Hi anchorman,
A 5 slat wooden bedframe is the minimum that would reasonably be strong enough to support a suitable foundation which in turn would support the mattress but more slats would certainly be stronger and the gaps between the slats would be less so the risk of sagging into the spaces would also be less. As Jeff mentioned ⌠T-Slats would be stronger yet of course. You will also need good center support to the floor in the middle of the bedframe to help prevent it from sagging and to meet the warranty criteria for most mattress manufacturers.
I would be very cautious about using pegboard as a support system since it really isnât strong enough to support a mattress by itself. It would be useful to help even out the support of a slatted support surface (such as a platform bed or foundation that were designed to support a mattress directly) where the slats were âjust a little bitâ further apart than would normally be suitable for your mattress but I personally wouldnât use it on a bedframe such as yours that was designed for use with a box spring or a foundation and isnât meant to directly support a mattress.
Adding more slats and/or making some or all of them into T-slats would certainly be an improvement. More slats would prevent sagging in between the slats and the T-slats would be stronger and wouldnât sag in the middle of the span.
If the pegboard is cut and sized to be a close fit in the bedframe it wouldnât have much room to shift but screwing it down on the side ledges and in the middle would also make it stronger and help to prevent the pegboard from sagging into the gaps between the slats.
Phoenix
my apologies. i definitely gave some wrong info in my previous posts. Donât know why I didnât notice until now.
Here is my bed setup currently:
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It is a platform bed. That is why I opted to put the box springs in the basement since the platform bed was designed (more or less) to work without box springs.
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All the slats in my bed are T-slats. When the bed was ordered and delivered, it came with 3 ât-slatsâ, evenly spaced out. However, I opted to build two extra ât-slatsâ for extra support, so there are currently 5 ât-slatsâ altogether.
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I am looking to add two extra t-slats for added peace of mind/support for my new mattress.
The peg board would then go on top of the all t-slats to provide extra support for the mattress.
If you donât recommend the t-slats, would you recommend just going with a good piece of 1 inch thick plywood instead to prevent sagging in between the t-slats?
Hi anchorman,
The best source of guidance about whether your support system would be suitable for your mattress would be Imperial Bedding. I would also keep in mind that if you are using a rigid support system of any kind instead of their box spring then it will change the feel and performance of the mattress and will have an effect on its durability as well.
In very general terms ⌠I would suggest that if you are using a firm non flexing support system instead of a box spring that the gaps between any slats in a support system are less than the diameter of the springs in a mattress (say 2" - 3" depending on the springs) so that all the springs are more evenly supported. If the gaps between the slats are just a little wider than the springs then using something like the pegboard attached securely to the slats and the side ledges would be a suitable way to improve the support but you would still be compromising the feel and performance and the durability of the mattress to some degree compared to using an innerspring that is designed to be part of the 'sleeping system" as the support system under the mattress.
A piece of plywood would be strong enough to prevent any sagging but would also be an additional risk factor in terms of providing ventilation under the mattress and the possibility of developing mold or mildew under the mattress (see post #10 here). I would also keep in mind that while the T-slats themselves wouldnât sag ⌠softer comfort layers on top of the mattress could still be sagging into any gaps between the slats and if a material such as pegboard or cardboard ends up sagging into the gaps over time then the mattress will just follow any sagging in the support system underneath it.
If you are looking for a thin, strong, and non flexing support system then a suitable slatted bunkie board (usually about 2" thick") or something like the slat conversion kit here would make a strong, thin, suitable, and relatively inexpensive choice with good airflow that would have no risk of sagging even though they still wouldnât be ideal compared to a box spring in terms of the overall feel and durability of a mattress that is designed to be used on a box spring that has some flex underneath it. Something like the Ikea bed bases here may also be worth considering and would provide some flex under the mattress.
I should also mention that I talked with the owner of Imperial Bedding today just to make sure that my comments are âaccurateâ and based on decades of experience in manufacturing mattresses he would agree with the comments that Iâve made here as well.
Phoenix
phoenix,
I took your advice - box springs it is. I also added some t slats for extra support for everything. want to make sure the platform bed can candle everything. i am confident everything is sturdy/the way it should be now.
thanks!