Bunkie Board vs Plywood

Bed is a favorite place for many. There’s nothing like spreading out on the bed after a long, hard day and relaxing. Those few minutes of quiet relaxation before drifting off to sleep can be the best part of the day. A good night’s sleep is also essential to preparing us for the next day. That’s where having the right mattress, with the right support system under it, is so important.

Going back a few decades, most beds consisted of a mattress and box springs sitting on some frame. But things have changed since then. New materials, especially some of the newer foam rubber materials, combined with new ways of constructing mattresses, have resulted in thicker mattresses with a “pillow top,” making the need for box springs unnecessary. Today, if you try to buy a box spring, you’ll get something that looks like box springs, but there aren’t any springs; it’s just a hollow box providing support for the mattress.

The box springs are no longer necessary with these modern mattresses. This has led to new bed designs, including lower, platform beds and beds built on an underbed dresser. But perhaps the biggest change has been the common use of the “Bunkie board” (sometimes spelled “Bunky board”), instead of a box spring.

The name “Bunkie board” apparently comes from the idea that this sort of support was used for the mattresses on bunk beds long before it was used for other beds. “Bunkie” is merely a shortening of the name.

One thing to be aware of is that if someone puts a modern mattress on an old box spring (from back when they had springs in them, it could void the warranty. Another thing that can void the warranty is putting the mattress directly on slats, without support across the full length and breadth of the mattress.

Commercial Bunkie Boards

The furniture industry has devised a solution known as the Bunker Board. This flat object, between one and three inches thick, provides a foundation or support for the mattress. Unlike box springs, it doesn’t flex, as these newer mattresses no longer need that function. It only provides support.

New beds, or more properly, bed bases (what we used to call frames), will have a Bunker board built into them. That may be a solid platform that runs across the length and width of the bed, or it could be a framework of slats that cover more than 50% of the total surface. In either case, it provides consistent, even support to the mattress.

It’s also possible to buy Bunk Bed boards separately. Depending on what is preferred, they can be put on top of existing box springs, allowing for a high bed, or used alone, without a box or box springs, allowing for a low bed.

Is there an Advantage of Buying a Commercial Bunkie Board?

Perusing the web, it seems that people believe that a Bunkie board is stronger than plywood. All I can say is that they’re either comparing it to thin plywood or don’t know how strong it is. It will be strong enough if the right type and thickness of plywood are used.

But that’s not the only complaint people make about plywood; there are two others. One is that bare plywood isn’t as attractive as a fabric-covered Bunkie board, and the other is that bare plywood can have splinters along the edges, damaging the mattress. Both complaints can be solved by the simple expedient of fabric coating a plywood Bunkie board. With that in mind, buying a commercially manufactured Bunkie board doesn’t make any sense when a more robust, better one can be made in the workshop.

Making a Bunkie Board Out of Plywood

It’s not hard to make your own Bunkie board out of plywood, as the basic design of a Bunkie board is relatively simple. The one thing to be cautious about is splinters, which can get into the mattress, causing premature wear. But there are ways of dealing with that. There are several ways of making a Bunkie board out of plywood; we’ll explore a few.

The first and probably most important decision to make is what plywood material to use for the Bunker board. The general term “plywood” no longer just refers to traditional plywood but to all engineered sheet wood products and a wide variety of wood products made of bound layers of wood veneer laid perpendicular to each other.

Is it possible to use these other plywood products for a Bunker board? The simple answer is yes. But neither particle board, OSB, nor MDF, the options people are most likely to select, will be as strong as plywood. To make up for that, it would be necessary to construct a thicker Bunker board with multiple layers of those plywood materials.

On the other hand, there is no reason to select an expensive plywood product, such as hardwood, applewood, or marine-grade plywood. The added benefits of these materials won’t matter in this application. Normal construction-grade softwood plywood is sufficient for the task.

Regardless of the construction method, the Bunkie board must be made to fit the mattress. Standard mattress sizes are:

Size	Dimensions
Twin	39” x 75”
Twin XL	39” x 80”
Full (Double)	54” x 75”
Queen	60” x 80”
King	76” x 80”
California King	72” x 84”

Construction Method 1 – for Twin & Twin XL Beds

Because twin and twin XL beds are smaller than a single sheet of plywood, they can be cut out of a single sheet without having to join two sheets of plywood together. All that’s needed is to cut the dimensions or have the lumberyard do it for you on their panel saw and finish the board. 1/2” or 5/8” CDX plywood should be used for this.

Construction Method 2 – Overlay Panel

Once we get larger than a standard 48” x 96” sheet of plywood, all other-size Bunkie boards must be made out of more than one sheet of material. If the goal is to have a solid Bunkie board without any seam, then it will be necessary to construct the Bunkie board out of overlapping layers of material so that the seam is offset between the two layers, giving the necessary support. This is the strongest form of homemade Bunkie board that can be built.

Since this construction uses two layers of plywood, 3/8” thick plywood is sufficient. While thicker plywood can be used, it is not necessary.

Construction Method 3 – Hinged Panel

Another way to handle a wider Bunkie board without making a full-sized panel, which might be challenging to move in and out of rooms, is to make a folding Bunkie board hinged in the middle. Such a board would consist of two equal-sized halves, hinged on the top side and in the middle, with a piano hinge. It would be best to use a piano hinge rather than door hinges because they don’t protrude as much, provide more points of connection to prevent breakage, and provide support across the entire board.

Construction Method 4 – Dual Panel

Of course, those two panels can be made without hinging them, keeping them separate. This would be much like the two box springs used with a king-sized bed. Since 76” x 80” stiff box springs can’t fit through the average doorway, separate box springs are used for the two sides. The same can be done with Bunkie boards.

In this case, 5/8” to 3/4” plywood would be best, although it would be possible to use ½” if there is some center support. Many bed frames designed with a Bunkie board already have this built into the frame. If there isn’t one, a simple support of almost any type could be used, as long as the edges of both boards would sit on it.

Construction Method 5 – Slatted

Many commercially manufactured Bunkie boards are not solid but made of wood slats. This can be done with plywood as well for less than buying that many pieces of 1”x 3” or 1”x 4”.

This can be done by ripping the plywood into 3” or 4” strips, then gluing and nailing it together, forming the same sort of framework as is made for these commercial boards. The plywood should be at least ½” thick, but ¾” thick, while it can be used, will be rather heavy.

Finishing the Bunkie Board

With the basic Bunkie board assembled it would be a good idea to go over the top surface and fill any knotholes, holes/how-to-drill-straight-hole/holes-without-electric-drill, or cracks in the veneer. Those sharp edges will wear on the fabric cover of the Bunkie board, eventually causing holes. Once the putty is dry, sand the entire surface and edges smooth.

For a slightly better finish, round over the edges and corners of the Bunkie board with a ¼” round-over bit in a router. Eliminating that sharp edge will help eliminate wear on the cloth, which eventually leads to failure.

Some people choose to put a layer of quilt batting on the Bunker board before the cloth covering. This is an especially good idea for a slatted Bunker board, where there are more edges and corners exposed. The quilt batting can be attached with a quality upholstery spray (adhesive). Quilted upholstery fabric is a good option if quilt batting is not used.

Upholstery fabric should be attached to both sides of the Bunkie board, back side first. This fabric is usually available in much wider bolts than the fabric used for making clothing, so there shouldn’t be any need to sew the fabric together, making seams. Instead, cut a piece of upholstery fabric large enough to cover the back or bottom of the Bunkie board and glue it with the upholstery spray. Cut the edges of the fabric flush with the edges of the board.

Lay another piece of upholstery fabric, face side down, on the floor or work area, at least 10” longer and 10” wider than the Bunkie board. Spray the back side of the fabric with upholstery adhesive, and then lay the Bunkie board on the fabric, top side down, centering it.

Use a staple gun to attach the edges of the fabric onto the back or bottom of the Bunkie board, overlapping the edge of the fabric already glued there. When stapling, fold the edge of the fabric over one inch so that there isn’t a cut edge exposed, which could begin to unravel. A hammer might be needed to drive in staples that don’t go all the way when stapling them.