How to assemble a platform bed frame

• Allen key (supplied)
• Cross-head screwdriver
• Rubber mallet
• Tape measure

Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.

• Headboard or head rail
• Foot rail and two side rails
• Centre rail and its adjustable support legs
• Slats or deck panels with strap or fixing screws
• Corner brackets, bolts and barrel nuts

1. 1

   Step 1: Lay the side rails, head and foot rails on a rug in their final positions so each corner joint lines up with its bracket or dowel holes.

2. 2

   Step 2: Bolt one side rail to the head rail and the foot rail, finger-tight, then fit the second side rail to close the rectangle.

3. 3

   Step 3: Measure both diagonals of the frame; nudge the corners until the two measurements match, then tighten the corner bolts fully.

4. 4

   Step 4: Hook or screw the centre rail between the middle of the head and foot rails, following the manual for which way up its ledge faces.

5. 5

   Step 5: Wind the centre support legs down until each one just touches the floor, so the middle rail is straight and not lifting the frame.

6. 6

   Step 6: Lay the slats across the side ledges and centre rail at the spacing the manual gives, or drop in the deck panels in their numbered order.

7. 7

   Step 7: Screw or clip each slat to the centre rail, or fit the supplied strap, so slats cannot creep and leave a wide gap under the mattress.

8. 8

   Step 8: Put the mattress on, sit along each edge and in the middle, and listen for creaks; re-tighten any corner bolt that moves.

• Skipping the centre legs or leaving them short of the floor, so the slats sag in the middle.
• Spacing slats wider than the manual allows, which can void the mattress warranty and make it dip.
• Tightening corners before squaring the frame, which locks in a twist.