What is a bed base and its structure?
A bed base is a special type of structure, without which the existence of a sleeping place is impossible. The structure serves as a place for laying the mattress. Can be attached to the main frame or simply packaged separately.
All the details that are present in the design, and this is: the place for the mattress, the mattress itself and the frame itself, play one role - they provide comfortable support for the body of a sleeping person.
A lattice base made of boards is simple, not orthopedic. Source postroysamdom.ru
Possible mistakes
Anyone who has not previously encountered furniture making may make a number of mistakes. Here are the most common ones:
- Using fresh wood. Since over time the material will dry out, become denser and, accordingly, decrease in size, the structure will simply fall apart. For a bed, you should only purchase boards that have been left in a dry, ventilated area for two or three years or have been machine dried.
- Neglecting to polish parts. All parts of children's furniture must be properly processed to avoid injury. Since a child can stick his hand even into narrow cracks or crawl completely under the bed, even those that are inside the structure should be sanded.
- Connecting parts using screws. This assembly option is good anywhere, but not in children's furniture. Under the influence of constant loads, the thread will destroy the structure of the wood fibers, and over time the structure will become loose. To assemble the parts, you should use special tenon joints, which are shown in the figure below, and be sure to glue them with wood glue. To strengthen areas that are subject to the greatest loads, metal ties are used.
Types of bases: orthopedic and solid
There is a lot of controversy about which base is best to choose for a homemade bed. Many believe that ideally it is orthopedic, as it will be beneficial. Others say that it will be solid and will last longer. Let's look at this in more detail.
Frame and base made of decorated durable plywood for a one-and-a-half bed Source fdforp.com
Pros and cons of making children's furniture yourself
The younger the child, the more time he spends in bed. When buying a ready-made crib, you cannot say with complete confidence that it is completely safe for your baby. So what are the advantages of a homemade crib? Let's compare both options:
Crib from the store
Positive points:
- There is no need to waste time on a finished bed.
Negative sides:
- there is no confidence in the quality of the material;
- reliability is in question;
- the quality of the coating leaves much to be desired;
- poor quality of bed manufacturing occurs;
- you always have to pay extra.
DIY children's bed
Pros:
- independent choice of material quality;
- the design is reliable;
- every detail is carefully processed;
- paint coatings are selected correctly, in compliance with sanitary requirements;
- minimal, justified costs for materials;
- pleasure from the process;
- acquisition of new skills.
Minuses:
- time-consuming.
Which bed base for a mattress is better to choose?
The bed frame can be anything, but if you have decided to make the base wooden and do not know what is better than plywood for the bed or slats, we suggest reading the details below, which will eliminate doubts.
Using durable plywood under a bed mattress Source s3.amazonaws.com
Flat plywood (solid)
Sheets of plywood, which will later be used to complete the bed, in addition to sanding, are additionally coated with decorative substances and impregnations that protect the surface from harmful external influences. Such a panel is placed on the bed after complete drying. It can be fixed or simply laid hermetically. Since a solid sheet is much heavier, it exhibits its orthopedic properties worse.
But flat bases continue to be in demand, as they are easy to manufacture and quite versatile, as they are suitable for beds of different sizes and can withstand any type of mattress.
Important! This type of base is ideal for people suffering from spinal diseases. In such cases, you need a strictly rigid surface without springing or moving.
The use of perforated solid plywood for a bed Source poisk-mastera.ru
Lamellar base
The design of individual lamellas is considered a novelty in the technology of manufacturing bedroom furniture. It is usually made from beech or birch, sometimes walnut is used. The lattice base can be purchased ready-made on a wooden or metal frame. There are even designs where the orthopedic base is attached to a lifting mechanism.
Orthopedic slats for a double bed Source fastbox.su
The production of such lamellas is carried out using several unchanged standards. These include:
- thickness - 6-8 mm;
- width - 63 mm;
- fastening in increments of 70-80 mm.
As for the length of each plank, it should be slightly less than the width of the inside of the bed frame. It is also considered a significant advantage that a bed with a collapsible base is easy to transport, move, and, if necessary, restore. Also, such furniture is easier to disassemble and assemble.
First stage
At the beginning, we prepare the materials and necessary tools. The most suitable material for our base is pine timber, which can be purchased at a hardware store or at a sawmill. Its dimensions are 50 mm by 50 mm. The base for the mattress will be furniture laminated chipboard, and we will make decorative elements of the bed from the slab material.
To calculate what length of timber to buy, you need to understand where it will be used. The timber will be used to strengthen the base, to support the base on which the mattress will rest. In our case, the most optimal size for the length of the beam is 4.5 meters. You need a couple of such bars. Since the elements made from beams will not be visible in our bed, you can purchase unplaned timber. It is better if it is cut to size on site. Such timber will be more convenient to transport.
Be sure to check how it was stored before purchasing the timber. It should be stored under cover. Pay attention to how it was laid, whether spacers were used between layers. Otherwise, you may end up with low-quality material, with mold, darkening or cyanosis. Such timber is often severely deformed due to drying.
If the timber was stored in unsuitable storage conditions, do not buy it, because you can choose a more suitable, high-quality material. For example, laminated veneer lumber. Such timber costs much more, but the quality of your product will increase significantly. Here you should not save money. After all, we do it for ourselves, our loved ones.
The next stage is preparing the base parts
The head of the bed needs to be made beautifully and neatly. The head back will be made of slab material and furniture chipboard. Make sure that the texture of the headboard material is directed from top to bottom or bottom to top, that is, it is transverse. It is good to process the bottom edge with a milling cutter according to the prepared sketch; this will give the finished product an aesthetic appearance. Take all this into account when cutting the material.
We make the holder from a block 20 cm long. It is fixed across the width and in the center, at a height of 15 cm from the bottom edge. We secure them with self-tapping screws and put them on glue.
The holder is fixed in the center of the beam. It is necessary to fix the racks on the sides of the head cloth. They are made from slab material.
The profile is connected to the headboard using prepared glue and dowels. It is necessary to apply glue not only to the dowels, but also along the entire length to the end of the head sheet.
At the top, on the headboard, we fix an additional decorative profile. Fix it in the same way as you strengthened the bed posts. Although this technology can be simplified a little. Only glue can be used. Do not use dowels. But double fasteners, reinforcing each other, will allow your product to be more reliable and durable.
If you have the capabilities and desire, and most importantly certain skills, then you can make racks in the form of columns using turned wooden elements. This will additionally give the product a more aesthetic appearance. The only point is that the turned part needs to be flattened with a plane for more convenient attachment to the side of the headboard.
The side opposite the headboard, called the footboard, is made according to a similar pattern as the headboard. The main difference in fastening the small backrest to the drawers is that it is done using eccentric ties. To ensure that the fastening elements are not visible from the outside, minifixes are used.
On the side of the large backrest, fastening is much easier, because most often this side of the bed is placed against the wall. Here, even if the confirmation hats are visible, it practically does not matter much.
The longitudinal parts of the bed base are the drawers. They are manufactured by first preparing the structural holes. A hole for a mini fix can also be used here. Then, at a height of eight centimeters, you need to glue the base block and secure it with self-tapping screws.
Classification of slatted bed bases
Having decided that the slatted design for the bed is best suited, it is advisable to disassemble its existing types. There are only two of them: with and without a stiffness regulator.
Double bed with slatted orthopedic base Source proraboff.rf
In the first case, the capabilities of the bed expand. The design is able to change the level of rigidity in each specific zone to enhance the level of comfort during sleep. The change in basis occurs at several points:
- head and shoulder areas;
- middle back, pelvis;
- hips, knees, feet.
Also, at the stage of choosing a frame, we recommend deciding what structure the mattress will have. If you purchase a slatted base in a store, be sure to tell the consultant which mattress you prefer.
If the bed is for children: how to decide on the choice
For such cases, a number of individual features apply. After all, for the correct formation of a child’s spine, he needs healthy sleep, and only an orthopedic surface can provide him with this, no matter what position the child is in.
For example, a slatted base in combination with an orthopedic mattress must be chosen correctly; the distances between the slats and the thickness of each of them must be observed. Also pay attention to the following nuances:
- The location of the lamellas on the frame should have an average distance of +- 80 mm. If it is wider, then some of the design features of the mattress will simply fall inward and the structure will gradually collapse. If the distance between the slats turns out to be too narrow, then the orthopedic properties of the structure will not manifest themselves correctly.
- The optimal width of the lamellas is 63 mm. If they are laid over the entire area of the bed frame, then these parameters are sufficient for the base to serve as a reliable support for a long time.
- The edges and shape of the elements must be perfectly even and smooth. After all, when using the mattress, it will inevitably create friction with the lattice, and uneven ends will lead to damage to the fabric that contains the mattress. You can put on a mattress cover; this will only delay the process of damage to the fabric shell of the mattress, but not for long.
Important! For a children's bed, mattresses of a springless type or those consisting of natural latex can be chosen. These cannot be laid on a lamella base; therefore, you will have to limit yourself to a flat one.
Finishing
As for the finishing, the assembled product must be given an aesthetic appearance:
To do this, the timber is sanded with sandpaper to eliminate all irregularities and burrs.- Next, we putty all the cracks in the surface of the structure. The putty should be selected to match the shade of the wood that will be used for the bed.
- After the putty has dried, the product is carefully sanded again .
- Next, the dust is wiped off . To do this, it is recommended to use a long-bristled brush.
- The next finishing stage will be staining . Its color is chosen depending on the overall interior of the room. To obtain a rich dark shade, the stain is applied in several layers.
- Next, the product is varnished . For these purposes, it is necessary to use non-toxic paints and varnishes that dry quickly.
A bed made of timber can also be painted . For painting, you should choose acrylic pigments. The designs on the product must match the overall style. For a classic interior, dark colors (brown, black) are chosen. It would also be appropriate to make a sandy or lemon shade.
Tip : any light shades, peach and orange, are suitable for country style.
You can also resort to the decoupage when decorating a bed. This method is used in the restoration of furniture items and to give them originality. Depending on the direction of the bedroom, a ready-made picture from napkins or wallpaper is selected and applied to the headboard and footboard.
You can use the stencil . Thanks to a well-chosen ornament, you can apply intricate patterns to the product. Simple curls are suitable for romantic styles; runes are suitable for Scandinavian styles.
You can upholster the backs of the product with textiles. But it is best to decorate with fabric only that part of the frame where the bedspread will not be covered.
Advice : if you are serious about furniture for the bedroom, try making a dressing table, bedside table or changing table. You might also be interested in a loft-style wardrobe or table.
