“My bed squeaks and it drives me crazy what can I do?”

“Is there something wrong with my mattress & boxspring it is noisy?”

These are common questions and yes you can fix the noise, sometimes. Now let’s see if we can help you resolve the squeaking problem.

First and foremost determine the obvious. Finding and isolating the noise to an exact location with a couple quick tests and replace the bad part.
Most squeaking does not come from the mattress or the boxspring, it generally is found coming from the frame or the combination of frame, headboard, and footboard if you have one. You must remove the boxspring and mattress to do this. Put a little weight on the frame and move or rock the headboard. If it is loose tighten the nuts and bolts or purchase metal shims made to tighten up hook side rails.

No squeak in the frame or headboard and footboard. Then place the mattress on the floor get onto the mattress lay, roll, and move around on it. If it squeaks or pops there really is nothing you can do to fix it unless your mattress is still under warranty. Ask your dealer or the manufacturer if it can be replaced. A defective or broken spring is likely the problem.

Not squeaking in the mattress either? That only leaves the boxspring. Carefully do the same thing with the box spring, placing it on the floor and laying on the box spring. If it makes a noise and squeaks it is likely a broken or loose wood slat or frame work. It could also be located in the springs, torsion bars, or steel grid deck coming detached from its wooden frame work. Hopefully you are still with in your warranty period; such problems are usually covered by warranty from the manufacturer.

An example of what is not covered under warranty is when your bed frame doesn’t offer enough support, which can cause your box spring to flex improperly causing the failures mentioned previously or possible collapse. Weak and unsupported wooden bed slats are a majority of these problems today and are a common cause for mattress and boxspring failures. Provide good and proper support for your mattress and box spring and your mattress set should last for years to come.

If you currently already own a hard side waterbed you should have everything you need to change your water bed back into a regular bed. For example in a matter of 2 hours you can easily convert you old bed back into a conventional coil spring mattress or even one of the popular specialty mattresses like latex, memory foam, airbed or softside waterbed.

How to: Waterbed headboard into a freestanding headboard

Begin by breaking down your hard side wood framed waterbed saving all the screws, hardware, and frame boards. You will be able to utilize the old side frames to build headboard stands or headboard legs. In order to have your headboard sitting at the optimal height behind your new mattress you will to first determine the precise height to cut the stands too. You can do this by measuring the combined height of your mattress, box spring, and pedestal or frame that will be positioned in front of the newly freestanding headboard. Example: if combined height of the bed frame/drawer pedestal, mattress set, and base are 27”, cut your stands about 26”. The angle brackets used to hold your old bed together will be used to build your headboard stands.

Can I still used my waterbed drawers underneathe my mattress?

For those who have a drawer pedestal and want to continue to utilize the storage of them, know that you can set you mattress or mattress set on top of the drawers. First you will need to cut to size and screw down your old plywood decking on top of the pedestal which will now become a platform bed. Make it look more professional by cutting to size and putting a piece of trim around it for a more finished edge. If you have a taller drawer pedestal such as 18 ½” you may want to use your mattress only without a box spring or you will end up with a very tall bed with a total finished height of 38” to 42” tall. We often joke with customers who want to do this that they will need a ladder to get into bed.

How to use metal bed frame with water bed head board.

If you have no drawers or plan on not using your existing drawer pedestal you can use a regular steel bed frame and just set it in front of your headboard on stands. We don’t recommend using the old box pedestal or riser because they are unstable without the weight of a waterbed to secure them into position. With a little determination, a saw, and an electric drill, you now have changed your waterbed back into a conventional bed.

Why is it important to understand the differences in these colors?

Many people become frustrated trying to complete a bedroom set they didn’t purchase all at one time and will sometimes try to get their hands on different pieces such as dressers, chests, and nightstands from completely different bedroom sets to finish their own bedroom. Maybe they really love the headboard, footboard, and dressers and bought it while opting not to buy the chest and nightstands. Maybe they’re putting together more of an eclectic look and are looking for pieces that contrast well or are in the same family of color.

So which espresso, expresso , coffee color is which?

A very popular furniture color to do this with today is the espresso colors sometimes called the expresso color in the business. Many color gurus throw it in more of the nearly black family of colors while in the business of stains are often a little wider group of colors that just nearly being black. There is repeatedly some additional confusion with another color called coffee which is usually a little bit lighter and ranges more in light to dark chocolate brown family of colors.

So why is there so much confusion with the different color names?

There is no standardization for color names or the actual stains themselves in the furniture industry. Why is this? Most companies create and mix their own colors not to mention they name them too. Furniture manufacturers frequently do this to compel you into buying their matching “Espresso” piece of furniture. This makes competitors furniture pieces look less attractive to the consumer in view of the fact they wouldn’t be exactly the same color or for that matter be in the same family of color.

What to do if you still need to purchase furniture to complete your collection?

Take a sample of the color with you. Remove a drawer, finial, or even a wood bed side rail. They will easily fit into a car. Shop the furniture stores in your area and if you find something that you believe is a close match or contrasts well ask the sales associate if you may bring in a sample to verify the match to be a good one. This will put you on the road to matching and completing your bedroom collection.