# help with a platform bed



## Wintersedge (Apr 5, 2010)

I am looking to build a platform bed and looking for some help understanding the slats that support the mattress.

I have seen a few designs where the slats under the mattress bow upwards. Is there a technical reason that there is a bow? Does it provide better support for the mattress vs having flat slats?

How does one go about creating the bows? Is this something I am going to need a vacuum press and/or a steam press?

Thanks


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

if you are using a box spring ,
it has it's own frame .
the slats are to keep it from dropping down between the rails .

flat or bowed makes no difference ,
but bow up is stronger than bow down .
it has to go past straight to get to bow down and break .

if there is no box spring ,
then a ply platform is best .

like when you sit on the bed , 
all your weight is on one or two slats ,
and they can break .


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## manumurf (Mar 4, 2010)

Patron is right, If it's a box spring and mattress you just have to support the edges.

If it is just a mattress, or futon, then you probably need slats pretty close together to support it. My son's bed has a "futon" mattress out of that memory foam stuff and it has slats spaced about 2" apart attached to webbing to keep the spacing between the slats.

I would think the upward bow is just to compensate for the weight of the bed's occupant(s). 
You probably don't need it. You just need the thing to be stiff enough that it doesnt sag in the middle.

Is it a double, single, king, queen size? If it is a wide bed, run a support lengthwise up the middle to match the height of the outer rails to support the center of the slats.


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## BikerDad (Jul 16, 2008)

I'm coming to this thread wayyyyyy late probably, but still:

The bowed slat system is actually the European alternative to our box springs. It can be (and usually is) an adjustable suspension system. There are a variety of different takes on it. The basic one is explained here: http://www.sleepworks.com/mattresses/flexible-slat-system. Another take, which uses a flexible base but appears to skip on the bowing (which presents problems with Queen and King size beds) is known as Austroflex, not surprisingly by an Austrian company. For a closer look, head down to your local IKEA, assuming you have a local IKEA. I believe they have some info on their website about it as well.


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