[jasper77]

Can I put hinges in a slat bed base, between slats, so it can fold up for storage? I'm looking for a small and light raised bed base for a folding foam mattress, for a guest bed. I assume that while some of the wooden slat beds come disassembled for easy shipping, it's non-trivial to disassemble and reassemble them each time we have a guest. If I'm wrong please tell me.

I imagine the hinges would be on the bottom of the long pieces, which I would cut. I would buy extra legs to put on either side of the hinges so they won't have to support all the weight themselves. What I don't know is if there is enough room for hinges; how much space is there between the slats, and how wide are the long pieces? I would probably get a queen size.

[Chuck]

Welcome to IKEAFANS, Jasper.

I'm not sure I understand you question. Are you looking to use a slat base on a futon-like bed? Or some other type of folding bed?

The slats that IKEA sells come with a pair of cloth strips that run from one end to the other, is attached to each slat, and holds them at a uniform distance from each other. It is fairly easy to roll up the slats and put them away, though you might want to have some sort of strap to secure the bundle once it's rolled up for storage.

[jasper77]

Originally Posted by Chuck

Welcome to IKEAFANS, Jasper.

I'm not sure I understand you question. Are you looking to use a slat base on a futon-like bed? Or some other type of folding bed?

The slats that IKEA sells come with a pair of cloth strips that run from one end to the other, is attached to each slat, and holds them at a uniform distance from each other. It is fairly easy to roll up the slats and put them away, though you might want to have some sort of strap to secure the bundle once it's rolled up for storage.

Thank you for your response, Chuck; it's helpful! You're telling me I can store the rails and slats separately, and quickly assemble them into a bed base when I have guests. The kind of folding mattress I have in mind is separate segments of foam sewn inside a cloth cover; think of a gym mat, or better yet look at Elite Products Navy Quad Fold Queen 60in. Hide A Mat 32-5950-604 - Bachelor Furniture.
I didn't see anything like that at the Ikea website. I think most people probably put these directly on the floor, but when my aging mom visits she finds it difficult to climb off the floor and prefers an elevated bed. So I'm looking for a support for the mattress that can also be stored small. I had assumed the slats were each affixed to the rails, so I would put hinges in the rails; thank you for clearing that up for me. So as long as I can support the slat bed base high enough off the floor to satisfy my mom, I have a solution. I may still want to hinge the rails if it means I can store them in a nearby closet vs the attic or basement. Thanks!