# Serious Problem in Bed, Please Help! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2011, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836 "2011-10-26T11:00:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrea\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@andrea\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrea_green)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/1 "2011-10-26T11:00:02Z")
So we recently purchased a new bed for our apartment in Paris. Because most buildings (our included) in the city are very old and have small stairways, it is common to find beds that come in two pieces ([similar to this](http://www.mypriceforyou.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/p/split_box_spring.gif)). Now the serious problem is as follows: when my partner and I attempt to use the bed for typical ‘recreational’ purposes, we are finding that it has a worrisome tendency to shift during moments of intense activity. While somewhat annoying, this in and of itself is not a serious problem, however, it appears that this situation is resulting in a noticeable scratching of the brand new hardwood floor. Thus my question for the board is what can we do to prevent this from happening while continuing to enjoy recreational activities in bed? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/2 "2011-10-26T11:16:59Z")
Put felt pads under the furniture feet. [http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=furniture+felt+pads&FORM=HURE](http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=furniture+felt+pads&FORM=HURE) ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/3 "2011-10-26T11:36:41Z")
We’ve had similar problems with that kind of mattress/bed which rests only on feet, and we went for a platform top. It increases the both the weight of the bed and the contact area to the floor giving more friction to reduce the bed’s “wandering” under vigorous activity. My wife was slightly embarrassed when we were shopping for a new bed and I checked the different beds’ tendency to “wander” under rather vigorous movements on top of the bed… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/4 "2011-10-26T18:18:33Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > It increases the both the weight of the bed and the contact area to the floor giving more friction to reduce the bed’s “wandering” under vigorous activity. Nitpick: Contact area does not affect friction. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/5 "2011-10-26T18:20:37Z")
I would opt for rubber instead of felt under the legs on hardwood. Once upon a time, my wife and I stayed at a friend’s apartment for a couple of nights when she was gone. After several minutes of vigorous co-mingling, we found that we had scooted the bed 15 feet across the room to the other side. On felt feet, on hardwood! 😃 YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/6 "2011-10-26T18:25:29Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Put felt pads under the furniture feet. > > [http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=furniture+felt+pads&FORM=HURE](http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=furniture+felt+pads&FORM=HURE) That’s way classier than my “Put beer coasters under the furniture feet” plan. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/7 "2011-10-26T18:36:13Z")
If the problem is that the twin box springs are moving independently, I have seen some people us a large fabric strap to secure them together. Sorry, no example, Google failed me. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/8 "2011-10-26T19:01:52Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > If the problem is that the twin box springs are moving independently, **I have seen some people us a large fabric strap to secure them together.** Sorry, no example, Google failed me. The box springs or the people? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/9 "2011-11-03T06:41:49Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Nitpick: Contact area does not affect friction. Double nitpick: Contact area doesn’t affect frictional coefficient, but it does affect frictional force ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/10 "2011-11-03T07:39:36Z")
Put the bed on a rug. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/11 "2011-11-03T08:54:25Z")
If you were Aussies, you’d [occy](http://www.lion.net.au/OCTOPUS_STRAPS.html) the bed legs, have a beer, a test root, and then a celebratory beer because it worked. Or it didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/12 "2011-11-03T09:08:04Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > If you were Aussies, you’d [occy](http://www.lion.net.au/OCTOPUS_STRAPS.html) the bed legs, have a beer, a test root, and then a celebratory beer because it worked. Or it didn’t. … and then kill whatever noxious and potentially deadly animal wandered in from the outside before it murders you in your sleep and dresses up in your skin to go knife-shopping. Or so I’m lead to believe. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/13 "2011-11-03T10:53:21Z")
Damn right, **Derleth** - it’s all part of the fun! Seriously though, don’t believe everything you read. They hate shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/14 "2011-11-03T16:26:08Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > If you were Aussies, you’d [occy](http://www.lion.net.au/OCTOPUS_STRAPS.html) the bed legs, have a beer, a test root, and then a celebratory beer because it worked. Or it didn’t. Only we’d call those “bungee cords”. American English for “beer” is just “beer” though. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/15 "2011-11-03T16:44:05Z")
Felt feet on hardwood floors are terrific for furniture moving. You can move damn near anything by yourself if you’ve got felt feet on it. For your situation, maybe not so much. Go with the rubber previously suggested. FYI, you really want to put something under any furniture that may move around at all, to prevent scratching the floors. We felt the bottom of pretty much everything that comes in to the house. I’d also figure out some way to strap those two pieces together. We’ve used [ratchet straps](http://www.google.com/search?q=ratchet+straps&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1680&bih=909&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=UMSyTvzAOuWHsgK66bTDAw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CF4Q_AUoAQ) around the legs to solve a similar problem when combining a couple of sleeper sofas into one bed. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/16 "2011-11-03T16:50:10Z")
I’ll bet that if the OP had titled the thread “keeping beds from sliding on hard floor” or something, it would not have received nearly the number of views it has now. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/17 "2011-11-03T16:59:44Z")
If the problem is the two halves of the bed are sliding apart, I think you’re looking for something like this: [http://www.thesleepshop.com/store/pc/Create-A-King-Turn-2-Twins-into-a-King-37p443.htm](http://www.thesleepshop.com/store/pc/Create-A-King-Turn-2-Twins-into-a-King-37p443.htm) It has both a strap that goes around both mattresses, and a plus bridge that smooths the seam between the mattresses. It’s possible you only need the strap. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/18 "2011-11-03T17:21:02Z")
If there is a will, there has to be a way. Wonder what’s the bed manufacturers’ stand on this? ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/19 "2011-11-03T17:44:10Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > Double nitpick: Contact area doesn’t affect frictional coefficient, but it does affect frictional force Not in an ideal friction model. The force of friction is proportional to the load, but independent of the area. Of course, if you add pads you are changing the coefficient of friction. Also, a larger area means lower force per area, so less scarring. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836/20 "2011-11-03T17:53:09Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Wonder what’s the bed manufacturers’ stand on this? I think they’d say “Don’t stand - lie down!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-in-bed-please-help/600836.md?page=2)