apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We bought the full-size sultan lien awhile back to replace cracked and aging pine slats we'd gotten from a lumber store years ago. When we got it home, however, we found it was nearly an inch too short to span the width of my old flea-market-find bed frame. We ended up trading the full-size lien in for the next size up and cutting it down to fit. Kind of a pain, but it worked and has greatly improved the comfort of the bed.

so, the moral of the story is measure at home and measure at the store. (will I ever learn?)

I just recently bought a bed from CL and it came 2 sets of slats that were half the width of the bed. They are super unsteady. Anyone have any suggestion to improve the slats without having to buy a whole new set? I was thinking of somehow attaching the two sets of slats to each other.

I had a fairly well worn in mattress, box spring & cheap metal bed frame. I was so sick of the look but couldn't afford to get both a bed and a new mattress. I settled on an Ikea Hemnes four-poster bed frame (both because I love the look and it was on sale this past January at my local Ikea) & their cheapest bed base and kept my old mattress tossing the old box&frame. I think the new added support on the sides and below really help a lot. I feel like the combo of the Ikea frame and base completely changed the feel of my old mattress and I can hopefully get a few more miles out of it since I am not willing to spend money on a new mattress quite yet.

I think Ikea beds are crap.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't label them as "crap." I was in a heated discussion this weekend about Ikea beds, so I felt the need to bring it here as well.

What I should say is, "Ikea bed are not for me."

i noticed a huge improvement in comfort & support when i ditched my box spring and metal frame for the ikea hopen frame & its associated slats (kept my mattress). my box spring & mattress were maybe 6 years old (& not cheap) but my back was killing me, even w/regular flipping. now, having had ikea frame/slats for 3 years, i'm just recently getting the feeling that it's time to spend the $ on a new mattress.

so, i got 3 more years out of my mattress (& plan to not use a box spring again!)

(i will also say, the hopen is not very sturdy after being moved a couple times, but it's cheap right?)

http://pearlsandgreentea.blogspot.com/

I got the most expensive IKEA slats (I think Laxeby...) last December, and they are awesome! At first, I woke up with shoulder pain, but then I adjusted the adjustable top zone, and it's perfect!

I have never tried any other IKEA slats, but this is way better than a box spring or a futon frame (which I assume is basically the same as the $20 slats).

Yes, I have a Malm bed with the two slats side by side, and my poor hubby falls to the floor every time he moves on his side because they fall in. So then we have to lift up the mattress, re-set the slats, then hold our breath and climb back into bed.

Any tips? Is it time for a new bed?

I have the sultan linen - slightly shaped, which gives a good springy quality. I bought them because I could not afford anything else anyway, but I am really happy with them. I've never had a spring box in my life, and don't see a need to have one. These slats are perfect for me.

I also have ikea mattress and don't complain... the only thing I did was to buy a nice, soft pad, which added to the comfort (my mattress is rather on the hard side).

We have Lillaker slats on a queen-size Malm bed. It's basically two sets of slats side-by-side. I feel that the slats truly support better than box springs, but I haven't tried the other slats from Ikea so I can't comment on that. Me and my boyfriend have subject the bed and slats to, ahem, very vigorous activity for the past 3 weeks, but the slats have been very stable, never fell through. The bed has been stable too, no creaks or shaking.

I think the Lillaker slats are different in that they are connected together with rubber at the ends and that helps with keeping them on the frame maybe?

Hm- I have had an Ikea Hemnes bed for 5 years now. I bough t a mattress/box spring, and used it with the slats (I didn't know what the slats were for, at first, so I just assembled the whole bed, with the slats, and put the box spring in). When I moved to an older house, the box spring wouldn't fit, so I used the slats with just the mattress. I found it was a much softer feel.

My personal preference remains the box spring, but my mattress is not Ikea. Perhaps the slats are best used with the Ikea mattresses?

I should have clarified: the box spring wouldn't fit UP THE STAIRS, so I had to get rid of it. I raised the adjustable height of the bed and put the mattress directly on the slats. They were perfectly secure. I just preferred the feel of the boxspring.

Thanks for the very *thorough* review, MidoriMonsta :) Maybe I'll just try replacing the slats and see if that helps, they look fine to the eye, but in the last month they have been falling through constantly.

Yeah, Ikea beds aren't the ideal but I have one that is 10 years old and even though it's not as sturdy as it used to be, heck, it's survived 6 years longer than I ever thought it would. But I did buy a new Ikea bed recently and I ended up getting the Sultan Lien base with a super thin foam mattress and I was worried the whole time we were taking it home. But a thin mattress is just as comfortable as the thick spring ones and the base probably helps. I'm not sure how much I'd notice the base on a conventionally thick mattress.

@AudreyinPDX: there should be thin metal "ties" that hold the central support beam to the side rails on the bed. they are an enormous pain in the arse to tighten, but if you can tighten them while "squeezing" the sides in toward the central rail, then you'll be fine. it's not the slats, it's that the bed is just a smidge to wide and the slats fall through. try that before you buy new slats.

I have an ikea sofa bed with sultan lien-like slats to support the "mattress." It's in my guest bedroom, where I sleep if my partner starts snoring too loudly.

I have a bad back due to a pinched nerve in my spine. My regular mattress is a Select Comfort mattress on a solid platform. HOWEVER, I find the Ikea sofa bed, with the sultan lien-like slats to be extremely comfortable.

I have a big IKEA storage bed - can't recall the name off the top of my head - with a set of the laminated slats. It replaced an old Malm bed with the plain wooden slats - the ones that kept falling thru and dumping me on the floor (ick!).

I love it. Very comfortable, and also cool because so much air can circulate around the mattress. I suspect they're great in warm / damp climates for preventing mold. And they're much easier to move than a traditional box spring.

can one just buy the slats and install them on a metal frame? I cant afford a new bed but I NEED to ditch my boxspring!

jen of the north, you can just buy the slats. Most Ikea beds do not come with the slats and you have to get them separately. I would recommend measuring your bed and comparing them to the measurements in the catalogue, you may have to buy larger ones and cut them to fit.

Thanks everyone! You gave great hints and tips. My unsteady bed is now far more solid. Here is what I did:

1)I did not realize the cross braces are met to sick the sides into the center. This made so that the double slats were more even and centered.

2)There was still a gap between the side of slats and the bed frame. Because the moving of the bed made the slats hit the metal brace, it made everything really noisy. So i got some sticky insulation strip designed for around doors and windows, and stuck a piece at the end of each slat, but left the plastic backing on the other side so it would not stick to the metal frame.

Once all the slats were aligned, they were sturdy and silent!

Sort of related question: do all queen sized Ikea bed slat options come with two rows of slats resting on a central beam?

I used to have an ikea bed with these slats and it always seemed to me that one side was higher than the other. It got so my then boyfriend and I would fight and scheme over who had to sleep on the high ground. I think it got worse over time too because you would sort of instinctually roll to the low area while sleeping.

I sort of liked the HEIMDAL for my new place (right now matress is just on the floor), but I'm not interested in dealing with the slatting issue again.

cut it out Mrs Lee!
Now that I have followed your link TWICE to your blog to find it has NOTHING to do with the post, I'm done.
Bug off!!! It's annoying.

I have been told by my boyfriend to look at beds as that is what he wants to get me for my birthday. We currently sleep on the floor at my place on two twin futon mattresses which make into a Eastern King. One side is really hard and is used for awake activities. The other one we curl up together to sleep on as it has some loft (it has coils) and is actually not very supportive.

My problem is that I have really bad petroleum allergies and I get really ill around regular mattresses and beds that have lots of glue. I was reminded of this today when looking at a large mattress store. I have looked at European Sleepworks which I love but the idea of going "Umm honey the beds I like are between 2,600-3,000 without tax" does not appeal to me. I know that he wants me to get what I want but still. The beds are all natural, one of my favorites I tried is natural latex, wool, and cotton. They have adjustable beechwood slates that are solid wood not layered and you can adjust each side of the bed to feel different firmer or softer. Which would be good as I like a firmer bed. His at home has a Tempurpedic mattress top so he likes a bit squishy.

I have read that IKEA's Sultan Erfjord is considered a good greenish mattress that the latex is 85% natural so not so bad, so that sounds promising. But then there is the matter of a really good platform bed. I live in the Bay Area in a large studio and with a platform it will not take up space. The bed from European is 700 but I still cringe at the cost.

I like the idea of getting IKEA's aluminum Rebbenes frame and putting a slatted base in either the Laxeby or Lillaker whichever is sturdier; sort of the poor girl's DWR Minn bed.
What I am wondering is how sturdier will this be and how quiet? Like MidoriMonsta my boyfriend and I put my bed through long nights of extremely vigorous activity twice a week. We have also unexpectedly dented other mattresses when house sitting and loosened frames . I noticed IKEA's slates are not solid wood but layered with glue has anyone noticed any off gassing from those? And finally how does delivery and assembly work as he would rather have someone else do that.