Best Bunkie Boards – Mattress Support Bed Board

bunkie boards
bunkie boards
Matress Support Bed Boards Buying Guide

Relatively cheap, compact, and supportive, bunkie boards also known as bunky boards could be a perfect alternative to box springs. And if you happen to be looking for such a mattress support board, you’d probably want to get the best one possible.

Things to look for in the best
box spring alternative board

It may seem that there is nothing special to consider in bunkie boards, but there is. Don’t just rush to get the first one that seems good to you! Make sure to know what to look for first.

Size

First of all, ensure that your mattress support board has the right size for your bed.

Ideally, you would want to go for a bunkie board that is sized just like your bed. If you can’t find one that has your bed’s exact size, you may go slightly smaller. But don’t go too small since you’d be just wasting all the space your bed has.

But don’t go larger than your bed. A large bunky board’s edges are going to hang down over the edges of the bed, which may compromise the board’s stability. The bunkie board’s frame needs to be securely installed on the bed.

Material

Mattress support boards are usually made from either steel or wood. Steel, needless to say, is going to be the stronger material. At the same time, steel bunkie boards are going to be more expensive.

If you don’t really need your bunky board to be extra-durable, a wood board should suffice.

Slats

Pay special attention to the slats on the bunkie board. The slats run from one side of the board to the other.

The number of slats is going to play a major role in a bed board’s overall support level. If it has a few slats that are placed far apart, it isn’t going to provide too much support for the mattress. On the contrary, the mattress is going to sag.

For some perspective, Zinus Gulzar and Signature Sleep mattress support boards are great when it comes to slats, so aim at something similar if you can’t get either of the two boards.

Cover

Bunkie boards usually come with a fabric cover. The main thing they do is conceal the board and make it better-looking when on the bed.

If appearance does play a role for you, pay attention to what kind of cover comes with the bed board. If you can’t find a board with a cover that would be good enough, you’d need to look for one separately.

Noise level

You’d probably want your bed board to be quiet. Generally, the sturdier a frame is built, the quieter it is. In this sense, steel bunky boards are probably going to be the best, so if you have the budget, go for a steel board. Features like the noise-dampening foam pads in the Zinus Gulzar bunkie board may also be useful.

Why even get a bed board?

Mattress support boards are low-profile

If you’ve been feeling that your sleeping surface is too high above the ground, a bunkie board may be the right item for you to go for. Much slimmer than box springs, bunkie boards keep the mattress lower to the ground.

Bunkie boards are cheaper alternative to box springs

Another advantage of bunkie boards over box springs is price. Bunkie boards are cheaper, so if you are tight on your budget and are looking for a supportive base for your mattress, it is a good option.

Bunkie boards are supportive

Lastly, bunkie boards are pretty supportive, especially for memory foam mattresses and other mattresses that don’t rely on springs. Some people really dislike the saggy feel of box springs, and if you also do so, go for a bunky board. Besides, if your bed doesn’t have a sufficient number of slats in it, a bed board would be able to compensate for the lack of support.


Top 5 Best Mattress Support Bunky Boards

Maybe one of the 5 bunkie boards below has whatever you are looking for.


Zinus Gulzar Easy Assembly Bunkie board

Up first on our list is the Zinus Gulzar board. We think that it is the most interesting box spring alternative on the list, though this doesn’t mean that it will be the best for you.

The very first benefit is its steel build. Thanks to it, it is going to be considerably more durable than its wooden analogs. If durability is important to you, it may be a great option for you.

This board also has foam padded tape added to the steel frame in order to prevent noise. Besides, the slats are covered with non-slip tape to prevent the mattress on top from moving.

The Zinus Gulsar bed board comes in 4 sizes – twin, full, queen, and king – so most people should be able to find the right size for them.

What some people may dislike about this board is that it comes with no cover. It doesn’t need one though since it is built for use with mattresses as-is. But if you’d like to conceal the board, you’d need to get a cover separately. But do keep in mind that you’d be blocking off the non-slip pads!

Pros:

  • Durable steel build.
  • Non-slip tape on the slats.
  • 4 size options.

Cons:

  • No cover included.

Signature Sleep Ultra Steel Bunkie board

The Ultra Steel Bunkie board by Signature Sleep is a bit simpler and cheaper than the Zinus Gulsar model. While it lacks features like non-slip grips, it has what one would need from a mattress support board.

A thing that we were really glad about in this board is that it is made from steel. In terms of durability, it should be very close to the Zinus Gulsar one.

What is different between the two boards, however, is that Signature Sleep includes a polyester fabric cover, so if you do want to keep your board out of sight, you’ll probably favor this one more.

Signature Sleep offers 2 sizes for this board – twin and full. But keep in mind that the twin size seems to be 1 inch narrower than advertised in the product description. If width is crucial for you, the twin-size board may not be the right choice.

Pros:

  • Includes a polyester fabric cover.
  • 2 sizes available.

Cons:

  • The twin size is 1 inch narrower than advertised.

Wolf Split Bunkie board

If you were looking for a mattress support board for your kid’s bed, then this one may be a good option for you.

Being designed for kids’ beds, this bed board is sized pretty decently. It is sized close to a twin, but it is 37.5 inches wide, not 39 inches like a standard twin board would be.

The weight limit is 100 pounds, so it is a more suitable choice for teens and younger kids. Besides, keep in mind that the weight limit makes this board unsuitable for long-term use for one person. Your kid will just grow out of it! But if you have several children of different age, this should be a good buy since it would be useful for a longer period of time.

Note also that this board is made from wood, so it definitely won’t be as strong as the steel bunkie boards reviewed above.

Pros:

  • Designed for use with kids’ beds.
  • Cloth included.
  • Pretty wide for a children’s bed.

Cons:

  • Weaker wooden build.

Spinal Solution Continental Mattress

This board is strangely named Continental Mattress, but it indeed is a bunkie board. In fact, it is fairly similar to the Wolf board we’ve just examined. Namely, this one is sized around the same and is built from wood.

However, this bed board may be used by adults. So if you happen to be looking for a relatively cheap bunkie board, this one may be a good option.

A thing to keep in mind is that the colors of its cover may vary between grey and beige. If the aesthetics matter to you, you won’t like this. Otherwise, it won’t make a difference.

Pros:

  • Pretty inexpensive.
  • Comes with a cloth cover.

Cons:

  • Cover colors may vary from grey to beige.
  • Wood build.

Continental Sleep Bunkie Board Queen

And the last position on our list is actually a rather hefty queen-size bunkie board. It is a relatively inexpensive, so if you are on a budget and want a big bed board, you may want to consider going for this one.

Like the previous two models, this board is built from wood, so it will lack durability when compared to steel boards. But unlike the previous wood boards, this one is queen-sized!

A thing to keep in mind with this board is that it consists of 2 halves which cannot be attached to each other. This shouldn’t be a problem with a mattress on top, but we thought that you should know about it.

Pros:

  • Relatively cheap.
  • Queen size.
  • Cover included.

Cons:

  • Wood construction.
  • The 2 halves can’t be attached to each other.