Even as you care and maintain, bad things can still happen to your furniture. Thus, you may have a broken bed at least once in your life. It will be too annoying because going to bed is the last thing you need for a long and tiring day. Now, here’s good news. You will find out how to fix a broken bed rail or frame in this article.
Check this quick view to give you an idea of how to work on it:
- Determine the bed material
- Deal with the bed issue
- Reinforce the bed rail or frame
- Deal with bed rail or frame cracks
- Inspect bad joints
- Fix slat issues
Continue strolling on this page to discover further how to fix a broken wooden bed frame and rail.
What’s a Bed Rail or Frame?
A bed rail is commonly combined by two independent rails. If you want to connect a headboard or footboard, you can use bed rails. It does not work if you don’t have both the headboard and footboard.
More so, a bed frame supports the mattress and bed box on its own. You may use this even if you don’t have a headboard and footboard if you only have one among those.
However, these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. It’s just that they have a few differences but still do the same purpose.
How to Fix a Broken Bed Rail
Wooden bed rails or frames are prone to cracks. These cracks usually occur if you go for low-quality wood, or you might be using it for a long time already.
On the other hand, cheap materials are used by manufacturers. The new trend is spending more than two thousand dollars just to purchase a high-end bed for five years.
It’s obvious, that’s a waste of money if you know it’s easier to fix or repair a broken bed. Read further to understand further how to fix a bed frame and rail.
Two Common Methods for Fixing the Bed Rail or Frame
There are two common methods to show how to fix a broken bed rail – bed rail reinforcement and bed rail crack fix.
First Method: Bed Rail Reinforcement
For the first method, you have to get additional pieces of screws and lumber. You can also use your drill, a handy tool for almost all homes.
Follow these steps:
1. Stripping Your Bed
You have to remove your mattress and the box spring to work comfortably. Just leave the slats. You’ll also need the base to support the added lumber bars.
2. Cutting the Lumber
You have to reinforce your full bed rail or frame, depending on its damage. If there’s only one bar crack, you’re also encouraged to strengthen all bars.
It is a little easy because you just have to cut the lumber pieces to the appropriate length. Put them on top of the preexisting bars.
You must also use the same lumber width as the original. Measure and mark your wood pieces as you cut them.
3. Adding Wood Pieces
After cutting the right bar length, go back and begin placing them on the cracked parts. Reinforcing your bed is a good idea. Just do it smartly and safely to avoid trouble while doing it now and in the future.
After that, you must attach the new center bar to the old one. Then use the screws to fix it. After the installment, you have to put additional screws for each bar.
Get longer screws and drive them in the intersection. Next, the center bar must overlap with the other slats. Long screws must go through the wood for extra support. You may even add shorter screws between those long ones.
Additional Step for Sidebar Breaks
When there is a sidebar break, you can fix it with the same steps as you did on the center bar. You have to notice the new wood piece will not remain straight, and it will curve a little toward the frame. But never worry because as you put the initial screws, it will be manageable for the pullback.
After you finish four screws (or more/less for beds may vary), you have to pull the bar straight.
Tip: Use three screws for queen-sized beds. Don’t screw them right away. It will help you not to hold such bars longer. It’s smarter than pulling with a hand and placing screws with the other.
Gently pull the back bar. You’ll see that the whole frame seems stretched. It’s because you previously screwed them in place. Now, you just have to drive them. Do it fast, and don’t lose your strength.
4. Beefing It Up
When you’ve done everything, drive more screws around it to secure your fix. That is to avoid doing the same and asking yourself how to fix a bed repair after just a year.
Second Method: Dealing with Bed Rail Cracks
In this method, you must depend on your screwdriver and other fix tools on the crack size. Here are the steps:
1. Prepping the Crack
Slightly open the crack and clean out splinters or other particles in it. It’s to make your glue bond stronger. You may use a knife but remember to be careful.
2. Adding Glue
Inject glue on the crack length. Use a bottle tip for an easy and precise bond. Take a knife to even out glue. When a putty knife is not available, get a hard cardstock piece or anything that can smear the glue without leaving a mess. Ensure that your bond is saturated, and repeat the same steps for all cracks on the bed rail or frame.
3. Adding Clamps
Next, you have to add bar clamps around the rail or frame. Tighten them until you see oozing glue but never go overboard. Don’t add damage, especially if you have an old bed.
Leave these clamps overnight and make sure the glue is totally dry. As you wait, inspect the frame for other cracks. If you missed one, that’s the time for a touch-up.
You may also like: Best Queen Mattresses Under 500
4. Reinforcing the Joint
When the glue gets completely dry, reinforce its joint. Measure the crack length and add six to eight inches to it. Then measure the bed frame length.
After the measurements, cut a half-inch of plywood or any scrap wood that’s not rotten or damaged.
5. Drilling the Holes
Pre-drill the plywood and have 2-inch apart holes.
6. Gluing and Screwing
Now everything is prepped, apply the glue to the plywood and position it on the crack. Use the holes and drive-in screws. Leave them overnight, and as it’s totally dry, you can use the bed already.
Other Methods
If you still want to know how to fix a broken bed slat or rail with other ways, proceed to this part.
For Bad Joint
- Remove their brackets
- Clean and disassemble
- Use the wood tape
- Glue and assemble
- Install their brackets
Slat Issues
You can replace the damaged bed slats with new ones. Drill and screw them. After that, you can also add glue drops to secure each slat.
There it goes! That is how to fix a broken bed rail or frame and slat. Ensure that you follow safety measures to repair one of the most significant furniture pieces in the home – your bed.