How to Assemble a Canopy Bed Frame

Adding a canopy to your bed can completely change the look of your bedroom making your bed the room's focal point. While different companies and models are made differently, most canopies follow basically the same pattern. The article below explains how to install one.

Before you begin you will need a wrench or a power drill with a hex bot and a screwdriver or screwdriver bits.

1. Take the four bedposts and place them where they will be once the bed is together. The post may be made specifically for the head or foot of the bed depending on the model of canopy.
   
2. Place the posts at the top, or head, of the bed so that the grooves are facing toward each other. Slide the headboard down into the grooves. If the side rails also have grooves, place them so that they are facing the bottom, or foot, of the bed.
   
3. Using the hardware that is provided with the canopy, bolt the headboard into place. Usually this is a bolt-and-nut set which is installed using a hex bolt. Screw the headboard in place but leave the bolt slightly loose.
   
4. Install the head rail. Each end of the head rail attaches to one of the posts at the head of your bed. Bolt these into place the same way as was done with the headboard.
   
5. To install the foot board and the foot rail for the canopy, follow steps 2, 3 and 4.
   
6. Slide the side rails, which hold the mattress up, into place between the head and foot board. Bolt them in place, if necessary, but leave them slightly loose.
   
7. If your canopy came with lateral supports, now is when you install them. The method you use depends on the model. The most common installations are the tongue and groove and bolt-and-nut methods. If the model you are installing does not come with lateral supports, it may have slats that you place between the side rails.
   
8. Install the side rails. Bolt each end in place using the same method as you did with the foot rails and the head rails.
   
9. Tighten all of the bolts used in the canopy's assembly completely.
   
10. Place the box spring then the mattress onto the frame.