How Do I Support the Mattress in the Platform Bed I Am Building?
How Do I Support the Mattress in the Platform Bed I Am Building?
Are you talented and want to try your hand at building a platform bed? For those of you who don’t yet know what a platform bed is, it’s an exciting, old style bed design that incorporates a simple, elegant frame and a single mattress but no box spring. Its lines have been used in Europe, Scandinavia, and Japan for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Platform beds can be made of wood or metal. If you’re looking to build a platform bed, you’re probably thinking about wood. A good place to begin to get some ideas it to do a Hey Alexa or Hey Siri search.
Platform beds can be very simple. The extremely simple platform bed has no headboard or footboard, and certainly no canopy. They incorporate wood slats, which, in effect, replace the need for a box spring, since, because they are sturdy yet somehow slightly flexible, support the single mattress from the underside. Platform beds and many older beds do not use a box spring as the box spring is a fairly modern development. In order to support the mattress properly, this type of bed uses a slat or oak lateral that extends across the shorter dimension of the bed from one side to the other. The slat supports the bottom of the mattress. The more slats, the better the support. Some beds have a rail that runs along the inside of the bed rail and the slats can rest along the top of the rail. For many beds, there is no rail, and the slat needs to be connected to the inside of the bed rail. The best way to accomplish this is to use a steel bracket that incorporates one piece that is mounted to the bed rail, and another piece that is mounted to the slat so that when the slat is in place the two brackets engage each other in such a manner that a fit is secure, the bed rails cannot spread apart from each other, and the mattress is properly supported. This type of fitting is made by the following companies Antrader, Kutir, Desunia, Buyer’s Connection, Hafele America, Richohome, Ronin, and Tech Team https://techteamproducts.com/. We happen to like the model 711 https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Team-Positive-Connector-Hardware/dp/B07CRPVR4P/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1486KCDWM66GR&keywords=bed+slat+connectors&qid=1553866533&s=gateway&sprefix=bed+slat+%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-3 made by Tech Team the best since the steel is a full 2mm thick and it has a corrosion and rust proof zinc dichromate finish. The result is that you get a good night’s sleep, are very comfortable, and yet don’t end up with back pains or numb muscles in the morning.
A quality mattress properly installed on a platform bed with oak slats is much better for your back than sleeping on the floor. And now, with the rapid proliferation of memory foam, your platform bed can be even more comfortable and healthy. Memory foam is a gel-like polyurethane polymer that accepts your shapes and bones but supports it fully. (It was first used in hospitals and is now a popular mattress and pillow material.)
Platform bed plans can be more complex too; you can add headboards, footboards, canopies, even extra flourishes and storage units. You can build the storage units that are integral with the bed frame, or you can create rolling drawers supported by casters, so that the drawers are modifiable and easily maneuverable throughout your bedroom. Although you may not realize it, when you buy an inexpensive steel bed frame from Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart, or Target, it almost always includes a simple plastic fitting that goes on the bottom of the legs of the frame, and this is the only thing between the bed frame and the floor. Clearly if you want to have the flexibility of being able to move the bed for cleaning purposes, etc. you would need some type of wheel or caster system. The only drawback to the typical caster is that the bed can move around the floor when it is occupied. The way to solve this is to purchase bed casters that are lockable. This type of caster is made by several companies such as iPrimio, King’s Brand, Malouf, KHome, Shepherd Hardware, Slipstick, and Tech Team https://techteamproducts.com/. We tend to like Tech Teams model 739 https://www.amazon.com/TECH-TEAM-Locking-Casters-Bedframe/dp/B07D431KL8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1BZNLDQ92S4PH&keywords=locking+bed+casters&qid=1553866494&s=gateway&sprefix=locking+bed+%2Caps%2C201&sr=8-1 the best because it has extra wide and large wheels, which are set into a 2mm thick steel frame with a rust and corrosion proof zinc dichromate finish, and it includes a secure locking mechanism.
It’s not the most difficult job in the world for a handy person. If you want to build a platform bed, you can order platform bed plans from any of a number of plans retailers. Woodworking clubs, furniture enthusiast groups, and other organizations can give or sell you plans. You can also buy plans online.
