How to Dismantle a Bed for Shifting (and What It Costs)

To dismantle a bed, strip it, photograph every joint, then remove the base panels or slats, the headboard and footboard, and finally the side rails. Bag each joint's screws separately and tape the bag to that part. On a hydraulic bed, remove the mattress first and have a second person hold the platform open while you unbolt the gas lifts. Most double, queen and king beds must be dismantled for shifting because they do not fit a society lift in one piece. When you shift with Multishift, dismantling and reassembling your beds is complimentary; on its own, bed dismantling starts from ₹699.

A bed is the piece of furniture that most often comes back wobbly after a move. That is rarely the bed's fault. It usually comes from lost screws, mixed-up panels, or flat-pack board that was forced apart. Here is how to take each common type apart so it goes back together properly.

Does my bed need to be dismantled for shifting?

Usually yes, unless it is a single bed or a folding cot. Check three things before moving day:

• The lift: measure the door width and the cabin's inside depth and height. A king size headboard or a storage box base is often longer than the cabin is deep.
• The staircase: measure the narrowest landing. Flat panels can go up stairs on edge, but a built double bed cannot turn the corner.
• The truck: a built bed takes the floor space of several cartons and can twist on the road. Flat panels stack safely against the truck wall.

If your society has lift rules or fixed shifting hours, book them before the move. Our society shifting permission letter tool covers lift use and timings.

What tools do I need to dismantle a bed?

How do I dismantle a bed step by step?

1. Strip and empty the bed. Remove the bedding and mattress, and empty the storage box or drawers completely. A loaded storage base is too heavy to handle safely.
2. Photograph every joint. Take photos of the headboard brackets, corner joints and the underside before you loosen anything. They are your assembly guide if the manual is missing.
3. Remove the base panels or slats. Lift out loose slats; unscrew fixed plywood panels and number them in the order they came out.
4. Detach the headboard and footboard. Support the headboard while a second person undoes the brackets, so it does not fall forward onto the rails.
5. Separate the side rails. Undo the corner bolts or cam locks and lay the rails flat on a blanket.
6. Bag and label the hardware. One bag per joint, labelled "head left", "foot right" and so on, taped to that part. Keep the Allen key in the headboard bag.
7. Wrap each part. Blanket or bubble wrap on every panel, cardboard guards on corners and edges, stretch film to hold it. Carry long panels on edge, not flat.

Safety: always work in pairs on a headboard or a storage base, and keep children out of the room while panels are loose.

How do I dismantle a hydraulic bed?

A hydraulic (storage) bed lifts on two gas-filled struts. They are under pressure and can push the platform up hard once the mattress is off, so this one always needs two people.

1. Remove the mattress and empty the storage box.
2. Open the platform fully. One person holds it open, or props it with a strong length of wood, for the whole of the next step.
3. Unbolt each gas strut at both ends, one strut at a time, and lift it out.
4. Unscrew the hinge brackets and lift the platform off the box.
5. Dismantle the box panels like a normal storage bed: base boards, headboard, then side rails.
6. Wrap the struts, keep them with their bolts in one labelled bag, and never heat, puncture or try to open them.

At the new home, rebuild the box first, refit the platform and hinges, then refit the struts the same way round, with the platform held open, before the mattress goes back on. Queen and king size hydraulic beds follow the same steps; the platform is simply heavier.

How do wooden, Wakefit, metal and other beds come apart?

Wooden box (storage) bed

Solid wood or plywood box beds are bolted together. They are heavy but forgiving: bolts go back into the same holes many times. The base boards are often large plywood sheets, so number them, and carry them between two people.

Wakefit, IKEA and other flat-pack beds

These use cam locks, wooden dowels and screws into engineered wood (particle board or MDF). The board is the weak point: every time a screw is taken out and put back, the hole wears a little. So:

• Find the assembly guide first. Wakefit publishes one for each bed, and other brands do too. Dismantling is the same steps in reverse.
• Undo cam locks fully with the right key; never lever panels apart.
• Leave the dowels in their holes where they are tight.
• On reassembly, tighten by hand until snug. A drill on full power strips the holes.

Metal bed

Usually the simplest: bolts at the corners, with slats or a metal mesh base. Wrap the frame tubes so they do not scratch walls and the lift, and keep the bolts with their nuts and washers in one bag.

Bunk beds, divans and sofa-cum-beds

Bunk beds come apart into two frames plus the ladder and guard rail. Bag each set of bolts separately because they are often different lengths. A divan without a headboard can often travel whole if it fits the lift. A sofa-cum-bed should be locked in the sofa position and moved whole.

How do I reassemble the bed at the new home?

• Carry the parts straight to the bedroom and rebuild the bed there. A king bed built in the hall will not pass the bedroom door.
• Work in reverse: rails to headboard and footboard first, then the base panels or slats, then the mattress.
• Use your photos and labels. Each bag goes back to the joint it was taped to.
• Check it is square and level before the final tightening, then tighten everything once more after the first night, because joints settle.

How much does bed dismantling cost?

Shifting with us? Your beds are taken apart at the old home and rebuilt at the new one by our own carpenters, at no extra charge. During the free survey our surveyor looks at each bed and writes it into your quotation, so you know before moving day exactly what is covered. That covers almost every bed we see. The rare exceptions are pieces that need a specialist rather than a carpenter, such as a built-in or wall-fixed bed, a motorised adjustable bed or a fragile antique frame. For those we tell you at the survey and suggest the right person, never on moving day.

Need only the bed dismantled? Bed dismantling without a move starts from ₹699. The final price depends on the type and size of bed, and we confirm it before we start. For a single bed that needs moving across town, see single item shifting, and for wardrobes and other furniture, our bed dismantling service and furniture assembly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Wakefit bed assembly guide, checked 18 October 2026
• Multishift carpenters' moving-day practice for hydraulic, box, metal and flat-pack beds