Ikea slatted bed base

My daughter has an Ikea bed with slats. the plastic studs holding the slats in place have failed. As a result she says some of the slats have broken, I have not seen the problem but am going up to her house Wednesday. Would the bed be as comfortable if I fitted a ply base to replace the slats? Also would that be doable, any one any other suggestions please? I would like to be forearmed before I go.

Reply to
Broadback
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Just look on eBay (or elsewhere) for bed slats. You'll find that replacement slats (and their plastic holders) are readily available.

I think the slats tend to be "one size fits all" (or perhaps none?). You may have to shorten them to suit.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

Slats are used for two reasons. First, they flex according to the load so that, for example, the ones under the hips bend more giving you a slightly more natural shape. Secondly, they provide ventilation for moisture coming off the person and passing through the mattress, helping to keep it dry. Plywood bases are not uncommon in cots and childrens' beds, but they generally have a reasonable number of holes about 30 mm diameter in them to improve ventilation. If not too many slats have failed, you could replace them with plywood strips which are likely to flex better than solid wood.

Reply to
newshound

Long ago when I lived in a bedsit one landlord provided a divan bed with knackered springs in the bed base. I got three or four pieces of wood, just over 3' long, maybe 4 inches wide and half an inch thick. I tied them to each other with thick string and laid them across the bed base at intervals down the bed. I think the strings were probably tied at the head & foot to the bed legs. It made an enormous difference.

Reply to
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts

In message , Broadback writes

The slats on our bed are not just straight bits of wood.

Not Ikea, metal bed frame, the slats are slightly curved upwards, Beech IIRC, maybe laminated.

But any slats will deform under the weight I imagine - so a flat ply base might not be as comfortable.

Reply to
chris French

And of course the slats can be used to shore up the roof of her escape tunnel.

Reply to
Tim Streater

All the slattted beds I have come a cross have screws in every third or so slat and a couple of bits of 3/4" webbing stapled along all slats to keep the spaced.

Takes quite a bit to break slat underneath a decent matress IMHO. I suspect some very active bedroom activities. B-)

It would be fine but note what others have said about ventilation. I'd stick with slats and replace the silly bits of plastic with a few screws and webbing. One of our beds has shaped and curved slats but the others are just PAR softwood with rounded corners.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Slats bend in use, the curved shape being significantly more comfortable th an flat. But spacing slats out (its cheaper) makes the mattress feel and la st worse. Best thing is to add more slats to fill in the gaps - but get the dimensions right. Too thick & they wont bend comfortably, too thin & they break. Too wide/narrow ditto. ISTR 3/4" x 3" spruce being around right. Id eally round or plane the corners.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

Not so sure about that.

OK sure, there is a point at which the gaps between the slats is too big, but the mattress on our bed is doing fine, and has always been comfortable (13 years and counting) Decent bed and mattress.

The curved beech slats on it aren't that cheap, it would probably have been cheaper to put on a ply base if that was the aim.

Reply to
chris French

I had a broken slat a few years ago caused by having a (play) punch up with my (then) small lad and, sadly, not through any exotic bedroom antics (!). I would claim the main cause was a knot in the slat where it broke. I replaced it with a piece of regular planed timber the same size and it's been fine ever since. Of course, if there are many broken ones, that may not work too well, but it was simple to do and, importantly, SWMBO never knew......

Reply to
GMM

I doubt these are flat ones. "Plastic studs" suggest to me that it's the curved beech laminated slats he needs.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

My IKEA bed is 33 years old and the slats are as good as new. Some of the webbing has frayed, however, over the years.

Reply to
Tim Streater

I have used Ikea slats in non-Ikea beds. They were readily available and not exactly expensive. Check carefully exactly which ones you need.

Reply to
polygonum

A mate of mine had several of his broken by a lady he met on his way home from the pub.

Reply to
stuart noble

He needs a better mattress then. Mine is quite solid foam, an orthopaedic mattress I bought at the same time as the bed (not from IKEA). Still as good as new after 33 years, too.

Reply to
Tim Streater

The times I've added more slats to fill the gaps I tried the bed with & without them, the comfort difference is very clear.

Ply isnt really the right material.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

When I needed one of those slatted 'ladders' I just bought several lengths of 80mm x 12mm and sawed off 13 slats. I know they're supposed to be bowed upwards slightly, but the DIY flat alternative I made didn't seem to make any difference to the comfort of the bed. But I do have a very good mattress. I fixed the slats with one screw each end.

MM

Reply to
MM

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