Calling Carpenters!! Wood type for bed slats?!

Question

Can you recommend what kind of wood I would buy to use as slats for a platform bed? The bed has a middle metal support beam.

Answer 1

Pine 1x4 is plenty strong enough.  Make sure that you have them spaced properly and you are good to go.  Good luck.

Answer 2

The best wood for furniture in general is oak because it is strong and it looks nice Good Luck

Answer 3

Oak. It's very sturdy and fairly easy to obtain (the lumber section of home improvement stores has a section with specialty woods other than pine). It is more expensive than pine, though (about twice the price).

Answer 4

Almost any solid wood would work.  Avoid any type of plywood.  The harder the wood the stronger the support or the thinner the slats need to be.  Traditional is a medium hardwood 3/8" but that was without center support on a double bed.  Adjust that to your bed size and the occupants weight.

Answer 5

I own a flooring store so we have often used the 2-1/4" Oak strips for this. I have also seen plenty of bed using 1x4 Pine as someone else mentioned. Make sure to get boards without big knots or splits.

On fancy beds I've seen Birch, Beech or Maple used, generally  closely spaced thinner pieces.

Answer 6

poplar is the best choce. No knots and has tight grain.  Does not need painting this hardwood. But a good sealer is recommended, to keep the bugs out and easier to clean.