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30 June 2009

Ask MeCha: How should I fix my bed? Pics inside![More:]So I have a platform bed with a metal/slat frame that sits on four corner brackets inside the wooden bed frame. There's also a center support, but no supports along the side rails.

Under my weight, the frame will bend in the middle along the sides. The corner supports are not enough--it needs something along the sides. Currently, I use some books (pic 1, pic 2). The pics show the right side of the bed, but the same thing is happening on the left side.

I called a furniture repair place and they suggested buying some 1-2 foot long brackets and screwing those along the wooden side rails. That's a solution, but also a pain in the ass (drilling, measuring, disassembling, etc). It's too small of a job for the repair place. So I'm trying to think of alternatives.

My first thought is to buy some sort of adjustable riser to replace the books. Like a spreader or something in an I shape. If it's black metal, it'll pretty much disappear from view. Any idea what this kind of thing is called and where I'd get a pair?

I've seen "bed risers" like these, but they seem imprecise and clunky.
those bed risers are for under the legs, to create more storage space than you need, so I don't know if they would work for you.


But.. where did you get that bed? That's really slick!

posted by kellydamnit 30 June | 12:08
Jack stands? You could also just cut a 4/4 to size, and even paint it to match the frame.
posted by mrmoonpie 30 June | 12:17
But.. where did you get that bed? That's really slick!

Yeah, innit? I got it at a modern furniture store called Copenhagen in Arizona. Unfortunately, I don't know the brand--I think it was made by a private label manufacturer for Copenhagen. Here's a better picture.
posted by mullacc 30 June | 12:40
A jack stand is perfect, mrmoonpie. Hopefully I can find a pair of lighter duty stands though--I'm a big dude, but I don't need 3 ton jacks. ;)
posted by mullacc 30 June | 12:42
A couple of 4x4 posts (get untreated lumber, natch) would be the easiest in a lot of ways, if you don't mind having the extra legs right where your toes might get stubbed (fair warning).

As for brackets, there are a couple of different ways you could go. Corner braces could reinforce the joint with the legs, which might not be as strong as they should be. Make sure they're tight first, then lay on the bed and take a close look to see if the side of the frame is flexing too much right at the leg. That might be all you need.

The other possibility is that the frame is too small a piece of wood, or too weak a grain, to support your weight. Then the wood itself is flexing a lot, which you could see if you lay on the bed sideways and look over. In this case, the legs might be deforming inward as the frame pulls on them, and corner braces won't help -- the joint is already as strong as it needs to be. So what you need to do is reinforce the frame itself. You can do this with mending plates, but you'd have to look for some that are long enough. You could also get the shelf-type braces (e.g. 1' long, with 1" sides so you can screw it in both from the bottom and one side).

I think you might be better off in the long run just getting an extra length of wood to bolt alongside the existing frame, then tie them together every 8" or so with a lag bolt.
posted by dhartung 30 June | 13:04
What you really need is rose petals scattered on the coverlet and little dark chocolate truffles perched atop doilies resting on the pillows.
posted by Hugh Janus 30 June | 13:21
4x4 posts are a good idea too.

Attaching brackets or wood rails to the frame is probably the ideal permanent solution...but I just can't be arsed to take on that project at the moment. Plus I lack in tools and work-space.

Thanks for your help!
posted by mullacc 30 June | 15:13
Magik?
posted by rainbaby 30 June | 15:38
Oh, hey--I have saws and such, and a car that will hold a 8-foot piece of lumber, and can usually be talked into going to a hardware store, if you need such things.
posted by mrmoonpie 30 June | 15:38
I had a similar problem with my IKEA bed with the same design. It had a bracket running along the length of each side, but the bracket was bending when weight was put on it and the slats were slipping down. The solution was to screw a piece of wood to the frame so the slats couldn't move downward anymore. I know you don't want to do that, but if you do end up going that route, it worked very well. You couldn't see anything at all, as the screws went into the extra pieces of wood from the inside. I think we used 2 x 2 wood.
posted by Twiggy 30 June | 20:08
mrmoonpie: Thanks for the offer! I think I'll try the 4x4 posts thing first, which I imagine I can have cut at Home Depot or somewhere.
posted by mullacc 30 June | 23:29
Queer gamer rant alert. || Chicago, Illinois, April 1977-

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