We have some projects on deck this weekend, and one of them was to find a solution for sliding out of our angled bed. It’s not so bad, but I’m a little concerned about what will happen to the heated mattress pad come wintertime. (I really have to dig my feet into the mattress to shove myself back up toward the pillow, and that worries me with electrical wires below.) Also, the mattress tends to slide down the box springs over the course of a week or so. We needed something that could brace the mattress and the people upon it.
So here’s the first prototype. It’s not actually the first design, since I was completely prepared to just drill through the L-brackets into the floor – right through the carpet and padding. I knew full well the screws would probably bind up, but the thing would be sturdy as heck.
But no – Lloyd saw me carry the wood, drill and L-brackets up from the basement through the dining room. Drat his sneaky eyes and his concern for resale value.
“Sheesh. What are you doing?” he sighed.
“Um….. laundry?”
Drat. Drat. Drat. He helped me carry stuff upstairs, talked me down from my instance on floor anchoring, and we tried a few different, yet less good, configurations. We settled on making an upside-down ‘T’. Part of it goes under the bed, the other part is the ‘floor’ for the L-brackets.
Now we have something to rest our feet on when we’ve slid down, so it’s a little like standing in bed.
Maybe sometime we’ll make a ‘pretty’ version – perhaps something more bench-like with proper in-floor support – but it’ll do for now.
Lloyd says
I tried to upgrade to the most recent version of wordpress last night, and it didn’t work. In the process, I lost three comments. Sorry if any of them were yours. They were not deleted intentionally.
Brad says
I’m a little surprised cement blocks were not involved. But at least you used L-brackets.
Cousin Sam says
So typical of L people to call V brackets “L” brackets. And the reason we had to have a T with all of the weight of the bed on the bracket side was???
Lauren says
… was so that the force of our feet pushing on the footboard wouldn’t push it away from the bed. The part under the mattress keeps it in place. (The one picture actually has the thing turned around. The ‘V’ brackets, as you blasphemously call them, aren’t under the bed.) Of course, bolting it to the floor would have been better. (Do you think Lloyd heard that?)
Kristi says
This is a long drawn-out project. Why not just get hammocks for each of you?
Peggy says
Maybe you’re tackling this whole thing from the wrong end…maybe you could try making a magnetic headboard…and simply wear some very cool looking night caps to bed…covered with paper clips.
Lloyd says
Exactly. I’ve been saying for months that we just need a rope hanging down from the top that we can hang onto. Or maybe it can have a loop at the bottom that you can put your foot through --if you want to get all fancy.