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I have in the past dispensed with a box spring and used 1/2" plywood to almost completely cover the mattress base. The advantage is that the mattress has uniform support and never shows the dents from the slats.

The main disadvantage is that 1/2" is rather heavy for taking off on a weekly basis to vacuum under the bed.

Would I get away with 3/8", or even with 1/4", plywood? My hunch is that 1/4" is plenty of thickness to support an average-weight (150-200 lb.) adult. But it has to also support the weight of the adult standing, for otherwise a simple exercise like changing the ceiling lamps would crack the base.

Rephrasing and summarizing: what is the fir/spruce plywood thickness needed to support an individual on a span of 38" (half the span of a King-sized bed)?

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    I agree with Rob below, if you're still using the slats 1/4" should be more than strong enough to bridge the gaps between them.
    – Graphus
    Commented Jun 9, 2015 at 9:30

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I would suspect that a 3/8" would be enough. If you want to screw your slats to the bottom of the plywood, you could use the 1/4" plywood. 3-4 slats would be enough to stiffen up the 1/4" to handle most of the abuse you'll be likely to throw at it.

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As long as you still plan to use the slats, you can go pretty thin with whatever material you put over them to smooth out the spaces between the slats. 1/4" plywood should would work fine.

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  • I would even suggest using thin manufactured material like hardboard as it won't splinter like plywood.
    – aaron
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 17:23

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