If you have hardwood, laminate, or tile floors in your home, and a steel or metal bed frame, you know those are far from a perfect match. And since you’ve landed on this page, you must be wondering how to stop your bed from sliding on your smooth, polished floor. It doesn’t matter whether your bed is a king or a queen or maybe a futon bed. Match it with a bare floor, and it will undoubtedly move around.
It is a misconception that bigger, heavier beds don’t slide. True, the lighter the bed frame is, the more it will move. But heavy ones also slide around if they are made from the materials mentioned above. Except that the heavier the bed, the more it can damage the floor.
Luckily, you won’t have to change your bed frame to solve this issue. In this guide, I’ll explain why keeping your bed put is the right choice. Then, I’ll share some fantastic ideas on how to stop your bed from sliding. And the best part is they are just as stylish as they are practical!
Why Is Bed Sliding Such an Annoying Problem?
The first thing that comes to mind when you think about the sliding bed frame is probably that it will leave marks on your floor. Unfortunately, that’s right. If your bed keeps on moving, you can say goodbye to your impeccable floor finish.
Scratches and gouges will make your floor look old and worn out. Even the best hardwood floor polish won’t be able to conceal them. That will call for expensive, time-consuming repairs and replacements that could have easily been avoided.
What most people don’t take into account is that wobbly beds are also dangerous for the elderly. When they’re getting up, they need a stable bed to hold on to. Otherwise, they risk losing their balance, slipping, and falling down. They could hurt themselves or even break a hip in the process.
If you have small children, I am sure they just love jumping on and bouncing off the bed. But the frame that moves around on your smooth floor is risky for them, too. The bed may slide too far and cause your kids to fall on the floor and injure themselves.
And finally, let’s be honest here — how annoying is it when your bed is sliding during your nocturnal activities? Naturally, you’ll want to get that issue out of the way as soon as possible.
For all those reasons and many more that are beyond the scope of this article, the problem has to be dealt with. That’s why I set out to find the best ways to stop the bed from sliding on the floor.
What Can You Do to Stop Your Bed From Sliding?
Here are ten solutions I found for this vexing problem that work and still keep you on budget. But what I like the most is that you don’t have to sacrifice your style to get results.
1. Move Your Bed to the Corner
The first solution is to move your bed to the corner of the room. Rearranging your bedroom layout will breathe new life into it without you having to spend a dime. It may even get your creative juices flowing to add further changes. Although your bed will still be able to move on the remaining two sides, that will only be a problem if your frame is particularly lightweight.
Granted, if you have some unusual corners in your room, moving the bed may not be possible. However, if you do move it, keep in mind that if two people sleep on the bed, they would have to climb onto it from the same side or the bottom, which is not the best choice for people past a certain age.
Also, if you have kids and they jump on the bed forcibly, they may slam it against the walls and chip them. So make sure to consider all those factors before you send your bed to the corner.
2. Put a Carpet Under the Bed
Naked, polished floors may be on trend at the moment, but having a beautiful rug will never be out of style. Plus, putting a carpet under your bed will give it something to grip on and stop sliding, especially if the rug is a thick pile or a shaggy one.
Besides, adding a carpet that matches your room could help tie all its elements together and completely transform the space. To keep your room looking chic, go for a rug that has an eye-catching pattern.
Also, bear in mind that it should be big enough. The entire bed should fit on it, and there should be about 20 inches on the sides of the bed as well. I recently wrote an article on the standard carpet width, so make sure to check it out if you need help with that.
3. Get Rubber Grippers
You can always try placing rubber grippers under the legs. You can make them yourself if you have some spare rubber lying around, or you can buy them. Either way, you will fix the issue without breaking the bank.
For the DIY version, you need some old bicycle tire or other leftover rubber. Even spare bike pedal covers would do. If you don’t have any of that, you can easily get a piece of rubber at any local home supply store. Then, all you need to do is cut it to match the size and shape of the legs of your bed and glue the grippers on them.
4. Buy Rubber Feet
Another good solution is putting rubber bumper feet on the bed’s legs. They are made of thicker rubber then the grippers. While the latter look like a flat piece of rubber, the former are usually in the shape of a cup or a cone. They also have adhesive or a screw attached to them so that you can firmly secure the product to the bed frame legs.
5. Fasten the Bed to the Wall
You could attach your bed to the wall by mounting the headboard on it. This solution is excellent for child-proofing. But it may not be the best choice if you like to switch up your home decor from time to time and move your furniture around. You risk chipping your wall when you unscrew the headboard from it. Also, you need to fill in the holes afterward to make the wall nice and smooth again.
6. Use Velcro Pads
Velcro pads are affordable and effective. Velcro padding is thinner than most rubber grippers and would be completely unnoticeable under your bed. The only downside is you would have to glue it to the floor, and the chances are you won’t be able to remove the adhesive afterward. So this option is best for beds that you don’t plan on moving any time soon.
7. Get Bed Stoppers
Bed stoppers are made of thick rubber and will ensure that your bed doesn’t budge an inch. You won’t have to worry about how your room looks as they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They are usually either clear, beige, tan, brown, or black, but you may come across other colors, too.
Typically, they come in circular and rectangular shapes and can go from one to four inches in size. Some bed stoppers also work on legs with wheels, so you won’t have to remove those beforehand.
8. Change the Legs
Another great option is to switch the existing bed legs for rubberized ones. There are so many bed leg options to choose from, and they are usually made to fit a variety of bed frames.
Go for the decorative kind to make your room even more sophisticated. There are also some stunning hand-engraved ones on the market. However, keep in mind that this is only possible if the legs on your bed are detachable.
9. Get Bed Risers
I love bed risers because they act like stilettos for your bed! They will lift it to give you more storage space underneath and also stop it from sliding.
Although you can go for the standard black ones, there are a variety of other options on the market. You certainly won’t have to compromise style for function. Choose those that match your home decor color palette or ones made from the same material as your bed frame. Wooden, plastic, PVC, rubber, you name it — you can find it.
They can be square, oval, pyramid-shaped, or even carved in a plethora of shapes that give added visual appeal. You can also choose the height — they go anywhere from six inches to two feet in height. That means that you can add as much under-bed storage space as you need.
10. Bed Leg Protectors
If bed risers are the stilettos for your bed, then you can say these bed feet protectors are the socks!
You can use them on your bed legs but also your coffee table and armchairs. In fact, they can work for any piece of furniture that slides on your floors. They are usually woven but have rubberized grips at the bottom so that they don’t slip. You can also remove them with ease and wash them regularly to curb dust buildup and keep your home clean.
The Bottom Line
All in all, if you follow my tips, you should have no trouble finding a proper way to stop your bed from sliding on your sleek floors. If you like the ideas I came up with, make sure to share the article with your friends who are having the same problem. Also, let me know about any other tricks that can stop the bed from sliding. I would love to hear about them!
