What's the best way to fix my bed?

[Zsofia]

I have a very nice (well, before I got the orange kitty who likes to climb the posts) traditional four poster queen size rice bed. It's very old fashioned, solid wood, from Sumter Cabinet Company, which is a very well-respected local furniture manufacturer.

So please explain to me why the hell the slats are a piece of shit?

Here's how the mattress is held up: the rails have a lip at the bottom that's about, say, maybe an inch deep. Resting on that, not screwed in or anything, are three unfinished pine boards, I'd guess 1x4. They're not screwed in or anything and there are no guides or anything to keep them in place. They just rest there and presumably hold the very heavy mattress and box spring up by friction.

The problem is, since they're not held in place by any method, sometimes they shift. Diagonally. Which "breaks" the bed occasionally. Usually when you did something to move it, like move around vigorously or lose your virginity with your parents downstairs (eep!), but last night out of the blue the BF and I were fast asleep and CRASH! I've always been meaning to do something to fix it, but I never get around to it. However, I really need to, as now we have cats and sometimes they're under the bed, and I don't want one killed by a falling mattress.

My thought was that perhaps the slats are loose to give everything room to swell and contract and suchlike, so I probably shouldn't screw anything in. I definitely need to get new slats, as these are getting pretty chewed up at any rate. So my thought is to get wider slats, maybe 1x6 or 1x8, and then let the width keep them in place. Would that work? The only alternative I can come up with is to do guide blocks that screw into the frame. Which would work and be preferable, or is there another solution I should use?

[Manda JO]

You can buy metal rails that hook on the same way but have metal crossbraces built in--I just bought a set for $80 to fix what is now the guest bed. However, you lose the look of the wooden rails.

[GingerOfTheNorth]

I suspect that wider, and more, slats would fix the problem.

[OtakuLoki]

Originally Posted by Zsofia

So my thought is to get wider slats, maybe 1x6 or 1x8, and then let the width keep them in place.

This would be my solution. And probably add an extra slat or two. (i.e. if you've got three, now, of those 1x4, go for four or five of the 1x6)

Also, if you're having these cut to order, you can get much of the benefit of the windage (if you'll allow the term) to allow for expansion and contraction without having quite as much free space. So take some careful measurements of the distance between your bed rails, and have the slats cut only an eighth of an inch to a quarter of an inch short of that distance. If you find that they're binding later, from expansion, you can always sand a little bit.

[Zsofia]

Originally Posted by Manda JO

You can buy metal rails that hook on the same way but have metal crossbraces built in--I just bought a set for $80 to fix what is now the guest bed. However, you lose the look of the wooden rails.

The wooden rails are an integral part of the bed. Removing them is not really an option.

[Tully Mars]

Here's an idea I've never seen done before, so it may be a sucky idea. Consider a stringer, say a 1x2 or 1x3 down the middle of the slats, parallel to the rails. The stringer could be attached by a single screw or bolt. The stringer would maintain the spacing between the slats and would keep one slat from sliding around by itself. I suppose the whole set of slats could still slide to one side and slip off of the rail, but it's less like than just one slat.

Also, three slats on a queen bed sounds a little sparse. You might consider adding one or two slats.

I've built two beds, but only one of them used slats and I made the lips on the rails wide enough and the slats long enough that it wasn't possible for one to slip off.

[Zsofia]

I like the stringer idea, and also using wider and more slats. I believe I'll get 4 1x6s and add a stringer (below, obviously) to keep them all in alignment with each other.