Slats for bed

[Aaron Liebling]

I'm making a bed similar in style to the modern bed frame shown by Rockler (https://www.rockler.com/build/bedframe), but king size. The frame is sapele.

With this design, I don't want to need a box spring. There will be lengthwise middle bar with two legs for additional support. Given that, what's recommended for wood/dimensions for breadth-wise support slats to actually hold the mattress?

Also, how wide should the lip on the sides be to hold the slats? I assume 1" is plenty.

[Phil Mueller]

I’d check with your mattress manufacturer. You may void the warranty if it is not either on a box spring/foundation or solid surface. I’d do it more like a platform bed and make a solid foundation.

[Charlie Jones]

I use the 3/4 x 3” or 4” spruce from a builders supply for the slats. Space them 10” or so apart. On King beds I use a 2x4 down the center with two legs. The 1” lip will do fine. I screw a couple of the slats down to the side lip near the center of the bed to prevent bowing.

[Aaron Liebling]

Thanks Charlie, that's pretty much exactly what I was thinking.

Phil: Hadn't even considered that the mattress might not like slats versus a boxspring (it's on a boxspring now). It's memory foam and the consensus on this mattress seems to be that it will be fine on slats. The wife very specifically doesn't want a boxspring anymore as she wants the lower profile of a platform bed.

Thanks for the useful thoughts!

Aaron

[Phil Mueller]

I’m in the mattress business. Not sure what brand you have, but TempurPedic and any other memory foam based manufacturer I’ve worked with would void the warranty if it’s not on a solid surface. It would be fine to put a 3/4 sheet of ply over the slats. Companies also make thin foundations…2” or less.

[Aaron Liebling]

Thanks, Phil. Easy enough to do!