Plywood for Under Mattress: Choosing the Ideal Support for Your Bed

The bed is the most crucial piece of furniture in your bedroom, with the mattress completing the setup. If you value your sleep, and you should, having a comfortable bed should be a priority.

Plywood has long been an excellent way to provide support for mattresses. With the right plywood board under your mattress, your sleep becomes even better. But how do you know the correct board to use underneath the bed?

Many people know how helpful plywood under a mattress can be, but the problem lies when choosing the correct board. You cannot use just any plywood under your bed and expect results.

This article will help you choose the ideal support for your bed as we delve into the details of choosing the right plywood to prop your mattress.

Advantages of Using Plywood Under Your Bed

Since there are various other ways to support your mattress besides using plywood, it is vital to understand how important a plywood base is and what it does differently. Here are some advantages of this bed support style:

1. Even Mattress Support

Plywood provides even support to the mattress as there are no openings. The solid plywood board prevents parts of the bed from falling inside due to a lack of support. If you use plywood to provide stability, you will likely get the most firmness, even more than required.

Sleep is enhanced by the stable support that encourages spinal alignment and prevents pain. You’re more likely to get a sound sleep when the mattress is without dips.

2. Affordability

Due to its availability, plywood is more affordable than box springs and bed frame slats. The manufacturing process of plywood is straightforward. Among the many reasons for its considerably, low price and its weight. It is lightweight, making transportation affordable and reducing the board’s overall cost.

Since plywood is manufactured, it can be made into large sizes for your bed, regardless of size. If you’re interested in saving cost, using plywood as a bed prop should be at the top of your mind.

3. Versatility

Even though not all mattress types are compatible with a plywood base, this support system is the most versatile and is compatible with many mattress types. Hybrid, latex, foam, and even spring mattresses are all suitable on a plywood base. If you’re undecided on the bed to use or maybe changing yours soon, a plywood base provides more flexibility.

4. Easy Installation

You don’t need any unique technique to install or adjust plywood bed bases. The minimal number of boards required helps streamline installation, with two boards often enough to support most mattresses. Cutting plywood is straightforward with the right tools, and you can install it by placing it on the bed frame or slats.

5. Easy to Customize

Plywood comes in various sizes, densities, and thicknesses, which gives you a wide range of options when selecting the type to use. The variety means you get the perfect density and thickness to support the bed. We’ll discuss this shortly when showing you how to choose the ideal support.

Choosing the Right Plywood for Your Bed

By now, you know why plywood has become a popular bed support. To get the proper plywood, you’ll need to understand certain factors, how they affect bed support, and the correct metrics for your needs. Without further ado, let’s see these factors.

1. Plywood Thickness and Density

We’ve earlier established that plywood comes in various thicknesses and densities that can affect their support levels. We still need to state how they affect the bed’s firmness. Most plywood thickness ranges from ⅛” to above 1″ thick, but not all are suitable under the bed.

Before you consider the right thickness, check the mattress’s size and the weight of the person(s) using it. This information will help you understand the weight that the plywood is expected to carry and will guide the correct thickness. Ideally, a thicker board is needed for more extensive beds holding more people. However, avoid plywood lower than ¾” as it cannot support the mattress.

Nevertheless, selecting the thickest available plywood has downsides, as thinner boards are more flexible and lightweight. Narrower boards will also be more affordable. So you want to put these into consideration when making a decision.

Plywood density refers to the number of layers the board contains and often directly affects its thickness. Denser boards have better durability and offer more support to the bed. But as always, they are also more expensive and heavier.

2. Bed Size

While securing the plywood to support your mattress, consider the bed size. You must wonder why this is important; the plywood must cover the bed frame to support the mattress. Start by measuring the bed frame surface area.

Additional support is needed at the center of the boards for large beds. So add the dimensions for these center brace boards to get the total board size required for the project.

3. Ventilation And Moisture Resistance

Plywoods are solid pieces with minimal ventilation which can be a breeding ground for mold and moisture buildup. Therefore you want to select a board with good ventilation and Moisture resistance capacity. These days, most manufacturers include bogus moisture resistance claims that are unsubstantiated. So how do you make your findings?

Generally, exterior-grade plywoods have better moisture resistance capacities, with special features helping to keep moisture away. However, you may have to make some unconventional adjustments when trying to get the ventilation right. Unlike box springs and frame slats, plywood is a solid piece that makes ventilation challenging—perforate holes across the surface to improve air circulation.

4. Plywood Quality

We saved one of the most critical factors for last – the quality of the plywood. The reason for this is not far-fetched as it is more straightforward than the rest. Plywoods are graded A, B, C, and D based on appearance, quality, and cost.

Plywood graded A has the smoothest appearance with minimal defects; they also cost a lot considering their quality. You’ll find that the overall appearance and quality decline from grade A to D, with D sporting visible warps and cracks. Based on this information, grades B and C are ideal for bed frame support as they have a good blend of quality and cost. Grade D should be avoided as they can easily break under pressure.

Pay extra attention when selecting the plywood by physically checking for defects. Your search will be easier if you purchase higher-grade plywood.

Maintenance Tips for Plywood Bed Support

Everybody likes to get value for their purchases. But only a few enjoy a long serving of plywood support due to several factors. However, if you consider the tips in this section, you will increase the lifespan of your plywood support.

• Maintain Good Ventilation: Plywood naturally has poor ventilation, which leads to a buildup of moisture and mold. You can prolong its lifespan by improving and maintaining the board’s ventilation.
• Regular Inspection: Inspect the board for cracks, molds, and moisture marks. You can make adjustments when discovered early to prevent complete damage to the wood.
• Clean Regularly: Clean the unfinished wood by dusting it with a rag. Ensure you wipe moisture spills immediately to prevent it from penetrating the board.
• Add Center Support to Large Beds: Large beds may sag over time due to weight. Adding center support will prevent sagging which will ultimately break the wood.

FAQ’s

Have you got questions about using plywood as bed support? So do many others, so we’ve compiled some popular questions and their answers.

Conclusion

Supporting your mattress will improve its stability, firmness and make your sleep more enjoyable. How you achieve this will vary based on preferences, but plywood is a popular material for many uses.

Selecting the best features of plywood can only be challenging when proper guidance is lacking. This guide’s whole purpose is to help you make the right decision. There are also helpful maintenance tips like regular cleaning and inspection to prolong lifespan.