How to Fix a Squeaky Wooden Bed Frame

After a long, stressful day, there’s no better feeling than collapsing in your bed for a long, restful night. The last thing anyone wants is for that heavenly sensation to be interrupted by an unceremonious creak from beneath the mattress.

That’s no monster under the bed. It’s worse: a squeaky wooden bed frame. Luckily, addressing a noisy bed isn’t as daunting as you might think.

Wonder how to fix a squeaky wooden bed frame no more with our handy guide. We’ll pinpoint the source of the creaking together, then present steps you can take to put it to bed. Then, you can get back to bed yourself.

First, Identify the Source of the Squeak

Singling out the squeak’s source is the first step toward recovering your rest. Here’s how.^1,2

Test Movement

You likely discovered the unwanted squeak while lying down—in other words, by applying pressure on the bed base. Seeking the source uses the same principle.

Listen to and watch how the bed frame reacts when you:

• Sit on the bed
• Move around it
• Press into it with your hands

Like a game of hot and cold, you’ll know when you’re close to the source of the squeaking sound.

Inspect Joints and Connections

Bed frames are built out of many parts, all held together with connecting pieces. Those joints are likely culprits for your creaky conundrum.

Checking the corners is a good place to start when looking for squeaky joints. It’ll be pretty visually clear if the joints aren’t gelling there. Squeaking might also come from the stringer: the headboard-footboard connector beneath the bed frame.²

Fixing Techniques

Found the source? Now, let’s fix the squeaking sound.

We’ll walk you through a few simple solutions that we promise you don’t need to be a carpenter to do.^1,2

Lubrication

Before you do anything else, dust your bed frame to prevent particulates from undoing your hard work.³ With that done, use one of these furniture-safe lubricants on the squeaky area:

• Silicone spray/WD-40 – These are common finds at your local home improvement store. Spray them directly onto the frame’s screws and bolts, and voila—squeaks squashed.
• Beeswax – Though you’ll need to reapply eventually, beeswax is a wood-friendly, natural alternative that’s excellent at cutting friction.

Padding

Your mattress cushions you. Cushioning your wooden frame can do wonders of its own.

• Cloth – Those old T-shirts are more than washrags. Place them, or any other thin cloth material, between the frame and the mattress. Wrapping them around the bed slats will also help cut down on the squeaking noise.
• Cork wedges – Before you throw that spare cork away, cut it into wedges and pad the squeaky spot.⁴
• Foam tape – Foam tape is a reliable remedy for a squeaky stringer. Tape the spot where the stringer attaches to the headboard and footboard.

Tightening and Reinforcing

Since a squeaky frame can be the result of components coming loose, tightening things up is a natural countermeasure. Time to break out the toolbox.

• Tighten loose screws and bolts – First things first: use a screwdriver (or a wrench, depending on your particular bed frame) on the frame’s bolts and screws.
• Add bracing – Still squeaky? You can brace the loose joints with washers—preferably plastic ones, as they won’t produce grating sounds.

Disassemble and Reassemble

You know what they say: “Unplug, then plug it back in.” The same basic principle applies here: Disassemble, then reassemble your bed frame if you’re truly at a loss for the source of the annoying squeak.

While it’s not a solution in and of itself, you might be more likely to spot the problem during disassembly. From there, it’s a simple matter of working backward using our tips.

Additional Tips

We never said those were all of our tips, though. Here are a few more anti-squeak measures for you.

Rotate Your Mattress

We all shift positions and flip pillows to get cozy—why not do the same with mattresses?

Indeed, sleeping on the same surface night after night will cause inevitable wear. By rotating your mattress, you’re giving it a rest, per se, allowing your usual spot to recalibrate.²

Check Your Slats

Even if you checked the slats when searching for the squeak in the first place, they’re worth a second look. If they’re warped or damaged beyond repair, replacement is the way to go.⁵ In considering whether to replace your slats or explore alternatives, it’s helpful to compare slats vs solid bed base; each offers distinct benefits in terms of support and longevity.

Get a New Bed Frame

If you’ve tried everything we suggested and still can’t seem to silence that squeak, it may be a sign that it’s time to replace your bedframe entirely. Investing in a better bed frame is an investment in better sleep, and investing in better sleep is an investment in improved quality of life. 

Looking for a change of frame but don’t know what bed frame size to go with? You’re in luck: we’ve blogged about twin-size bed frame dimensions, full-size bed frame dimensions, queen bed frame dimensions, and, of course, king-size bed frame dimensions.

Upgrade to a Solid Wood Bed Frame from James&James

James&James furniture is built to last, leaving squeaky problems in the past. You can have that long, restful night you’ve been dreaming of by upgrading to one of our solid, custom wood bed frames, whether you like saving space with a twin mattress or living luxuriously with a king.

The best part? They’re all made by hand right here in the US with nothing but the highest-quality lumber.

Get in touch with a James&James design consultant today to discuss options and figure out what kind of bed frame works best for your household. You’ll be sleeping squeak-free before you know it.

Sources: 

1. Sleep Foundation. How to Fix a Squeaky Bed. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/best-bed-frames/how-to-fix-a-squeaky-bed
2. Sleepopolis. How to Fix a Squeaky Bed: 8 Tips. https://sleepopolis.com/guides/how-to-fix-a-squeaky-bed/
3. BetterSleep. How to Fix a Squeaky Bed. https://www.bettersleep.com/blog/how-to-fix-a-squeaky-bed
4. Lucky Mag. How to Fix a Squeaky Bed: A Comprehensive Guide. https://www.luckymag.com/home/mattresses/how-to-fix-a-squeaky-bed/
5. Hunker. How to Keep a Wood Slat Bed from Squeaking. https://www.hunker.com/12402864/how-to-keep-a-wood-slat-bed-from-squeaking/