Last Updated on August 14, 2023 by Jason Nguyen
We spend most of our time snuggled in our beds. For optimum health, we need to be on our beds, sleeping for at least eight hours of night sleep.
With this very strong and intimate relationship we have with our beds, perhaps, they deserve to be known more in terms of their parts.
Beds are more than just beddings, blankets, pillows, and headboard designs. You will get surprised by how many structures they have and are made of. In this post, we will look at the different parts of a bed.
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Parts of a bed
So now, we get to know our beds more. Here are the parts that make up a bed including the materials-specific parts come with like mattresses. We will also look at some of the major types of beds if you ever need to choose one at some point.
Related: 38 Best Space-Saving Beds For Small Rooms (Ideas and Designs)
1. Mattress
It is one of the most important parts of the bed. As a matter of fact, it is the identity of the bed. It comes in single to king size, including king size ottoman beds.
They are typically rectangular in shape but there are also square and circular ones. They can be very firm or very soft depending on the material. Here are some mattress pads that you should know.
- Memory Foam: This type of mattress is specifically designed for side sleepers. It is expensive because it will gradually correct your position and posture as you sleep through by contouring your body on the bed surface.
- Polyester Padding: Made of durable synthetic fibers, polyester is hypoallergenic, affordable, and very comfortable.
- Double Foam Quilt: This one is made of two layers of high-quality foam and encased in a quilt casing. It provides enough body and back support.
- HD PU Foam: High-density polyurethane foam is made of layers of dense to less dense high-resilience foams. It is used as bottom layers for memory foam and innerspring foams.
- Pocket Spring Unit: This mattress pad is made for sleepers with back conditions and is better than open coil mattresses to help in spine alignment. Each of the pocket springs it is made of reacts one by one with a person’s body weight.
- Cotton Felt: It is still a go-to choice because of its natural soft-feel and low maintenance character. It is soft, durable, and not prone to bunching.
- Spring: They are the traditional mattresses that we know and love. They are inexpensive and easy to maintain. Depending on the layers, spring mattresses can go on to up to a decade before replacement. They are exceptional in regulating body temperature.
- Duo Pads: It has reversible sides, hence, the name. The pile plush side is for the warm season while the less dense, wicking fabric is the side that is made for cooler seasons.
- Quilt: It is one of the softest mattress pads out there. Quilted mattresses are made of soft fabric layers held by equally soft threads. Innerspring, hybrid, and foam mattresses are often quilted.
- Elastic: They are more known as latex mattresses. They are eco-friendly and durable. They are good for sleepers experiencing back and joint pains. They are comfortable cradling the shoulders, the hips, and the lower back. They are also hypoallergenic.
Related: Mattress alternatives | Where to buy foam for couch cushions?
2. Frame
There are two major types of bed frames: traditional and platform. A traditional bed frame is the usual four-leg and bed base rails that connect the four legs together while its mattress is protected by a box spring.
On the other hand, platform bed frames are the modern ones that come with drawers, shelves, and lightings. Instead of bed rails and box spring, the mattress is held by slats.
3. Headboard
It is more of a decorative element attached to the top sides of the bed using bolts. Some are also built-in and some even have drawers or storage on them. With a headboard, scratching and abrasions are avoided. It also functions as a backrest or where the pillows rest for you to become more comfortable.
- Slat: This is the vertical grid that is attached to the bed’s frame.
- Top Rail: It is the horizontal bar found on top of the slat of the headboard.
- Leg: The headboard legs are vertical posts found on opposite sides of the slats in the headboard. They determine the height of the bed.
- Cross rail: It supports the bed’s base. It is also a horizontal bar found beneath the slat of the headboard.
4. Footboard
Most standard beds do not come with footboards but those with an above-average height would appreciate having one. Footboards can be customized parts or they could be built-in. Its main function is to prevent the beddings from slipping off the bed.
- Slat: It is a decorative, vertical panel. It is attached in front of the bed’s frame.
- Top Rail: It is the footboard’s screen clipped in front of the bed’s frame.
5. Hook-On Rails
It is a bed construction made of side rails, a footboard, and a headboard. The headboard and a footboard hold the four legs together through hook-on side rails. Another set of special hooks are clipped to further support the bed frame and the mattress.
6. Headboard Cross Rail
It is a horizontal bar located underneath the slat of the headboard. It is one of the support bases of the bed.
7. Bed Side Rail
They are also known as bed guards. They support the bed frame lengthwise as they run along the length of the headboard and footboard.
8. Cleat
It is the base in which the slats of headboards and footboards are attached.
9. Cut Slats
When they are connected, they form the bed base. They can either be solid slats or sprung slats. They are either made of beech or pine wood.
10. Side Drawers Slot
They are found in modern bunk beds and platform beds. They are either installed in the sideboards of the bed frame.
11. Front Leg
The front legs are the two legs facing the door when you enter the room.
12. Side Drawers
Instead of having a separate bedside drawer, side drawers are installed in the side bed frame.
13. Bottom Side Rail
They are made of wood or metal strips that run underneath the headboard reaching the footboard.
14. Canopy and Posters
Basically, the four legs of the bed extending upward to form bed pillars are the posters. When it is draped with fabric on top, hanging by the posters, you build a canopy.
Canopy beds usually have wood or metal frames, and the canopy can either be sheer fabric or heavier curtains. They can still have headboards and footboards.
15. Waterbeds
They are mattresses on an additionally padded frame that are puffed in bulk through water-filling them. The padded bed frame helps in balancing the weight of the water in the waterbed and to protect it from probable tears and punctures.
16. Daybeds
It is a good alternative for smaller rooms. It is considered as the hybrid of a sofa and a bed and is typically twin-sized. They have higher bed frames than typical beds and have more space underneath.
They can be converted to trundle beds for more sleeping space. They can have headboards and footboards too. They can also have storage drawers in them making them more multipurpose.
17. Futons
They are foldable beds that can be used for seating during daytime and can be pulled out to spread as a mattress at night. It sits on a futon frame and the backrest will convert into a headboard when you pull the mattress out.
18. Sofa Beds
They are like futons because they are foldable mattresses. They are also space-saving beds which you can fold in layers and seat on in the morning and unfold at night. Sofa beds can accommodate two people.
Related: Types of sofas for every room
19. Pillow
It is the bulky cushion whose function is to support the head for comfortable sleeping.
20. Pillow protector
It is basically the pillow casing that protects it from being directly exposed to dirt and moisture. They come in soft fabrics both natural and synthetic.
21. Bolster
It runs along the length of the bed and is the cylindrical cushion where the pillows are rested.
Parts of a bunk bed
22. Ladder/Steps
This is why bunk beds are kids’ beds. It is positioned either in front of the bed, at the back, or at the foot of the bed. It provides easy access for the top bunk to be reached.
23. Guardrail
This one is usually placed in the top bunk to provide safety from falling over. They are usually made of metal or wood and are installed on both sides of the bed.
Related: 42+ Built-in Bunk Bed Ideas For Kids From A Fairy Tales
Conclusion
The bed is more than just a source of comfort. At the very least, we must know all of its parts. After all, they are not very hard to memorize and not hard to identify. Aside from the bed parts, you also have to know the beddings that will best go with it, the design that it will have, and what new additions must be put in it to make them unique.
In knowing these, you have all the things you will need to prepare you in assembling one with your own hands the next time.
Related: Standard bedroom size
