Bed slats are horizontal supports for the box springs or mattress on a bed. The slats rest on a narrow shelf or ledge just inside the bed frame. Wooden slats usually come with a bed when it is purchased. Knowing make your own bed slats comes in handy when you need extras for added safety or replacements for broken, missing or lost slats. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Beginning about 10 inches from the headboard, use a metal measuring tape to measure straight across from one side of the bed frame to the other. Make sure that the tape is held against the inside of the frame. (You'll get the most accurate measurements if you enlist a helper for this step.) Write down the width measurement.
2. Measure the width of the bed again about 10 inches from the footboard, to make sure there is no discrepancy in the width of the bed frame from top to bottom.
3. If there is a difference of more than ½ inch between the two measurements, take four separate, equidistant measurements (for a twin bed) along the length of the bed. (Be sure to label the measurements as "slat 1, 2, 3 and 4" as you write them down.) Queen- and king-size beds will require five or six slats, so measure accordingly.
4. Take your measurements to a lumber yard or home supply store. Have 1-by-4 inch boards cut ½ inch shorter than your width measurements, or purchase the boards and cut them yourself at home.
5. Position the slats in the bed frame. For a platform bed, position the mattress directly on the bed slats. Use box springs under the mattress for added comfort.
Tags: about inches, about inches from, inches from, inside frame
