Davidsavid Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Hi I am new to this so you might have to bear with me ...... I am in the process of converting my Peugeot Boxer into a Campervan....... I have had a metal bed frame made and am I now wondering do I go for slats or a solid plywood base with plenty of ventilation holes ? I hope it’s ok to post this. And apologies if not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Our van has sprung wooden slats, the same as our bed at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Yes cheap light beds come with thin slats that break when you kneel on them, So I use plywood with ventilation holes as its stronger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 John52 - 2019-08-28 11:15 PM Yes cheap light beds come with thin slats that break when you kneel on them, So I use plywood with ventilation holes as its stronger I expect they do, that's why our beds doesn't have thin slats which break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Plywood is still going to be stronger because when you kneel on the bed all your weight plus the weight of what you are carrying can be on one slat. Wheras with a sheet your weight is more distributed. My bed is 19mm ply, steel angle screwed down each side with a hole drilled in each end of the steel angle. Each end rests on a wheelarch. A small ratchet strap hooked through each corner supported on the side rail. So whatever slope the van is parked on I can have a perfectly level (lengthways and sideways) bed in seconds :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Chodkowski Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 SO DO THE RATCHET STRAPS HOLD YOU IN THE BED WHEN THE VAN IS NOT LEVEL - INTEREST I ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Davidsavid - 2019-08-28 10:12 PM Hi I am new to this so you might have to bear with me ...... I am in the process of converting my Peugeot Boxer into a Campervan....... I have had a metal bed frame made and am I now wondering do I go for slats or a solid plywood base with plenty of ventilation holes ? I hope it’s ok to post this. And apologies if not. Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, Dave. A potential problem with beds in leisure vehicles (caravans, motorhomes, boats) is that condensation can occur between the underside of the mattress and whatever base the mattress sits on, and this can result in damp building up and mildew forming. A solid plywood base should be simple to make and be strong, but - even if it has plenty of large holes drilled in it - won’t be as well ventilated as a slatted base, nor be as ’springy’. If you opt for this approach, I suggest you consider using an anti-condensation underlay between the mattress and ply base. https://tinyurl.com/yy36fyvc A slatted base would be harder to contruct and you’d need to ensure that the slats have addequate strength. There’s information/advice here https://tinyurl.com/y2g8jkt7 and this company specialises in bed slats and slatted bases https://www.bedslats.co.uk/ A ‘hybrid’ system is a possibilty, where the base could be plywood with a secondary suspension arrangement above this that supports the mattress and improves ventilation. The “Froli” product is described/discussed here http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/shopuk/froli_bed.htm https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/froli-bed-system.139899/ but, for a large bed, it’s not an inexpensive approach. (It’s perhaps stating the obvious, but the mattress will be as important as the bed-base when it comes to comfort. And a bed that’s very comfortable for one person may be the exact opposite for another.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 You could consider searching charity shops for slatted beds, as it is easy to remove the slats and adjust to your base. Much more comfortable than a flat piece of ply, and cheaper, but you do need to make a strong frame. (And ethically dispose of the rest of the bed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 I noticed that B&Q were selling the slats loose when I was in there earlier this week. Having had a boat with a plywood bed, we did have condensation issues but our two motorhomes have both had slats and no issues with strength problems. I'd defo go with slats. https://www.diy.com/search?term=bed+slats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristol170kj Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 I've heard you can buy bed slats separate from IKEA - just a thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 And another vote for slats! All our beds at home have slats and the three beds in our MH as well and never any issues with breaking any slats. The key is to get laminated plywood style slats and not thin strips of wood. I've actually got a set of household double bed slats and fittings spare if you're anywhere near Birmingham? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsrider Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Hi there Definitely go with the slats. If they are convex and good quality beech slats they are incredibly strong. My last van was a van conversion. Bed was a custom built side slide bed by marlin conversions. This was due to my height. It had sprung beech slats and it was the most comfortable bed I've ever had despite only having a four inch deep mattress. Ply bases have no give. Just my thoughts. For the record I'm 14 stone and the bed endured my son bouncing around on it with me on it and it never even creaked. Flat pine slats probably would be considerably weaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/slatted-bed-bases-24827/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Charles Chodkowski - 2019-08-29 7:40 AM SO DO THE RATCHET STRAPS HOLD YOU IN THE BED WHEN THE VAN IS NOT LEVEL - INTEREST I ? They don't hold you in the bed. They just raise each corner of the bed until its level. Even the small ratchet straps are increrdibly strong so 4 of them easily take the weight, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Derek Uzzell - 2019-08-29 8:19 AM A solid plywood base should be simple to make and be strong, but - even if it has plenty of large holes drilled in it - won’t be as well ventilated as a slatted base If they both have the same area of mattress exposed to the air why would gaps between slats ventilate better than holes? Derek Uzzell - 2019-08-29 8:19 AM , nor be as ’springy’. Well no but a good mattress will give you all the springing you need :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Billggski - 2019-08-29 3:48 PM https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/slatted-bed-bases-24827/ Problem with any ready made furniture is making it fit in the space you have got in a van - can you cut it to size as easily as a sheet of plywood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Incidentally sales of OSB board have overtaken plywood. Not to be confused with chipboard - OSB board is far better than chipboard, seems to be as good as plywood for lower cost : https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-General-Purpose-OSB-3-Board---18mm-X-1220mm-X-2440mm/p/110517 :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 OSB is in general terms half the strength of birch plywood for the same thickness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Let’s not have another “Plumbers Mait” argument ;-) https://noyekplywood.co.uk/oriented-strand-board-vs-plywood/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 colin - 2019-08-30 2:01 PM OSB is in general terms half the strength of birch plywood for the same thickness. Do you know what you are talking about *-) Dereks link confirms what I read elsewhere 'Both OSB and plywood are equal in durability and strength' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidsavid Posted September 5, 2019 Author Share Posted September 5, 2019 Thank you for all of your contributions I decided to go for slats and used Bedslats.co.uk who I have to say were brilliant ....... great forum :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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