TheNotoriousTRD
New member
Sharing my slight mod to some of the helpful DIY leveling platforms that I have seen in case this is useful to people in similar situations. I live alone in a townhouse without a garage or basement with extra room to store a large platform so I decided to make mine in two parts for easy storage in a closet or under a bed. It's also much lighter and easier to move in two pieces if you don't leave it in your vehicle and need to move it by yourself.
Without my own tools, I was able to get this done pretty inexpensively with just a trip to Home Depot during a quiet time with the help of an associate who graciously made a few extra "finish" cuts. I used 1/2" plywood which might not be necessary if you put three rows of supports underneath each half. I also added a 1/4" rug pad between the plywood and carpet for my knees when I get in or if I'm ever in there hanging out. This combined height put it visually just a tad higher that the seats but when I sit on the seam everything evens out and my butt can't even feel a joint, let alone when there is a mattress or pad. It's perfectly snug as is but one could cut off 1/4" or 1/2" from the plywood dimensions if you want a bit more play (I think it's technically cantilevering as is without weight on it so maybe a touch shorter would help to slide it back but I think it's just the nature of the "2"x —unless you can rip something, this is probably inevitable and I couldn't find anything usable that actually measured 2" vs. 1.5").
If I did it again, I'd probably switch to thinner plywood but keep the pad. For some reason, I couldn't find a black version of this carpet roll but I don't really care (I did find one that matched the color of the interior better but was scratchier so I kept this smoother one). I'm sure one can look around for actual auto carpet sources if they are so inclined. I was only trying to level the back not add storage underneath but one accidental bonus of the half boards I ended up with in the middle is that there's an empty space that isn't visible unless you pull them up where I could leave a laptop or something valuable if I never needed to for some reason (which I would hope not to). I just used a larger drill bit to make crude counter sinks for the screw heads.
Here's what I bought and the dimensions:
2 pieces of 1/2" finish plywood, each cut to 41.5" x 21.5"
2 standard 2"x3"x8' posts, each cut to 2 lengths of 36" (with the extra pieces used for the middle supports)
2'x8' 1/4" felt rug pad. 6'x8' indoor/outdoor carpet. Wood screws. Staples.
Without my own tools, I was able to get this done pretty inexpensively with just a trip to Home Depot during a quiet time with the help of an associate who graciously made a few extra "finish" cuts. I used 1/2" plywood which might not be necessary if you put three rows of supports underneath each half. I also added a 1/4" rug pad between the plywood and carpet for my knees when I get in or if I'm ever in there hanging out. This combined height put it visually just a tad higher that the seats but when I sit on the seam everything evens out and my butt can't even feel a joint, let alone when there is a mattress or pad. It's perfectly snug as is but one could cut off 1/4" or 1/2" from the plywood dimensions if you want a bit more play (I think it's technically cantilevering as is without weight on it so maybe a touch shorter would help to slide it back but I think it's just the nature of the "2"x —unless you can rip something, this is probably inevitable and I couldn't find anything usable that actually measured 2" vs. 1.5").
If I did it again, I'd probably switch to thinner plywood but keep the pad. For some reason, I couldn't find a black version of this carpet roll but I don't really care (I did find one that matched the color of the interior better but was scratchier so I kept this smoother one). I'm sure one can look around for actual auto carpet sources if they are so inclined. I was only trying to level the back not add storage underneath but one accidental bonus of the half boards I ended up with in the middle is that there's an empty space that isn't visible unless you pull them up where I could leave a laptop or something valuable if I never needed to for some reason (which I would hope not to). I just used a larger drill bit to make crude counter sinks for the screw heads.
Here's what I bought and the dimensions:
2 pieces of 1/2" finish plywood, each cut to 41.5" x 21.5"
2 standard 2"x3"x8' posts, each cut to 2 lengths of 36" (with the extra pieces used for the middle supports)
2'x8' 1/4" felt rug pad. 6'x8' indoor/outdoor carpet. Wood screws. Staples.
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