Creaky bed?!

[chriselevate]

Hi,

I've got a few jobs on my todo list and one is sort out a couple of issues with a creaky bed.

I have this bed....



Would you suggest screwing the bed slats down to stop the creaking every time you move in bed? Or it it best to use any wood glue or any other tips/suggestions?



Also, I'd like to attach the rope lights (can be seen in 2nd photo) to the underside of the bed but only so they can be removed rather than permanent would you use something like a "staple" and then tread the lights through it?

Thanks

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Hi,
Would you suggest screwing the bed slats down to stop the creaking every time you move in bed? Or it it best to use any wood glue or any other tips/suggestions?

You need to figure out which joint/s is causing the creaking. Do you know it is the slats?

Also, I'd like to attach the rope lights (can be seen in 2nd photo) to the underside of the bed but only so they can be removed rather than permanent would you use something like a "staple" and then tread the lights through it?

Staples, or you can get self-adhesive pads that you can thread cable ties through. Or cable clips. Or just some string and some panel pins!

 

[opps]

How do the slats stay in place? Often they are held in place with plastic fittings or screwed down.

Are you sure that the creaking isn't the head/footboard moving?

WRT the lights, you could use nail in cable clips, the nylon clasp thingy can be bent back and forth to fit/move the lights accordingly.

eg https://www.screwfix.com/p/tower-ro...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIHZr6Lzn9cCFRUe0wodrhANeg

 

[chriselevate]

Difficult to tell where the creak is coming from but it seems it's the slats. It wouldn't hurt to pilot hole them and pop a screw in each one I guess? I'm surprised the design doesn't have this tbh.

In terms of the lights... thanks for the tips. I might go with the nylon clasps you mentioned. Sounds a good idea.

Thanks for the top DIY tips guys!

 

[opps]

Difficult to tell where the creak is coming from but it seems it's the slats. It wouldn't hurt to pilot hole them and pop a screw in each one I guess? I'm surprised the design doesn't have this tbh.

In terms of the lights... thanks for the tips. I might go with the nylon clasps you mentioned. Sounds a good idea.

Thanks for the top DIY tips guys!

n

Rather than a pilot hole (ie a hole smaller than the diameter of the screw), I would recommend a clearance hole (ie on 0.5m larger than the screw). That way the screw head will be holding the slat down tightly, a pilot hole in the slat might cause the screw to force the slat to rise very, very slightly.

Good luck

 

[chriselevate]

Ahh ok. So if I use size 8 screws you’d use a clearance hole 5mm bigger? Just through the slat or into the bed frame too?

Thanks

 

[foxhole]

Slats don’t usually cause noise unless they are secured. More likely the corner joints are loose or worn.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Ahh ok. So if I use size 8 screws you’d use a clearance hole 5mm bigger? Just through the slat or into the bed frame too?

i.e. the screw should pass straight through the slat loosly, but be screwed into the frame. TBH I'm not convinced this is a good idea as the slats probably need to flex and give; they might split if screwed down. I would use tape or fabric to muffle the creaking, rather than try to make them more rigid (if the slats really are the problem)

 

[chriselevate]

I would use tape or fabric to muffle the creaking, rather than try to make them more rigid (if the slats really are the problem)

What sort of tape or fabric would you suggest? There is definitely some creaking from them so this would be good to do and the more investigation if the creaking is still there.

Thanks

 

[Gerrydelasel]

What sort of tape or fabric would you suggest? There is definitely some creaking from them so this would be good to do and the more investigation if the creaking is still there.

Off the top of my head, some gorilla double sided tape? Or some upholstry webbing stapled to the frame so the slates sit on it? Just throwing ideas around.

 

[StephenStephen]

If you make a mental note of the exact sound of the creak, then take the mattress off and push, prod, jump, poke etc at all the different bits of the structure till you find the same noise, then you'll know what needs sorting out - when I did this I was surprised at what was causing the problem, which was easy to fix (so easy that I can't actually remember what it was)

 

[foxhole]

You could run Velcro under each end, stops movement and does not squeak.

 

[opps]

Ahh ok. So if I use size 8 screws you’d use a clearance hole 5mm bigger? Just through the slat or into the bed frame too?

Thanks

I don't do imperial, but 8 gauge is about 4mm so, yes 5mm would be fine.

I recently had to dismantle some beds for a client that was moving home. The expensive master double bed had plastic (nylon?) slat holders like these (and had a center rail).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SLAT-HOLDERS-52MM-SIDE-RAILS/dp/B007RBU8AC

but the slats arched upwards and need movement as laying on them would cause them to become longer in the plane where they meet the frame.

The kids' beds had straight slats with straps running along them. The slats were screwed down. I had always assumed that the fabric straps were there to make it easier to position the straps during assembly, however as others, such as Gerrydelasel, has pointed out it might not be advisable to screw down slats without allowing movement.

Where did you get the bed from? What stops the slats from just falling out or moving when you flip the mattress?

If the slats are definitely the root cause of the squeek, you could just use an interface between the slats and the horizontal supports. Try cutting a J-cloth into strips and put each of those strips under the resting points of the slats. If it works, consider something rubber as a longer term solution (eg the foam pads used by glaziers or pond liner, babs of silicone sealant, etc).

 

[chriselevate]

Ok, just wanted to post an update so others can perhaps benefit from the solution I've found thanks to the great suggestions and help from members on here. I ordered some of this... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pandoras-U...2+lbs+2-inch+Jute+Webbing+in+10+m+Roll,+Brown

I stapled it to the outer and centre rails and it's completely solved the issues. It looks like the "creaks" were coming from the slats rubbing on the wooden frame of the bed and but using the upholstery webbing it's solved the problem.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[opps]

Congrats, and thanks for the update.