Why is my bed performing works by Edgard Varèse?

July 10, 2009 10:03 AM

My bed sounds like a banjo made of metal being strummed by Edward Scissorhands whenever I turn over. Could someone else with the same model of bed tell me if this is a feature and not a bug?

I have the queen-sized Heimdal bed from Ikea. I like it quite a bit.

The problem is that whenever I move once I am supine the bed goes SQUEAKSCRATCHCREAK quite loudly. It doesn't do it when I am sitting on it or crawling onto it, only when I am lying down. Do other people with this bed have this problem?

I have the Sultan Liared slats and a queen-sized mattress if that makes a difference.

posted by winna to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Best answer: Have you checked to make sure all the parts are tightened up? I know those X supports (the thin metal things that most Ikea beds have that cross between the two sides) can loosen up and make noise.
posted by orme at 10:42 AM on July 10, 2009

I had a different Ikea bed but the same slats. If you are using those flimsy metal X supports, I suggest you take off the mattress and slats and check if the end rings or screws are being sliced in two. You don't want to hurt your back when one breaks and you fall through. If the metal is being damaged, install a solid wood bar width-wise across the bed.
posted by Listener at 11:03 AM on July 10, 2009

Best answer: I have an Ikea bed of similar construction (same slats) that also did this. Here is the patch:

- Lift off the mattress.
- Lift off the slats.
- Take a bunch of cardboard (I used the cardboard the bed came in) and cut it as long as possible, about 3 times as wide as the midbeam.
- center the cardboard strips along the midbeam. wrap the sides down, now wrap with tape to hold loosely in place. Build up so there's an average of 2 layers of cardboard on the midbeam.
- replace slats and matress.

et voila your bed is not noisy any more. The cardboard damps the clattering of the convex slats against the metal midbeam.

My bed has 'wooden' side beams, so the slat friction against this is much less noisy, the midbeam alone solves the problem. With your bed, if this doesn't work, I'd look at putting something damping between the slat edges and the rails if it remains noisy after attempting the above fix. It will be more of a bitch though cause of those little studs that hold the slats from sliding. I'd probably go to the hardware store and get that foam double stick tape and put a piece between each stud.
posted by jeb at 11:11 AM on July 10, 2009 [2 favorites]

Does it sound like the structural parts of the banjo are made of steel, or are you imagining a regular banjo, but with steel strings?
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:17 AM on July 10, 2009 [1 favorite]