I'm Looking at Bunk Beds... What is a Bunkie Board?

So you have started looking at log bunk beds, congratulations!  A question that comes up a lot when our customers call in to us at Woodland Creek’s is “What is a Bunkie board, and do I really need it?”  This is a great question and I’m going to give you a great answer along with some more information on Bunkie boards.  There are many styles of Bunkie boards and we’ll cover all of the ones you will find at Woodland Creek’s Log Furniture Place. Bunkie Board Is… Bunkie board is a thin substitute for a box spring.  It is a thinner platform for the mattress to sit on so that the mattress does not slide through the cross supports on the log bunk bed.  Where a box spring can be 5” – 9” thick a Bunkie board is typically ¾” – 1”. Is the goal of the Bunkie board is to eliminate the need for a box spring it must perform the same function as the box spring.  It must provide support for the mattress.  To meet this goal the mattress should be placed directly on the Bunkie board with nothing in between. Come of the log bunk beds you will find on our site include a Bunkie board while others list the Bunkie board as optional.  We have found that some customers prefer to make their own Bunkie boards so we list the Bunkie board as optional on some of the cabin style bunk beds. The Bunkie Board was Invented Because…. Most styles of bunk beds, including rustic bunk beds, are designed to fit into a room with standard height ceilings.  To fit them into the average size room, care has to be given to provide as much headroom as possible to the bunk below as well as to the bunk above.  Also to meet safety specifications all bunk beds must have a certain number of inches of safety rail above the top mattress.  A 3ft tall safety rail would be needed if a box spring was used on the top bunk and that would put the mattress very close to the ceiling, as well as look pretty odd, so the Bunkie board was invented. That Styles of Bunkie Boards Do We Carry? The first style is a standard slat kit.  Slat kits are a series of wooden slats that attach firmly to the log frame of your log bunk bed.  The slats will typically attach to the log cross supports running the width/depth of the rustic bunk bed with screws.  This will ensure that they stay on place on rustic bunk beds that have an open design. The second style is the plywood Bunkie board.  The plywood Bunkie board is typically made of 5/8” to ¾ plywood.  At first the thought of a plywood Bunkie board may sound pretty dull.  It does not have to be!  Let me share a quick rustic décor tip for the upper bunk Bunkie board.  First find a flat bed sheet with a design on it that you like, it could be a solid color, a rustic theme, camouflage etc.   Now wrap that sheet around the Bunkie board, fully covering the bottom of it, and staple the remaining sheet into the top of the Bunkie board.  Now as you lay on your log bunk bed on the bottom bunk looking up at the top bunk you will see the log cross supports and your dressed up Bunkie board instead of the dull plywood Bunkie board! The third style is the tongue and groove Bunkie board.  The tongue and groove Bunkie boards are made out of… yes, you guessed it, tongue and groove wooden boards.    These Bunkie boards provide a bit of rustic style and charm while providing solid support for the mattress. The fourth and last style is the wooden frame Bunkie board.  These Bunkie boards are typically made of a series of wooden slats framed together and covered in fabric to mimic the look of a box spring. Bunkie Mattresses You may have seen or heard of a Bunkie mattress but you haven’t been able to find them on our site.  Why is that?  The reason is because, in my opinion, they are not worth the money.  If a child was to wet the bed you can’t clean the mattress and then flip it over and use the other side.  Why not?  Well a Bunkie mattress is a mattress that has a Bunkie board built into it on one side.  Basic coil mattresses need to be flipped so that they do not get lumpy and to give the springs a rest.  This is not possible with a Bunkie mattress. Are Bunkie Boards Uncomfortable to sleep on? If you search the internet you will find people who say that using a Bunkie board causes the mattress to be uncomfortable and they couldn’t sleep at all on it.  You can also find people online who say a lot of other crazy things.  In my opinion the mattress you use is going to determine at least 90% of your sleep comfort. Our guests commonly choose to sleep in the bunk bed room because they say they like the way it sleeps.  I think it is partially that and partially because you can’t help but feel younger when sleeping in a rustic bunk bed.  And when it is a comfortably sleeping log bunk bed… well how can it get better than that? Please feel free to contact us with any other log furniture related questions that you may have.  We at Woodland Creek’s Log Furniture Place are here to help.  Thank you.