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I just ordered this bed and a lot of the reviews say that the screws loosen and have to be retightened often.

I'm wondering what the impact to the wood itself, over time, if I used wood glue in the holes during assembly. Would this cause the wood to split or anything from whatever pressure changes that (normally) cause the screws to loosen up?

This may be a completely dumb question, I don't know why I'm second guessing myself; I think it would be fine but I don't want to learn by trial and error with this one.

Thanks!

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    These type of beds usually have some wobble (technical term) in them due to the design and size of the structural supports. This results in bolts and screws loosening.I couldn't tell from the website if it has wood screws or bolt mechanisms. With wood screws I doubt that gluing them in will help very much. Lateral forces will probably still loosen them but you can try it. With bolts you might try Loctite on them.
    – HoneyDo
    Commented Dec 16, 2020 at 21:07
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    putting diagonal braces on the three sides may go a long way toward reducing wobble .... making the bottom horizontal panels wider would also reduce wobble
    – jsotola
    Commented Dec 16, 2020 at 21:15
  • ( diy.stackexchange.com/questions/189199/…) may help.
    – HoneyDo
    Commented Dec 17, 2020 at 3:14
  • If it uses wood screws, drill the holes out and use bolts, flat washers, lock washers, nuts ( and loc-tite-- if you don't anticipate moving or disassembly in the future )
    – peinal
    Commented Dec 17, 2020 at 15:35
  • Thank you everyone so much! I am unboxing the bed today so I will see if it's bolts are wood screws. I was also thinking some type of flexible (not fixed) glue. I was also thinking of adding wainscoting panels around the sides to help with stability 🤞 shipped from southern California to Arizona so the weather isn't too different so I'm hoping there won't be excessive expansion/contraction issues. This was my first post on this site and I really appreciate all the insight and help! As a single mom that tries to do everything herself I have a feeling I'll be on here frequently :)
    – user127228
    Commented Dec 19, 2020 at 21:06

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I would use something a little less rigid since you probably want to be able to snug the screws down the road. Wood tends to shrink and deform, and if you lock the screws you won't be able to do followup snugging.

I'd use a low-strength threadlocker compound. This should allow snugging without needing to remove screws and reapply.

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  • Interesting answer! Are there any common guidelines ("rules of thumb") for the rate at which wood like this will shrink? Obviously, different types of wood have different properties, but perhaps there are some general guidelines. If you feel it is appropritate, I can write a separate question.
    – Amazon Dies In Darkness
    Commented Dec 17, 2020 at 16:23
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    You're way overthinking this. What difference does such a number make? How will it change your strategy?
    – isherwood
    Commented Dec 17, 2020 at 16:26
  • It depends on how long the furniture will remain assembled.
    – Amazon Dies In Darkness
    Commented Dec 17, 2020 at 16:28
  • Frankly, @RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket wood will contract and expand seasonally. Yes, it might get a little drier over time than it was when it was initially assembled (depends on humidity levels where it was manufactured vs where it's installed), but in general, after 6-12 months, it will have gotten to it's "steady state" in its current locale, and won't shrink any smaller (barring long-term changes in humidity levels).
    – FreeMan
    Commented Dec 17, 2020 at 17:04
  • Check out Woodworking for all sorts of gory details about drying lumber. It applies as much after a product is made as it does the raw wood prior to manufacture.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Dec 17, 2020 at 17:09
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Wood glue is fine. Often wooden chairs have the legs screwed and glued. I've certainly done that to wooden chairs that have had wobble with great success.

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