Whether your shopping the web or locally here in St. Louis there are lots of stores that sell bed rails…

However mattress stores like STL Beds carry a wide variety of bed rails and are qualified to help you choose the correct frame to properly support your mattress and box spring. You will want to be very careful because not all frames are constructed the same and not all bed rails will fit all headboards and foot boards. Where ever you shop trained sales person know the correct questions to ask assuring you a proper fit with your bed and will keep you from making the dreaded return trip to the store or having to ship your bed rails back because they won’t fit your bed frame.

What to know before you shop; Getting the right bed frame rails for your mattress set.

As simple as the following questions may seem 1/2 the people shopping for bed frames can’t answer them and ultimately end up having to take or send their rails back in order to get the right one. Test yourself, can you answer each of the following questions concerning your new frame purchase? Be sure to click on the highlighted links to see the frame rails described to fit the application.

1) What size is your mattress and boxspring? Sizes can vary slightly.

• California King 72 x 84
• King 76 x 80
• Queen 60 x 80
• Full 54 x75
• Twin 38 x 75
• Twin Extra Long 38 x 75
  

2.) What will your rails be attaching to?

• Attaching to a head board?
• Attaching to a head board and foot board?
• Mattress and boxspring free standing without a head board and foot board?

3.) You’ve determined you have a head board or a headboard and foot board

• Does the headboard or head board and foot board bolt up?
• Does the headboard or head board and foot board have vertical slots where  rails can slide or hook into ?

4.) Selecting the right bed frame rails

Click this link for free standing bed frames

Click the link for bolt up headboard frames or headboard and foot board (Coming Soon Call for Assistance & Pricing)

Click this link for headboards or headboards and footboards that Hook In (Coming Soon Call for Assistance & Pricing)

5.) Will this frame need to be strong enough to support adults or be used everyday or will it be used rarely if ever in a spare bedroom?

The truth is we never save money if we have to replace the rails because they were not strong enough for the needed application. Quality frames usually don’t cost much more and will last for years.

Which ever frame you choose make sure it meets your needs and the requirements of your mattress and boxspring warranty. On queen and king size mattress sets this means proper center support that will keep your boxspring from sagging over time or worse yet breaking.

6.) Already have a frame just need new center supports?

Click this link to see our various center supports for your existing bed or bed frame rails whether they are metal or wood. (Coming Soon Call for Assistance & Pricing)

The best repair for this type of situation is a good ounce of prevention…

 which we will discuss in a moment, but the truth is many beds never have enough support to begin with and especially when larger people are using them.  Cracking, breaking, or splitting out are common failure in wood rails with down hooks. These down hooks slide down into vertical slots where horizontal receiving pins are located within both the footboard and headboard.  The failure comes when too much weight is applied to the side rails.  Another possible failure can be where the receiving pins in the headboard or footboard  are not encapsulated by enough wood and fail, in either case repair is usually not an option.

How to prevent wood rails from cracking or splitting

The way to prevent such an issue is with supports like the ones offered from Glideaway MFG. If the wood side rails are new or still in good condition we use their BB8 steel cross supports they utilize heavy angle iron and have multiple adjustable legs in king or queen sizes. With enough feet and proper installation such a support is strong enough to hold even a soft sided waterbed one of the heaviest beds sold. For everyday use under average weight couples and lighter weight loads we recommend their G-FORCE support system which utilizes less steel and fewer feet. Both systems span the width of wood rails and lay where wood slats typically go. They screw firmly into place and help take load weight off of the down hooks and tranfer it to the floor safely and effectively.

What if my wood side rails have been lost or cannot be fixed?

It happens to the best of us and yes they do get lost especially in the case of moving companies. In the case of queen size beds we replace the wood rails with Glideaways all steel frame system.  They call it their 62CS hook rails with an adjustable center support. It literally replaces the need for wood rails which are often covered by bedding and bed skirts anyway. Steel side rails and universal down hooks replace the wooden sides. The strong center support bar with adjustable feet keeps wide boxsprings supported properly and meets all warranty requirements.  

For twin and full size models we use Glideaways number one for beds that have a headboard and footboard. These use the same rolled steel frame as the queen previously mentioned but not center supporting legs. Instead it utilizes a connecting wire that keeps the rails from spreading and looking like an old whiskey barrel.

If you choose to not use specialty frames as mentioned above and instead use wood slats this can be done. However we recommend that you utilize wooden board cut a minimum of 1”x 4”. In addition add at least a vertical center support from the center of each slat going down to the floor, this will act as a leg and offer strength that will keep the box spring from sagging. Repeat on each of the 5 slats.

Can the wood side rails be repaired?

Repairing solid wood or laminated side rails can be a hit or a miss undertaking and it is one that we do not recommend attempting. Have this done by a professional. We have seen people glue or scab the broken / cracked area only to have it fail or fall and do more damage to the bed.

As a whole mattress warranties are very similar from one brand to another but do not assume that they are all the same. First and foremost is to read the warranty card that comes with a new mattress. The reason being is that all Mattress and Boxspring Must Have Proper Support and the warranty card explains what is and what is not covered. You do not want your boxspring to sag or break prematurely only to find that you were required to have center support from the beginning.

Queen Support Spanning The Width

Today most boxsprings are not springy; they are rigid and non-yielding and go by the name foundation. Old time boxsprings may not provide adequate support for todays’ mattress because they give where they are not supposed too causing the mattress to appear as if it is sagging when it may just be an issue of a non-supportive foundation.

If foundations supports mattresses what supports foundations?

Order of Support from the bottom up: Frame, Box Spring, and Mattress. These three functional pieces work together to make up the bed. The frame regularly made of steel provides inflexible center support and in addition to support around the outer edges of the boxspring making the frame the key component base structure. The support needs to run the length of the boxspring or foundation which ever is being used and should also span the width. Sizes that require center support in order to comply with warranties are:

• Queen
• Split queen
• Eastern king
• California king size

Do I need a special bed frame?

King Support That Is Running Bed Length

There is not industry standard that is required but most will utilize heavy-duty tempered steel that is angled in an L-shape which is of equal length ranging from 1.25 to 1.5 this is sometimes called angle iron. Heavier angle iron is used to construct bridges and buildings, while lighter angle iron still very very strong is used for an assortment applications including heavy duty bed frames some of which are even adjustable. These steel pieces come together to frame up the sturdy wooden frame of the boxspring. Then steel supports are added to span either the width or length of the boxspring. There are feet added to give addition structural support to the frame and wide spans found on the larger size beds we mentioned earlier.

Why use a bed frame, do I need it?

The purpose of a Bed Frame is threefold:

* To elevate and raise the boxspring and mattress’ height and get it off of the floor. This will make the bed easier to get in and out of.

* To connect the headboard or headboard and footboard too

* To offer a solid structure for the boxspring to sit upon while still offering support so the entire system cannot sag.

Most of the traditional beds in the USA require a frame as a connector for the headboard or both headboard and footboard such as the four-poster bed. Where as other parts of the world like Japan don’t use a box spring nor do they need a one because the mattress maybe a futon mattress and is placed directly on the floor or on a platform.

Question:

If It Says No Boxspring Required Can I Do It Anyway?

This is what I was looking at:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Handy-Living-2-in-1-Bed-Frame-No-Box-Spring-Required/11899636

Sure you can the mattress police won’t come  for you I can promise you that much. However the bed may not look so great when you are finished. It may hide the headboard or be way too tall when making it. Another issue is that it will likely be very awkward at best for entering and exiting when you go to bed or wake up.

There are two main reasons for using something like a Smart Base from Glideaway

1. If your traditional boxspring will not fit up stairs or around a tight turn the Smartbase is a great choice. It eliminates the need for a split boxspring or a boxspring period for that matter. This unit is very mobile and can easily fit and maneuver up and through tight stairways with no problems what so ever and then be assembled in the room of your choice.

2. Perhaps you need more storage space under the bed. This replaces a traditional steel bed frame that typically sits approximately 7-8 inches off the floor. By eliminating the box spring foundation and making the legs somewhat taller to replace it the mattress remains easy to get in and out of due to the reasonable overall bed height. But hey who wants to get out of bed right? You can still connect to this to your existing headboard or complete headboard footboard set by using a Smartbase.

If neither applies to you then a standard bed frame will work fine and cost you less money if you already own a boxspring. If you don’t have one you will most likely be overspending by as much as $100.00

Question:

My wood side rails on my bed frame have cracked/split.

Can these be replaced without having to buy a new bed frame?

Answer:

Many people come into our store seeking new wood side rails for their bed when their old ones have cracked.

There are a couple problems these people commonly face when seeking out new wood sides. The first is trying to get the new side rails to match the old bed. Colors and shades are often different making it look as though you were trying to match but failed to do so. If you cover the side rails with a dust ruffle or bed skirt this may hide the fact they do not match.

Another problem is wood side rails are often not sold separately rather they come with the particular headboard and footboard the store shows them with. If the store sells wood rails separately just make sure that they fit or that you may return them for a refund if they don’t.

Another option is to use replacement steel hook rails like Glideaway’s 62CS or for a queen size, K80 for a king size, #1 rails for twin size or #2 for a full size. Queen and king size rails should always have center supports. The center support bar should have at the very minimum one foot but preferably two or more. Be sure to follow the directions carefully for whatever replacement frame you use. Failure to do so can apply to munch weight to the support pins in the headboard or footboard and it to could eventually crack or split out. Additional weight can be reduced by screwing the threaded feet into a down position firmly against the floor or carpeting.

Lastly the footboard can be removed if so desired. Steel metal frames are made to convert beds with headboards and footboards to just a headboard only. Cost savings is very minimal but offers additional space savings in bedrooms with limited space and can be quite advantageous.

To prevent the problem of cracked wood side rails we suggest using additional steel supports that replace old fashioned wood slats. Systems are available that offer multiple support bars which can often have as many as 4 feet per steel slat bar. These systems are strong enough to hold softside waterbeds making them perfect for mattresses and boxsprings which are significantly lighter in weight.

What ever method you choose there is a way to replace broken or cracked wood side rails for beds and if you are lucky enough to of read this blog before damage has occurred you now know how to prevent such damage before it happens.