the bed, including the mattress and your own weight.

Alternative 3: Lofting Kit

A lofting kit is designed to raise furniture such as a bed.

You can use a lofting kit to increase the height of your bed while providing more floor space in your room. Lofting kits usually come with extra legs, pegs, a safety rail, and a ladder. Once the bed is elevated, the space underneath can be utilized for furniture (like a desk or a couch) or for additional storage. Here’s an example of a twin lofting kit from Amazon. Be sure to take a look at our article, how to make a loft bed taller too for more ideas.

To raise a bed with a lofting kit, follow these steps:

Step 1: Turn the bed frame on its side

Remove the mattress from the bed and flip the bed frame on its side. Have someone help you, since bed frames are quite hefty.

Step 2: Join the extra legs to the original legs

The legs from lofting kits have holes in the bottom (if yours don’t, drill a hole in each leg). Slot a metal peg into each leg and slide the new legs onto the pegs.

Step 3: Flip the bed onto its feet

Once the new legs are secured to the original ones, turn the bed so it’s standing up. Add the safety rail and the ladder for additional safety.

Alternative 4: Chains

Chains can suspend a bed from the ceiling and make a great alternative to bed risers.

Instead of using items underneath your bed to lift it up, you can lift your bed a few inches off the ground by hanging it from the ceiling with chains. Suspending a bed like this is a cool and unique method that will save you lots of floor space.

To raise a bed with chains, follow these steps:

Step 1: Decide where to position your bed

Place the bed on the floor underneath where you want to hang it. Using a stud finder, locate ceiling studs that correspond with the four corners of the bed.

Step 2: Drill 4 holes into the ceiling and 2 holes into each end of the bed frame

Drill pilot holes where the studs are located and screw in 4 ceiling eye bolts. Then, drill 2 evenly-spaced holes on two parallel sides of the frame and screw in 4 eye bolts.

Step 3: Attach 4 chains from the frame straight up to the ceiling

Using quick links (here’s an example), connect 4 chains from the frame’s eye bolts to the eye bolts on the ceiling.

Alternative 5: Wooden Pallets

Use pallets instead of cinder blocks for a more light weight bed riser.

Wooden pallets (here’s an example) form a solid and uniform bed base. They are a great choice to raise your bed by a few inches and will give your bedroom a modern look.

To raise a bed with wooden pallets, follow these steps:

Step 1: Arrange the pallets to your desired height

Stack the pallets on top of each other to attain the height that you want. You can also connect a number of pallets together with wood glue so that they match your bed’s dimensions.

Step 2: Paint the wooden pallets

In order to make them look better, paint the pallets a color of your choice.

Step 3: Place the bed on top of the pallets

Put a shelf liner on top of the pallets, then place the bed directly on top of the lined pallets.

How To Make Bed Risers Look Better

Use bed skirts to hide bed risers and alternatives.

Bed risers may not always blend in with your bedroom’s decor. If you don’t like the way bed risers look, there are a few steps you can take to make them look better.

To make bed risers look better, follow these steps:

Step 1: Choose bed risers that match the style of your bedroom furniture
Step 2: If you can’t find bed risers that match your room’s decor, paint the risers a different color to improve their appearance
Step 3: If you’d rather hide the bed risers completely, cover them with a bed skirt that extends to the floor

Any of these options can make bed risers look better and help your bedroom look more aesthetically pleasing.

5 Bed Riser Alternatives and How To Raise a Bed with Them