The creaking of the bed is a very unpleasant sound that prevents you from getting enough sleep and gets on your nerves. What to do if the bed squeaks? Is it possible to eliminate this sound or will I have to change the bed? In this article we will talk about possible problems and their solutions.
The bed creaks - what to do?
- Prices for bed slats
- Prices for different types of mattresses
- Video - How to choose the right bed
The main causes of bed squeaking
What causes bed squeaking? Most often, creaking is a consequence of friction of wooden or metal elements, resulting from partial wear of the parts and components of the bed.
A quality bed is the key to a sound sleep!
Techniques for eliminating squeaks can be divided into three groups:
- strengthening of the structure due to additional fastenings;
- sealing joints with porous elastic materials;
- reduction of friction through the use of anti-friction lubricants.
Creaking can occur in various structural elements of the bed. Most often, creaking occurs in the following nodes:
- joints and places of fastening of bed frame elements made of natural wood or chipboard;
- bed base or frame with wooden slats;
- lifting mechanism;
- spring or polypropylene mattress.
Why might the bed squeak?
Methods for eliminating unpleasant sound vary for different bed components. An incorrectly chosen repair technology will not only be useless, but will also lead to further abrasion of materials and increased sound.
Video - Why does the bed squeak?
Prices for double beds
Double bed
Areas of use
The lamella is used in the production of furniture frames, sports equipment, and musical instruments. It is most popular in the production of beds. It is worth noting that the most expensive orthopedic mattress can only provide good sleep if there is a good bed base.
Recently, the choice of furniture manufacturers is increasingly choosing wooden slats, which can be purchased inexpensively on our company’s website. Note that these elements have a slightly curved shape and, after installation, create a reliable foundation.
Flexibility increases significantly as the number of elements increases. So, 30 planks are recommended for a double bed, and half as much for a single bed. The spaces between the slats should be equal to the width of one plank.
During operation, the possibility of damage to the lamella cannot be ruled out; the reasons can be very diverse. If this happens, it is important to try to replace the broken strip as quickly as possible, otherwise there is a risk of damage to adjacent structural elements.
How to determine the source of a squeak
To eliminate squeaking, it is important to understand which element of the bed needs repair or replacement. The sequence for determining the source of the squeak is given below.
Step 1. It is more convenient to examine the bed together. Sit down, lie down on the bed, get into a position where you can hear a creaking sound. At this time, the assistant can identify the problem area by ear.
Try to find the source of the squeak by ear.
Step 2: Rock the bed from side to side in all directions and also listen to where the sound is coming from.
Rock the bed from side to side
Step 3: Remove the mattress from the bed and place it on a flat floor.
Remove the mattress from the bed
Step 4. Try sitting and lying on the mattress, and also rock the bed without a mattress. By ear, try to determine which part of the bed is creaking.
Checking the mattress and frame separately
Step 5: If the bed frame and mattress do not squeak, the problem may be with the slatted base. The slatted base consists of wooden slats secured with lath holders to a frame made of metal or wood. Creaking usually appears at the place where the slats are attached. To check, inspect the slats and press each one with your hand.
Checking the slats
Step 6. If you find out that the problem is in the wooden frame, inspect all joints, check the tightness of the mounting screws or self-tapping screws. Fine wood dust, abrasions and chips on the surface of the wood will indicate wear of individual elements - they are usually the source of creaking.
Checking the reliability of frame fastenings
Step 7. A bed with legs may also creak at the joints between the frame and the legs. You can find out this by ear by rocking the bed with the mattress removed.
Attaching the leg to the bed
Step 8. For beds with a lifting mechanism, the source of squeaking is often the mechanism itself. As a rule, it cannot be repaired and requires replacement.
Bed with lifting mechanism
Advice! Before you start disassembling the bed and repairing it, make sure that it is the bed that is creaking, and not the floor underneath it!
If minor repairs to a wooden bed did not help
When the methods described above do not fix the problem, you should completely disassemble the furniture. After this, do the following:
- the places of joints and gluing of parts are first degreased;
- after this, glue is applied in a thin layer and the surfaces are carefully pressed against each other;
- Allow the adhesive to dry, after which the joints are further strengthened with metal corners and screws.
Before starting to repair the stock, select wrenches that fit the nuts and bolts. If fasteners are tightened with the wrong tools, their edges can be damaged and it will be impossible to unscrew them next time.
When repairing wooden furniture, extreme care is taken. You should not tighten the parts too much, otherwise there is a risk of permanently damaging the product.
How to fix a creaking bed frame
A wooden bed frame usually begins to creak after several years of use. In the dry air of an apartment, wooden elements dry out, their sizes decrease and micro-gaps form at the joints. When loaded, the wooden parts rub against each other, and the contacting surfaces gradually wear away, which further increases the gap. The creaking intensifies.
Advice! If your new bed squeaks, contact the manufacturer. Perhaps this is a manufacturing defect and it is better to replace it under warranty.
The easiest way to eliminate frame squeaking is to tighten fasteners: bolts, screws or self-tapping screws . This technique will give a temporary effect, the creaking will decrease or even stop completely, but with a high probability the fasteners will weaken again, and the wear of the wood will increase. Therefore, when a squeak appears, it is better to immediately resort to fully strengthening the frame.
Tighten fasteners
For small gaps, the use of lubricants . Anti-friction lubricants reduce friction and eliminate squeaking of wooden parts, and also reduce their wear. Lubricants are applied to all rubbing areas of the frame. The types of suitable lubricants and methods of their application are indicated in the table.
Use lubricant
Table. Anti-friction lubricants for wooden parts.
| Name, photo | Short description |
| WD-40 lubricant | Released in aerosol form. Metal fasteners are treated with WD-40 lubricant when assembling the bed to avoid squeaking when rubbing with wood. |
| Graphite grease | Gray paste, used for metal frame elements and fasteners. Eliminates squeaking, friction and prevents wear. |
| Silicone Grease | Available in the form of a spray, gel or paste. Waterproof, has good adhesion to any substrate. The lubricant is applied in an even layer to the rubbing surfaces. |
| Paraffin | You can take a regular paraffin candle. Rub the rubbing parts with it until an even sliding layer appears. From time to time the lubricant needs to be updated. |
| Soap | Wooden parts are rubbed with a bar of soap, just like with paraffin. Improves glide and eliminates squeaking. It is not water resistant and may impart an odd odor. |
Advice! Do not use grease and similar fatty lubricants. They will eliminate the squeak, but may leave stains on the mattress and linen.
If the gaps are more than 0.5-1 mm, use sealing gaskets . The pads are cut out of foamed polyethylene, rubber or felt of suitable thickness and placed between the rubbing elements of the bed. On vertical surfaces you can additionally secure them with glue.
Install felt pads
If the bed frame is not strong enough and sways even with a small load, you can use additional fasteners . The frame is reinforced from the inside using furniture corners and self-tapping screws. This method allows you to increase the rigidity of the structure, thereby reducing the mobility of individual parts and reducing their friction against each other. The connections remain collapsible, which allows you to disassemble the bed in the future during repairs or moving.
Install additional fasteners
Advice! Before installing additional fasteners, check the equality of the frame diagonals using a tape measure. If necessary, level it. Otherwise, the frame and mattress may lie crookedly, which will also cause squeaking.
In particularly difficult cases, they use glue to install the frame . Wood glue or PVA is suitable for gluing wooden parts. The frame is completely disassembled, dust is removed from all surfaces, the glued surfaces are degreased with alcohol or gasoline. Apply glue to the joints of the parts, as well as into the holes for fasteners and dowels, and assemble the frame. You can use the bed only after the glue has completely dried.
Assemble the frame with glue
Advice! Remove excess glue in a timely manner, before it dries, otherwise stains may remain on the assembled frame, which will ruin its appearance!
If the bed lift mechanism creaks, you should first check the tightness of all fasteners. If they become loose, remove the mechanism, apply WD-40 lubricant to the mounting holes and hardware, and then attach the mechanism back. If the mechanism itself creaks, it will have to be replaced to eliminate the creaking.
Bed lift mechanism
Advice! It is better to use lifting mechanisms on gas elevators; they are more reliable and less subject to wear, so they creak less often.
Treatment of rubbing parts
When choosing any wooden furniture, there is a risk of purchasing a product of low quality, without additional processing and complete drying. Soon after purchase, the furniture will begin to make unpleasant sounds and the question arises of how to remove the creaking of a wooden bed.
To do this, you need to treat the rubbing elements with any lubricant. In this case, all actions must be carried out carefully so as not to touch the front sides of the parts. If you use soap, grease, baby powder or wax (paraffin), then over time the layer will wear off or dry out and you will have to apply it again. Silicone compounds are suitable for longer use.
How to eliminate frame and slats creaking
A frame with orthopedic slats takes on the entire load and redistributes it. That is why it wears out quickly and is often the cause of squeaking. Both the slats themselves and the places where they are fastened - the lath holders - can creak.
First you need to carefully inspect the slats for cracks, chips and deformation. Some of them may need to be replaced.
Replacing slats
Prices for bed slats
Bed slats
Note! The slats are made from hardwood, usually birch. But the best wood for orthopedic slats is beech; it has high strength and, moreover, elasticity.
Lamels - what are they?
The cause of the squeak can also be broken lat holders. They are also subject to replacement.
Broken Lat Holders
If all the lath holders and lamellas are intact, you need to tighten the fastening screws on the lath holders. At the same time, avoid excessive force so as not to create internal stresses in the plastic, otherwise it will crack.
Pulling screws on the lath holders
Next, you should load each of the lamellas in turn, pressing firmly on it with your hand. Having identified the creaking slats, remove them from the fastenings, treat the ends of the slats with silicone grease, and if the gaps are large, wrap them in foamed polyethylene or felt. After this, put the slats in place. The creaking should stop.
Silicone grease to eliminate squeaks
Prices for various types of silicone lubricants
Silicone Grease
The slats on inexpensive beds can be attached to the frame using self-tapping screws, without the use of lath holders. In this case, to eliminate the squeak, you can use additional screws, and place gaskets made of any soft material under the slats.
Fastening the slats to the frame with self-tapping screws
In some cases, the frame itself may creak, even if it is metal. This occurs when the frame rubs against the bed support slats. The best way to eliminate this problem is to secure felt pads to the frame or supports where the frame contacts.
Video - Eliminating bed squeaks using polyethylene foam
If your bed has storage drawers, you can create additional support points for the base and mattress by stuffing the drawers tightly with clothing. The slats will sag less, and the creaking will also decrease.
Creating additional support for the frame and mattress
Quick ways to fix problems
Line the frame support strips with old clothing. Use old socks or shirts that you no longer wear for this purpose. The fabric will not allow the orthopedic base or mattress to rub against the bed frame and make squeaks.
Use cork caulking to fill excess gaps in a wood frame bed.
- Check the bed for any gaps where the orthopedic base or mattress could potentially ride and rub against the bed frame. Place cork sealant in these gaps to ensure all bed components fit together tightly.
- Slide a towel under the uneven legs of the bed frame. A bed foot can be considered uneven if it does not touch the floor. Slip a towel into the gap between the corresponding leg and the floor to prevent the bed from rocking and making unnecessary sounds.
- Place a book under the mattress near the source of the squeak. If the creaking comes from the support bars, remove the mattress and orthopedic base from the bed, and then place the book on the creaking bar. Then return the orthopedic base and mattress to their place.
How to eliminate a squeaking mattress
Not only the wooden elements of the bed can creak, but also the mattress, spring or with polymer filling. Sometimes squeaking is caused by an incorrect position of the mattress, in which case it needs to be leveled on the base.
The mattress should lie on the base without distortion
Cheap models of mattresses with dependent springs - Bonnell blocks - squeak due to friction between the springs. The creaking of such a mattress will sooner or later arise and can only be eliminated by replacing the mattress.
Mattress with Bonnell spring system
More reliable and expensive models of spring mattresses are equipped with independent blocks. In them, each spring block is placed in a waterproof case, which plays two roles at the same time: it eliminates friction of the blocks against each other and does not allow moisture and sweat to destroy the steel of the spring, weakening it.
Mattress with independent blocks
Advice! If a mattress with independent blocks begins to squeak, it needs to be turned over - this will help reduce the load on the worn blocks and temporarily eliminate the squeak.
The mattress needs to be turned over from time to time
Springless mattresses filled with polyurethane foam can also make sounds similar to squeaking. This occurs if the seal of individual bubbles of the foamed polymer is broken and air flows from one to another when a load occurs.
Springless mattress with PPU block
The appearance of extraneous sounds in a PU foam mattress indicates that the polymer has lost its properties and it’s time to think about replacing the mattress.
Prices for different types of mattresses
Mattress
Preparation
If the above methods do not give a positive result, then you will have to move on to more serious work - dismantling the creaking bed. To do this, we may need a tool and auxiliary material to lubricate the rubbing particles:
- A set of screwdrivers or wrenches, it depends on the fastener itself;
- Metal corners and screws (wooden reinforcing elements can also be used);
- Paraffin or candle;
- Ski lubricant;
- Graphite grease;
- Litol;
- Laundry soap;
- WD-40;
- Silicone spray;
- Rubber based adhesive.
We prepare all the tools and auxiliary equipment so as not to be distracted in the future.
Squeak prevention for a new bed
Like any damage, squeaking is much easier to prevent than to fix. When buying a bed and its further use, you should listen to the advice of experts.
The frame is made of natural wood, coated with varnish, and is practically not subject to deformation when air humidity changes. A chipboard frame is less durable, dries out faster, and under heavy loads begins to crumble at the fastening points.
Natural wood bed
When purchasing a bed with an orthopedic base, pay attention to the fastening of the slats in the guides - they should not dangle.
The slats must be well secured
It is better to choose a spring mattress from a number of models with independent blocks; they are more durable.
Mattress with independent blocks - device
When installing the bed on an uneven floor, try to level it and avoid distortions of the frame. If there are significant distortions, the load on the frame will be uneven, which will lead to premature wear of individual elements, and then to creaking.
Bed assembly
It is necessary to monitor the fastening of the bed and tighten it if it becomes loose, avoiding excessive tension on the wood. If wood dust or scuffs are detected, the bed must be repaired immediately.
Wood dust is a sign of wear on the mounting holes
The mattress must be periodically turned over on the bed to ensure uniform wear of all groups of spring blocks. Sitting and standing on spring mattresses for a long time is not recommended.
Video - How to choose the right bed
If you follow the tips and recommendations, the bed will last much longer, and squeaking will not disturb your sleep. If a creaking does occur, you can quickly eliminate the unpleasant sounds without resorting to complex repairs.
Preventive measures
Sometimes some people have a reasonable question: What can be done to prevent the new bed from squeaking? Well, with regret we have to admit that this problem is not so rare, like any problem, the following simple recommendations will help you get rid of the one mentioned above. First of all, you should give your preference to beds that were made from expensive types of wood, which in turn are stronger and more durable. Similar breeds include:
- Oak. Oak wood is practical and durable, in addition, it is distinguished by a characteristic beautiful pattern of wood fibers, so an oak bed will fit perfectly into any interior;
- Red tree. Mahogany wood is distinguished by its noble color, extremely original appearance, and we must not forget about the high quality of the wood itself. Furniture made of mahogany is very moisture resistant and is not afraid of ultraviolet rays. In addition, having a mahogany bed in the bedroom, you can forget about various insects, since its (furniture) unobtrusive aroma repels them;
- Rosewood. Luxurious interior items made by craftsmen from rosewood are very expensive. But this fact is offset by the fact that rosewood furniture has exclusive qualities. And if you rub the wood a little, you will feel the delicate aroma of violet. High-quality rosewood furniture will delight its owners for a long time.
It is important to note that all the details of the solid wood bed frame must be securely and firmly fastened; there should not be the slightest hint that any of its elements are dangling in the fastening unit.
If you are going to buy a mattress, then it is best to give preference to a mattress with an independent spring block, since they are much more reliable and will last you a long time. But do not forget that every item requires care, which will significantly increase its service life. In the case of an independent mattress, you will need to turn it over from time to time so that the load created by your body during sleep is distributed evenly over its entire surface.
When installing your new bed, try to position it as level as possible. An uneven load on the bed frame and base will subsequently lead to loosening and distortion of parts, and as a result, creaking. All fasteners must be tightly tightened so that the bed forms a solid structure. Metal products will be more durable. Another plus is their cost. Metal beds are cheaper than wooden ones. They also look beautiful and will suit almost any setting. Forged beds do not creak, they look stylish and elegant.
All wooden beds begin to creak during use. You can get rid of the annoying sound at home, the main thing is to correctly determine the cause and choose the appropriate solution.
