How To Make Bed Slats Stronger? (11 PROVEN Methods!)

Ever wondered why your cozy bed starts to squeak or sag? Let’s dive into simple, ingenious ways to reinforce your bed slats and transform your sleep experience!

Bed slats need to be strong enough to provide both support and comfort. Over time, bed slats can deform and break for various reasons.

One of my bed slats kept breaking periodically, and I sought a permanent solution to reinforce it and increase its weight capacity.

It seems you’re facing the same issue.

Where can we send your ​
​FREE Furniture Care Guide?

GET THE FREE GUIDE!

Privacy Policy: We hate spam and promise to keep your email address safe.

Built with ConvertKit

I reinforced the bed slats following expert advice and thorough research. Let’s discuss how I achieved this.

So, How to make bed slats stronger?

To make bed slats stronger, top bed slats with plywood or box spring, add more slats, secure the slats to the bed frame, add more slats, install slat spaces, reinforce or add a supportive center beam, replace bed slats with metallic slats, replace slats with stronger or thicker wood, or use the thicker mattress.

But that’s just a quick snapshot. This article offers a complete guide on making bed slats stronger with easy techniques.

I’ll look at how to make bed slats stronger to hold more weight, why bed slats always break, and how to determine the weight capacity of your bed slats with the cheapest methods to make bed slats.

Furthermore, I’ll answer some frequently asked questions as well.

Let us dive in!

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I endorse only products I truly recommend. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure policies.

Why Do Bed Slats Always Break?

Bed slats always break due to various reasons. Some of them are due to human mistakes and some are issues with its building materials.

Here are the most common reasons why bed slats always break,

• Having thin bed slats
• Use weak wood to make bed slats
• Not having a center support beam
• Saggy center support beam
• When the number of bed slats is not sufficient
• Loosen joints
• Squeaky bed
• Not having a strong bond between bed slats and frame

Some of the above reasons that cause the breaking of bed slats to happen due to poor maintenance and some are because of using cheap low-quality products.

The good news is that there’re some DIY solutions to make bed slats stronger.

When You Should Take Actions To Make Bed Slats Stronger?

You should take immediate action to reinforce bed slats when you notice the following signals from your bed. The more you wait more damage can happen.

1. Hear Squeaky Noises from Bed

This means your bed slats have loosed joints or when bed slats do not have a good bond with the bed frame.

This mostly happens when you use the bed for so long or when bed slats are made with cheap low-quality materials.

You should fix and reinforce bed slats immediately before breaking them.

2. When Bed Slats Are Shaky

When you notice bed slats are not in a stable position and keep changing their position fix that immediately.

Poor positioning does not spread the load evenly through all the bed slats. Some bed slats will force with an excessive load while some won’t. 

Crushing with excessive force damages bed slats.

This is an indicator that your bed frame and bed slats will break sooner.

Read to know the Best Wood for Bed Frame (Expert List!)

3. Face Accidents

Wobbly bed slats can deform quickly and slip and fall to the floor. This can damage your back and spine.

If you face an accident of falling when the bed, due to breaking the bed slat of the bed frame, it’s time to take action.

I have noticed some people remove the broken bed slat and spread the remaining slats across the bed frame and use it. Never do that since there’s a health risk.

Broken slats or not having enough bed slats won’t give a good night’s sleep.

Don’t worry I’ll give you some of the best solutions to fix your remaining bed slats rather than spending a few hundred dollars for a new bed.

You can reinforce existing bed slats by making them quieter, sturdy, and more supportive. Let’s find out how to do that!

How To Make Bed Slats Stronger?

Here are the best methods to make your bed slats stronger,

1. Top bed slats with plywood
2. Secure bed slats to the bed frame
3. Add more slats by pulling the slats closer
4. Install slat spaces
5. Reinforce or replace the center beam
6. Add a supportive center beam
7. Add thicker bed slats
8. Replace wooden bed slats with metallic slats
9. Replace slats with stronger wood
10. Top bed slats with a box spring
11. Use thicker mattress

Let’s discuss each of the above methods separately to get a wide and clear idea about making bed slats stronger for better sleep.

Read all of them and select one that suits you the most according to your preference.

1. Top Bed Slats with A Plywood

Topping bed slats with plywood is one of the best methods to make bed slats stronger. It prevents bed slats from sagging and spread-out weight evenly across all the bed slats.

But plywood is not cheap, and you need a truck or any other vehicle to transport them from a local store. But it helps to increase the durability of your existing bed slats significantly.

0.75-inch plywood is ideal to make bed slats stronger. Get a thick one to distribute the weight evenly across bed slats.

The cost of plywood varies from $20 to $70. So, if you’re on a tight budget better to try another method since using low-quality plywood is just a waste of money and they cannot support bed slats well.

Apart from plywood, you’ll need a saw and drill for this project which can cost an extra $20 to $30.

So, the total project of topping bed slats with plywood costs approximately around $50.

Tools Need

• 0.75-inch plywood
• Drill
• Saw
• Measuring tape
• Pencil

The procedure of making bed slats stronger with plywood,

1. First, purchase 0.75-inch plywood from a local store. Ask store staff to cut the correct plywood size for you.
2. Remove the mattress
3. Then, Measure the width of the bed slats and the length of the bed frame.
4. Measure and mark on the plywood.
5. Cut the plywood sheet. (Cut two sheets of plywood for a king-size bed)
6. Place plywood sheet over the existing bed slats
7. Nail and screw plywood to the bed slats and bed frame.
8. Add mattress and bedding over the plywood sheet.

Simple as that! After applying plywood over bed slats. Test bed for squeaky noises and sudden movements.

If you’re happy with the results no need to look for another method.

But if you aren’t satisfied or need more DIY methods, try other ways discussed below.

2. Secure Bed Slats To The Bed Frame

When bed slats loosen bonds with the bed frame, they’ll individually move and cause to break over time.

Bed slats should fasten to the rails. Otherwise, bed slats tend to move freely and damage the bed frame.

You can secure bed slats to the bed frame by drilling 2-inch two screws down each end of the bed slats. Screwing down the bed slat through either ends secure slats well to the bed frame avoiding movements.

Or you can fix bed slats with nails to secure them to the bed frame.

Alternatively, use nails with a smooth shank to nail down bed slats through either end.

First, make a pilot hole by pre-drilling holes into the bed slats.

This will prevent bed slats from sagging and improve the reinforcement to hold more weight without losing their stability.

Please note that the mattress can damage with drilled slats due to the metal heads sticking out.

To avoid the mattress from damaging due to the screwed bed slats, countersink the nails or screws you use to drill into the wood or you can use wood screws to secure bed slats.

Tools Need

• 2-inch wood screws or metal screws
• Drill

Fastening bed slats to bed frame prevent slats from sagging when the weight is directed to their middle areas at night when sleeping.

3. Add More Bed Slats

You can make bed slats to hold more weight by adding more slats by pulling the existing slats closer.

Adding more slats distributes the weight even more.

For example, think of a full queen size bed that has 12 slats. If a grown man with a weight of 180 pounds (82kg) sleeps on a queen size bed that has 12-bed slats, each bed slat holds 15 pounds (6.8kg) of weight.

If we add extra 3 slats to the same queen-size bed by pulling the existing bed slats closer, each bed slat needs to hold 12 pounds (5.4kg) only. Each bed slat gets 3 pounds (1.3kg) advantages.

That’s how adding more slats reinforce the bed and make it able to hold more weight with no screwing, nailing, or adding plywood.

This is the best method to make your bed slats stronger if you don’t want to change the structure of the slats. There’s no risk of damaging bed slats due to nailing or drilling.

Adding more slats makes the bed able to hold more weight and improves weight distribution along slats and strengthens the slat structure.

Tools Need

• Wood planks (same wood as current slats)
• Saw
• Measuring tape
• Pencil

The procedure of making bed slats stronger by adding more slats,

1. First, remove bedding and matters
2. Pull existing bed slats closer to one direction
3. Measure the width of the created space after pulling the remaining slats to one side
4. Measure the width and length of one slat
5. Divide the width of the space by the width of a single slat to identify how many extra slats can be installed into the created space
6. Measure and mark the wood plank. Each plank should have the same width and length as the existing slats.
7.  Insert new planks into the bed

Tip:

Pinewood is the popular choice for adding new planks to a bed since they are strong and easy to work with.

4. Install Slat Spacers

Slat spacers help to prevent slats from shifting and hold them steady with no individual movements.

Using slat spacers is an efficient way to make your bed slats stronger without nailing or drilling them into the bed frame.

Slat spacers don’t have the risk of damaging the bed frame or slats like when drilling or nailing. Plus, dissembling is also not hard as screwing bed slats to the bed frame.  

This is the best method if you don’t want to drill slats.

Plus, if you don’t like or want to screw plywood over bed slats, installing slat spacers is a useful method to space out slats properly with no individual movements.

Slat spacers are placed between slats to prevent them from shifting. If the gap between two slats is more than 2”, you can use slat spacers to fill the wide space and strengthen the slats.

Install spacers between each plank.

You can purchase spacers from online stores, but I’m going to introduce your simple DIY method to make spacers and install them properly between planks.

Wood planks you’re going to use as spacers should be from the same wood as the current slats and should have a thickness as your current slats.

The width of the planks should equal the side rails.

 Therefore, the width of spacers should be 1.25 inches wide which is the standard width of side rails, 0.75 inches thick which is the standard thickness of bed slats, and 2-3 inches long.

Tools Need

• Wood planks (same wood and thick as current slats)
• Saw
• Measuring tape
• Pencil

The procedure of making bed slats stronger using slat spacers,

1. Remove mattress and bedding
2. Take one bed slat and measure its thickness
3. Measure the width of the side rails that hold planks
4. Mark and measure wood planks the same thickness as slats and the same width as side rails
5. Cut and make spacers (0.75-inch thick, 1.25-inch wide and 2-3-inch long)
6. Pull slats onto the side rails by separating them using the spacers
7. After making a good separation between each plank, glue the bottom of each spacer and press it to hold well. Or you can clamp them.

If you don’t want to glue spacers, mark spacers using a pencil and remove bed slats before you press down the glued pieces.

Or you can screw bits to hold spacers firmly with the bed slats. It will make the bond steady and won’t slip easily.

5. Reinforce Or Replace The Center Beam

The center beam is the area that had most of the weight in bed slats. That’s where you should use the strongest and thickest materials to strengthen bed slats.

Having a strong center beam helps the bed to hold more weight and makes it sturdy and quiet with no squeaky noises.

Some beds don’t have a center beam. Wide beds with a big gap between two sides have a center beam to support the structure of the bed frame. The center beam prevents wood from sagging.

When the center beam is weak or made with low-quality materials, bed slats will sag and tend to break over time.

Plus, having a broken center beam is a huge risk since a broken center beam cannot hold weight and may break the whole wood and fall over time.

If your bed already has a center beam, you got two options to make bed slats stronger,

1. Reinforcing the current center beam
2. Remove and replace the center beam

Reinforcing the existing center beam is better if it is made with quality wood, strong, and only saggy a little bit.

To reinforce the center beam, take a 3 to 4-inch-long plank and screw it into the center beam.

If the existing center beam is broken, made with low-quality materials, saggy and weak, you should remove it and replace it with a new stronger one.

Reinforcing is not an option for the center beam which is already broken.

6. Add Supportive Center Beam

Some bends don’t have a central supportive beam especially when the bed is small. But adding a central supportive beam even for small beds is good to avoid the bed from sagging and losing its strength.

A central supportive beam makes bed slats stronger and makes them able to hold more weight without losing stability.

Plus, the central supportive beam increases the bed’s durability and prevents wood from making squeaky noises due to individual movements of the bed slats.

A central supportive beam goes from head to bottom over the bed passing through all the bed slats. It reinforces all the bed slats.

Adding a center supportive beam to strengthen the bed slat project only costs approximately around $10 which is super fair considering the benefits we’ll gain from it.

Tools Need

• 810-inches of 2´8 wood planks (same wood and thick as current slats)
• 30 3-inch screws
• Three supportive posts for legs
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Square

The procedure of making bed slats stronger by adding a supportive center beam,

1. Lift the bed and lean it against a wall
2. Measure the distance from the head to the bottom of the bed slat and note down how much length the wood beam should be.

Standard wood beam length for twin is around 77-inch and 82-inch for queen and king size.

• Measure the distance from the bottom of the bed slat to the bottom of the bed frame leg.

The standard length should be 8-10 inches and subtract 1.5 inches from it to get the length of the supportive legs which is around 6.5-8.5 inches.

• Measure and mark 2´8 using the pencil and square.
• Cut the wood beam and posts as supportive legs
• Measure 12 inches from either end of the wood beam and mark it.
• Screw or nail leg supports with a 90-degree angle to the wood beam.
• Trim the supportive legs to match the length of the bed frame’s legs.
• Place and position the bed frame over the beam
• Make sure to place the center of the supportive beam on two center lines with a helper position
• Screw the center supportive beam into the bed frame with screws or nails.

This is how you should make and apply a center supportive beam to the bed frame to make your bed so much stronger and more sturdy.

7. Add Thicker Bed Slats

One of the major questions people ask is why bed slats are so thin. Why can’t they make beds with thicker bed slats?

The answer is simple. Companies and manufacturers make beds with thin bed slats considering their economical benefits.

Thinner bed slats need less wood and are able to sell at a cheaper price with good sell value.

But when we look at the expensive beds, we can notice they are equipped with thick bed slats. That price range provides quality bed frames with excellent durability.

Don’t worry if you have thin bed slats. You can replace thin bed slats with thicker ones from the same wood type using a simple DIY method.

The only of replacing existing thin bed slats with thicker ones is the cost. Yes, this project is more expensive than the other methods we discussed.

But you can keep your bed without a single wobble in your entire lifetime by adding thick slats.

Therefore, the ROI (Return Of Investment) of using thicker bed slats is significantly high which you should consider.

Thick bed slats prevent the bed from wobbling, and sagging and increase the weight capacity of the bed significantly. Plus, they are more durable than the thinner slats.

2 inches of thickness is ideal for bed slats to strengthen the bed.

Tools Need

• 2inch-thick 4´8 wood planks or 4´10 or 4´12
• Screws
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Drill

The procedure of making bed slats stronger using thicker bed slats,

1. First, determine how many bed slats you need. Replace

Consider replacing all the existing bed slats with new thicker ones for better support and weight distribution.

But first, focus on the broken bed slats to replace them with thicker ones.

• Cut the lumber
• Replace broken bed slats by nailing or screwing
• Try to minimize the gap between slats
• After replacing the broken ones, try to replace all the bed slats if your budget is ok. The choice is yours.

This is one of the hardworking and best projects to strengthen your bed slats. I’m 100% guarantee this method will help you to use your best for so long.

8. Replace Wooden Slats With Metallic Slats

Metals are stronger and more durable than most woods. By replacing wooden bed slats with metallic ones, you can strengthen the bed slats and avoid the bed from making squeaking noises, and wobbling forever.

I know there’s some hardwood lumber that provides better strength than metals. But they are so hard to find and expensive.

Metallic slats are cheap and provide excellent strength. The only drawback is metallic bed slats do not have the aesthetic feel wooden slats have.

But here we need to focus more on strength than its appearance. So, metallic is always better than wood slats when it comes to strength. Plus, they’re cheap.

When you’re buying metallic slats from a local store, consider buying square metal tubing.

Tip:

Let the staff cut metallic slats for you because cutting metal is super hard and you’ll need a grinder, circular saw or hacker saw for that.

Small metallic particles can cause skin and eye irritations. Therefore, better if you can tell the hardware store staff to cut the metal.

Make sure to pre-drill holes in metallic slats the same dimension as wood slats. This will ease the installation process of fastening slats into the bed frame.

You just need to remove the existing wood slats and replace them with metallic ones that you already cut in the store.

9. Replace Slats With Stronger Wood

You can replace the existing bed slats or broken slats with slats made from stronger wood.

Oak, Pine, Hickory, Birch, Ash, Beech, and Birch are excellent and strong woods for bed slats. They have good compressive and bending strengths.

Try to apply thick bed slats from strong wood. you won’t worry again about their strength since they are super strong and durable construction materials.

Strong bed slats prevent the bed from wobbling, and sagging and increase the weight capacity of the bed significantly.

2 inches of thickness is ideal for bed slats to strengthen the bed.

Tools Need

• 2inch-thick 4´8 Oakwood planks or 4´10 or 4´12
• Screws
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Drill

The procedure of making bed slats stronger using stronger wood,

1. First, determine how many bed slats you need. Replace

Consider replacing all the existing bed slats with new Oakwood ones for better support and weight distribution.

But first, focus on the broken bed slats to replace them with stronger ones.

• Cut the lumber
• Replace broken bed slats by nailing or screwing
• Try to minimize the gap between slats
• After replacing the broken ones, try to replace all the bed slats if your budget is ok. The choice is yours.

10. Top Bed Slats With A Box Spring

Like covering bed slats with plywood, you can buy a box spring and cover existing bed slats with it.

But box springs are more expensive than plywood.

Box spring is also known as box spring mattress since it looks like a mattress. It includes a lightweight wooden or metallic frame covered with metallic coils and springs.

It is the same as the regular mattress but, a sturdier one.

Box spring support the existing bed slats, helps to distribute weight evenly, and provide additional comfort. It strengthens the bed slats.

If you don’t like DIY methods or to replace bed slats, covering slats with box springs is the best option. You won’t make any mistakes during the project and it is super duper easy.

Box spring works as the foundation for the mattress. But the box spring is thicker and stronger than the mattress.

If you have broken bed slats, I highly recommend fixing them before covering them with box springs since box springs only provide additional support to the bed slats without fixing their issues.

First, remove the mattress and bedding and place a Bunkie board over the bed slats. Then place the box spring above it and place the mattress and bedding above it.

Box spring is an expensive alternative method to plywood.

11. Use a Thicker Mattress

You can use a thicker mattress to provide more support and prevent the bed from making squeaky noises.

But first, you need to fix broken bed slats or fix the sagging of your bed. Using a thicker mattress only provides additional support.

Having a thicker mattress reduces the pressure that applies to bed slats. This prevents bed slats from breaking upon excessive force. Plus, bed slats will be able to hold more weight.

A mattress with a 10-inch thickness is ideal to strengthen the bed slats. A 12 to 14-inch mattress is ideal if you sleep on your side which provides an extra cushioning effect.

Even with weak bed slats, having a thicker mattress is great to distribute your weight evenly all over the bed slats without making them break any further.  

That’s it, folks! Now you know exactly how to make bed slats stronger in 11 different ways. Select one that suits you the most and give it a try!

How Much Weight Can Bed Slats Hold?

Bed slats can hold weights up to 600 pounds (272kg). The maximum weight capacity of bed slats can vary due to the material type, quality of the material, age of the bed slats, and strength of the bed slats.

Some bed slats can hold only up to 500 pounds (226kg).

Metallic bed slats can hold weights up to 1000 pounds to 5000 pounds which is significantly higher than the maximum weight capacity of wooden slats.

Here is a comparison article of wooden versus metallic slats in terms of strength and durability.

As a summary here’re the weight capacities of different bed slats,

Bed Slats Type (Bed type)	Maximum Weight
Standard bed slats	600 pounds
Wooden bed slats	600 pounds
Metallic bed slats	1000 pounds to 5000 pounds
Loft bed slats	220 pounds
Bunk bed slots	220 pounds
Children’s bed slats (Junior size)	150 pounds to 220 pounds
Couple bed slats	500 pounds
Twin bed slats	300 pounds
Queen-size bed slats	600 pounds
King-size bed slats	80 pounds to 4000 pounds

What Kind Of Wood Should You Use For Bed Slats?

You should use hard, strong, dense, sturdy, and durable wood for bed slats. Wood needs to have the ability to tolerate at least 600 pounds of weight.

Plus, it should have some flexural strength to bend without breaking from the middle.

Here’s some of the best wood you can use to make bed slats,

• Oakwood
• Pinewood
• Hickory
• Birch
• Ashwood
• Beech

Use any of them and make them in their quality, fresh state and make thick slats at least 0.75 inches thick using proper techniques.

Cheapest Way To Make Bed Slats

The cheapest way to make bed slats is by using 0.75-inch-thick plywood. Cut plywood in 1´4 wood planks and pre-drill them from either end before installing bed slats into the bed frame.

Here are the steps you need to follow when making bed slats most cheaply,

1. Decide the bed size and number of slats that need to you
2. Purchase wood, drill, screws, nails, and saw
3. Measure the width and length of the bed frame
4. Measure and mark 0.75inch thick 1´4 wood planks
5. Sanding wood
6. Varnishing and sealing the wood
7. Installing wooden bed slats

How Do I Reinforce A Platform Bed?

You can reinforce a platform bed by adding thick bed slats with a central beam from strong hardwood, securing bed frame screws, and tightening wood joints.

Use quality wood when making a platform bed and add a central supportive beam from strong wood for extra strength. Plus, use bed slats at least 0.75 inches thick.

Quality woods to use for platform beds are Pinewood, Oakwood, Hickory, Birch, Ash, and Beech.

How To Make Center Support For Bed Frame?

You can make center support for the bed frame by following the below steps,

1. Remove mattress and bedding.
2. Lift the bed and lean it against a wall
3. Measure the distance from the head to the bottom of the bed slat and note how much length the wood beam should be.

Standard wood beam length for twin is around 77-inch and 82-inch for queen and king size.

• Measure the distance from the bottom of the bed slat to the bottom of the bed frame leg.

The standard length should be 8-10 inches and subtract 1.5 inches from it to get the length of the supportive legs which is around 6.5-8.5 inches.

• Measure and mark 2´8 using the pencil and square.
• Cut the wood beam and posts as supportive legs
• Measure 12 inches from either end of the wood beam and mark it.
• Screw or nail leg supports with a 90-degree angle to the wood beam.
• Trim the supportive legs to match the length of the bed frame’s legs.
• Place and position the bed frame over the beam
• Make sure to place the center of the supportive beam on two center lines with the helper position
• Screw the center supportive beam into the bed frame with screws or nails.

Tools Need

• 810-inches of 2´8 wood planks (same wood and thick as current slats)
• 30 3-inch screws
• Three supportive posts for legs
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Square

The whole project cost approximately $10.

How Do I Keep My Bed Slats From Breaking?

You can keep your bed slats from breaking by,

• Installing slat spaces
• Top bed slats with plywood
• Secure bed slats to the bed frame
• Add more slats by pulling the slats closer
• Reinforce or replace the center beam
• Add a supportive center beam
• Add thicker bed slats
• Replace wooden bed slats with metallic slats
• Replace slats with stronger wood
• Top bed slats with a box spring

Those are the best methods to reinforce your bed slats.

The first few points are directly focused on reinforcing bed slats and the below ones are extra steps to improve the strength of bed slats.

How Do I Reinforce Bed Frame Legs?

You can reinforce bed frame legs by tightening the loose wood joints, using stronger wood and thicker bed frame legs, and adding supportive beams. Reinforced bed frame legs distribute weight evenly and can hold more weight without losing stability.

Reinforcing bed frames keep the bed from making squeaky noises, and wobbling and increase the bed’s durability. You’ll get proper sleep by reinforcing bed frame legs.

Can You Make Bed Slats Out Of Plywood?

Yes, you can make bed slats out of plywood. Use 1 inches or thicker plywood to keep the strength of bed slats.

Plywood bed frames are able to hold weight well. Screw or drill properly and tighten with strong wood joints.

First measure the bed frame length and width. Then cut 1-inch thick 1´4 wood planks and install them into the bed frame after pre-drilling.

Can You Add Slats To A Bed Frame?

Yes, you can add slats to a bed frame to make it stronger and increase its durability. Before adding slats to a bed frame select strong wood to make bed slats and pre-drill the bed frame to install bed slats easily to the bed frame.

Let’s answer frequently asked questions as well.

FAQs

Did I cover all you wanted to know about: How To Make Bed Slats Stronger?

In this article, I deeply discussed, how to make bed slats stronger in the 11 best ways, we discussed each step in detail and we talked about the best woods for making bed slats. Plus, how to reinforce your bed frame and legs as well.

To make bed slats stronger, secure them to the frame with screws, reinforce with a center beam, add more slats for even weight distribution, or top with plywood. Using slat spacers or replacing with thicker or metal slats are also effective methods for enhancing bed slat strength.

Furthermore, I’ve answered some frequently asked questions.

Hope you learned everything you wanted to know about making bed slats stronger using accurate methods.

Try to select the one that suits you the most according to the materials you have and for your budget and try to fix your wobbling bed by yourself and experience sweet dreams!