How To Fix A Squeaky Wooden Bed Frame

Squeaky creaky wooden bed frame? Wondering how to get your bed to stop squeaking? If your bed frame is squeaky and making squeaking noises here are tips to help you fix it. When you are trying to sleep, a squeaky or creaky wooden bed frame is annoying and keeps you up at night. Most modern day wooden bed frames are put together without bolts or screws near the headboard and foot board. They simply fit together with hooks on the longer bed slats that attach to the headboard and footboard. They are held together by gravity and by your weight on the bed frame. Under you mattress are wooden slats that lay horizontally. Most of these are held down with wood screws and they could be loose. When squeaking occurs, you need to readjust the bed frame, tighten screws, or lubricate where the squeaking noise is coming from.

Fix squeaky wood bed frame

First find where the bed squeak is coming from. Get on the mattress and push down on it in all areas especially near the headboard and the footboard. Try to find exactly where the squeak is coming from. Once you have pinpointed the exact location where the squeaky noise is heard, you have found where you need to either readjust the frame, tighten screws, or lubricate with wax.

Check bed rails for squeaky wooden bed frame

Usually there is a metal joint between the wooden pieces on the headboard and footboard where the wood bed frame attaches. These metal joints can rub together either metal to metal or wood to metal and create the squeak. The squeaking basically means 2 pieces of your bed frame are squeezed under pressure once weight is on the mattress thus causing the noise. You may also have loose wood screws on the wood slat/plank boards under the mattress. It may be your box spring mattress that is squeaking, if so here is a way to stop a squeaky box spring mattress.

Tighten screws on wooden bed slats to stop squeaks

If you determine your wooden bed frame is the source of the squeak, remove the mattress completely. Under the mattress, make sure all the wood screws/bolts on the wood slats/planks are tightened and not loose. If these screws or bolts are loose then that is most likely your squeak source. Tighten all screws and or bolts. Add a few wood screws to certain areas if needed. Once all screws are tight, try readjusting the parts of the wood frame that attach together without fasteners. Lift up on both sides of the bed rails (left and right side) of the wood bed frame where the rail board hooks into the headboard and footboard to be sure they are all the way down and securely in place. If tightening screws and readjusting does not stop the squeak, you need to lubricate the area the squeak is coming from.

Check that bolts or screws are tight if bed frame squeaks

If you choose to lubricate your wooden bed frame to stop the squeaks, do not use WD-40, cooking oil, or a chemical lubricant. It will smell and collect dust. Use a wax such as bees wax. A candle will work too if you need to fix it fast. Rub an unlit candle into the area where the squeak is coming from to coat it with wax. The wax will coat the wood or metal area and won’t smell, collect dust, or soak into the wood. Paraffin works well too. Use anything that is NOT AN OIL and use a wax material instead.

Bees Wax can stop a squeaky wood bed frame

Paraffin Wax can also help stop a creaky wood bed frame

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If squeaks on your wood bed frame reoccur, remember to re-tighten screws, bolts, readjust the slats, adjust the wood going to the headboard, adjust the wood going to the footboard, and apply wax to any areas that constantly squeak. Remember to never use any type of oil as this will soak into wood and can cause odor and heavy dust build up. Bees wax is your best choice for stopping a squeaky wooden bed frame.

Can’t stop the squeak? Tired of your bed frame? Buy a new bed frame!

Do you have any other suggestions for stopping squeaks on a wooden bed frame? Please let us know your tips or tricks for creaky beds by leaving a comment below.