How to assemble a wooden 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 and footboard
• Two side rails and a centre rail
• Centre support legs
• Slats, slat holders or a slat roll
• Bolts, barrel nuts or corner brackets

1. 1

   Step 1: Build in the bedroom, with enough room to walk around the bed on all sides.

2. 2

   Step 2: Screw the slat ledges (the thin strips the slats rest on) to the inside of the side rails, if they are not already fitted.

3. 3

   Step 3: With your helper holding the headboard upright, fix both side rails to it with the bolts and barrel nuts, finger-tight.

4. 4

   Step 4: Fix the footboard to the other ends of the side rails the same way.

5. 5

   Step 5: Fit the centre rail between headboard and footboard and screw the support legs down so they just touch the floor.

6. 6

   Step 6: Check the frame is square by measuring the diagonals, then tighten all bolts firmly.

7. 7

   Step 7: Lay the slats evenly across the frame, fixing them into their holders or screwing the ends if the manual says so.

8. 8

   Step 8: Put the mattress on and check for creaks; a creak usually means a bolt that needs another quarter turn.

• Leaving the centre support legs short of the floor, so the slats bow in the middle.
• Spacing slats more widely than the manual allows, which can void a mattress warranty.
• Over-tightening bolts into soft wood so the barrel nut pulls through.