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Sprung Slatted Bed Base

Darren asked
24th May 2016

Hi,I\’ve just got a new bed frame and I have ordered a new pocket sprung mattress.In the past I\’ve had significant issues with a memory foam mattress twinned with a sprung slatted bed frame; hence the move back to a traditional pocket sprung mattress.I found your article to be really useful and helpful… however I have a number of questions that I hope you can answer/help with.The dimensions of my sprung slatted frame, allowing for nominal movement, are 1800mm wide, 1980mm long with circa 24mm height from the top of the plastic grips that hold the sprung slats in place to the tops of the side bars of the bedstead. The measurements allow for about 2mm play along all the lengths and widths.The slatted frame does not have perpendicular uprights supporting the central bars.My questions are below.1. What is the perceived benefit of using mdf when plywood is a far more rigid material?2. Is it not better to use thicker ply, say 12mm thick or even 18mm as opposed to 3mm or 6mm sheets?3. Should all three pieces be uniform in size and laid adjacent to one another? Because in the picture it looks like the central piece is larger than the upper and lower piece along with it appearing to be laid on top.4. Should I simply rest the boards on top of the black grips?5. Should I try to support the central bars with perpendicular uprights underneath?If you can answer my queries I\’d be truly grateful as I desperately want / need to obtain a reliable long term solution.Kind regards,Darren

1 Answer
JohnRyanLtd
answered 8 years ago

Hi Darren,

The reason we advocate 3-5mm MDF sheeting is that this is flexible and if people have sprung slats, it still allows for movement of those slats whilst protecting the mattress from dipping into the gaps between the slats. If you choose to use a less flexible material, such as plywood, you should be aware that this is likely to make your mattress feel more firm, however, this is a matter of personal preference.

You should look to cover the whole area of the base and some large DIY stores will cut the material to size for you. As far as providing support for the central bar is concerned, without such support, you run the risk of the bed collapsing or at the very least the mattress dipping in the middle. I trust that this answers your questions, but if you require any further advice, please call our office on 0161 437 4419.

Kind regards,

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