# Malm Bed Frame Assembly Build an IKEA MALM bed frame \(low\) step by step, following its assembly manual By Görkem Erol Topic: Home & DIY [Open the interactive Jig](https://ask.jig.com/j/JlUSUlx7IoXs) ## Guide ### 1. Malm Bed Frame Here is everything in the box: a headboard, a footboard, two side rails, two steel slat ledges, a centre beam, four straps and a tray of small fittings with the wrench from the box\. You also need a cross\-head screwdriver\. Tap any part to see its name\. Build it with two people, on a soft rug or flattened cardboard so nothing gets scratched\. ### 2. 1 · Twist In the First Hanger Bolt A hanger bolt has a wood thread on one end and a bolt thread on the other\. Twist the wood end into the hole on the headboard's inner face, turning it clockwise with the wrench until the wood thread is all the way in\. ### 3. 1 · Twist In the Other Three Fit the second bolt in the headboard and two more in the footboard the same way\. Each one sits level with where a side rail will meet the board\. ### 4. 2 · Press In the Six Glides Glides are small plastic feet that protect the floor\. Push three into the bottom edge of each panel until their pegs are all the way in\. ### 5. 3 · Tap In the Twelve Dowels Dowels are wooden pegs that line up the joints\. Push three into each end of both side rails, half in and half out\. ### 6. 4 · Join the Rails to the Headboard Stand the headboard up\. Slide each side rail onto its hanger bolt and dowels until the rail end sits flat against the board\. One person holds the headboard while the other lines up the rails\. ### 7. 4 · Add the Footboard Stand the footboard up at the other end\. Push it onto the rails' dowels and bolts so the bed becomes a rectangle\. ### 8. 4 · Fit the Brackets and Nuts Inside each rail end there is a round pocket\. Slide a bracket onto the bolt there, then screw on a nut and tighten it with the wrench\. Do this at all four corners\. ### 9. 5 · Place the Slat Ledges The steel ledges hold up the bed base\. Hold one against the inside of each rail, its shelf pointing into the bed\. The rails have holes at two heights\. The manual shows which to use for a thinner or thicker mattress\. ### 10. 5 · Drive the First Ledge Screw Put a screw through the ledge and drive it clockwise with the screwdriver until it is snug\. ### 11. 5 · Finish the First Ledge Drive seven more screws the same way, so this ledge has eight in all\. ### 12. 5 · Screw On the Second Ledge Fix the other ledge with eight screws too, sixteen in all\. For the longer 220 cm bed it is nine per ledge\. ### 13. 6 · Fit the Mid\-Beam Fittings These steel fittings will carry the centre beam\. Hold one against the middle of the headboard and one against the footboard\. ### 14. 6 · Screw Them On Fix each fitting with two screws, four in all\. ### 15. 7 · Lay the Straps in Place Pull each strap out to its full length first\. Lay them from the fittings out to the ledges, two at each end of the bed\. ### 16. 7 · Screw the Strap Ends Fix both ends of every strap with the small screws: one at the fitting and one on the ledge\. That makes eight screws\. ### 17. 8 · Square the Frame and Lock the Straps Check that the frame is a true rectangle, not bowed in or out\. Then drive one screw through the slot in each strap so it keeps that shape\. Measuring corner to corner both ways is a quick test: the two lengths should match\. ### 18. 9 · Lower the Centre Beam Pull the beam's sliding end out until it reaches both fittings\. Lower it straight down so each end rests in a fitting's cradle\. The beam stops the middle of the mattress from sagging\. ### 19. 10 · Set the Slat Stops Slat stops keep the bed base from sliding\. Stand one plastic stop on each end of both ledges and two on each end of the beam\. ### 20. 10 · Bolt Them From Below Hold each stop and screw a bolt into it from underneath\. Eight stops, eight bolts\. ### 21. Done Your MALM frame is ready for a slatted base and a mattress\. After a few weeks, check the screws and nuts and tighten any that have loosened\.