IKEA MALM bed frame assembly in a London bedroom

IKEA MALM Bed Frame Assembly in London

IKEA MALM Bed Frame Assembly in London

The IKEA MALM is one of Britain's most common bed frames, and it looks simpler to build than it is: adjustable side rails, a telescopic SKORVA midbeam that arrives in its own easily-lost package, and curved slats that only work one way up. TaskMan of London's own DBS-checked, insured team builds MALM beds across London week in, week out — we are a first-party handyman company, not a marketplace, and the person who quotes your job is part of the team that turns up.

Send us WhatsApp photos of your packages, the room and the staircase or lift, and we'll confirm everything — including how long we expect the build to take — before you book. Every build is covered by our 12-month workmanship warranty, and we cover all of London within the M25.

Part of our IKEA assembly London service.

Which IKEA MALM bed frame sizes we build

  • MALM high bed frame with LURÖY slatted base — Standard Double, Standard King and 180x200 cm, each in white, black-brown, dark grey and white stained oak veneer
  • MALM high bed frame with 2 storage boxes — Standard Single in white or black-brown; Standard Double in all four finishes; Standard King and 180x200 cm also listed
  • MALM high bed frame with 4 storage boxes — Standard Double in all four finishes; Standard King and 180x200 cm also listed
  • MALM ottoman (lift-up storage) bed — Standard Double and Standard King, in white or black-brown
  • Add-on: MALM underbed storage boxes for the high bed frame, sold as a 2-pack in two lengths (single/double and 200 cm mattress length), in all four finishes, rolling on castors
  • Upgrade: LÖNSET slatted bed base, sold separately in Standard Single, Standard Double, Standard King and 90x200 cm — note there is no 180x200 cm LÖNSET on IKEA UK
  • All of the above checked live on ikea.com/gb/en on 18 August 2026

The phase-out talk around MALM concerns IKEA's chests of drawers — IKEA's newer STORKLINTA chest range is now on sale on ikea.com/gb/en — and has never mentioned the beds. When we checked ikea.com/gb/en on 18 August 2026, the MALM bed frames were live in every combination listed above, and the MALM chests of drawers were still listed too. If the beds are ever affected later, spare parts are the thing to watch; in our experience IKEA keeps spare parts available well after a range change.

How long IKEA MALM bed frame assembly takes

As our own working estimate from many MALM builds: 60–90 minutes for a standard double or king with LURÖY slats; allow roughly 15–20 minutes extra per pair of storage boxes (so 90–120 minutes for the 4-box version) and about 10–15 minutes more if fitting LÖNSET slats. The ottoman (lift-up) version is a different, more involved build — typically 2 to 2.5 hours. Send WhatsApp photos and we'll confirm everything, timing included, before you book.

Difficulty: moderate. Long builds are exactly what we are set up for — message us and we will confirm everything before you book.

Where IKEA MALM bed frame builds go wrong

The parts of this build that cost people an afternoon:

  • The MALM's side rails mount to the headboard and footboard at selectable heights (that's how one frame takes mattresses of different thicknesses). Setting one rail higher than the other is the classic MALM mistake — you only notice when the slats sit twisted, and the fix means unbolting a rail and starting that stage again. We set and double-check both sides before a single bolt is tightened.
  • The SKORVA midbeam arrives as its own skinny package (roughly 7 x 6 x 139 cm, about 3.5 kg package weight) even though it's included in the bed's price. It looks like packing material or a curtain rail, and it's the piece most often left behind at the store, lost in the recycling pile, or reported 'missing'. No SKORVA, no bed — the slats have nothing to rest on mid-span. We ask customers to check all four packages are present before we set off.
  • The telescopic SKORVA must be extended to the frame width and its centre leg adjusted so it just meets the floor. Wound down too hard, the leg bows the midbeam upwards and the slats rattle; left short, the beam sags and the bed creaks within weeks. We level it with the frame, not by eye.
  • Cam locks and screws go into particleboard on this frame, and overtightening strips the holes — especially on the headboard. Power tools are for run-in only; the last turns are by hand. A stripped MALM cam hole is fiddly to rescue.
  • The LURÖY slats are curved, and we fit them arch upwards. Laid arch-down (easily done, they come rolled in a bundle) they creak, feel dead underfoot and can crack under load.
  • The rail-to-headboard bolts thread into metal fittings; if the rail isn't held square while you start them, they cross-thread easily. This is where a solo DIY build usually goes wrong — the rail is long, floppy and wants to drop.
  • The frame is far bigger than the mattress: a Standard King MALM measures about 166 x 209 cm around a 150 x 200 cm mattress. Beds planned to 'mattress size' end up blocking doors and drawers. We check the room layout before building, because a finished MALM does not go back through a doorway.
  • The storage boxes run on castors under the high frame, which IKEA lists with 21 cm of free height underneath. On deep-pile carpet the castors drag rather than roll — worth knowing before buying the add-on boxes, which come as a 2-pack.
  • The black-brown and dark grey foil finishes scuff and chip at the edges during assembly. We build on top of the flattened cartons and keep the headboard face-down on cardboard, never bare floor.
  • Build it in the room it will live in. The longest package (side rails: about 194 cm for a double, 204 cm for a king) also has to make it up the stairs first — see access notes.

Safety and wall fixing

  • Standing the assembled headboard panel and squaring the long side rails is safest with two people or proper support — a double's four packages total just under 50 kg in package weights, and the headboard end carries most of it.
  • IKEA's product page states the SKORVA midbeam "is required for the stability" — we will not hand a bed over without the midbeam and centre leg fitted, because the slatted base is unsupported mid-span without them.
  • All fixings re-checked and hand-tightened before the mattress goes on; we also advise a quick re-tighten after the first few months of use, which is normal for cam-and-bolt bed frames.
  • For ottoman (lift-up) builds, IKEA's product page warns that the bed needs a mattress with a maximum weight of 40 kg — a heavier mattress can let the slatted base fall suddenly and cause injury. We check the mattress before fitting it.
  • Packaging (large plastic sleeves, small fittings bags) kept away from children; we take the cardboard down to your recycling if wanted.
  • The MALM bed frame is freestanding: its IKEA UK page lists no wall-anchoring requirement. IKEA's chests of drawers are a different matter — they ship with a wall-anchoring fitting so they can be attached to the wall.

IKEA MALM bed frame assembly in London homes

A MALM double arrives as four packages totalling just under 50 kg in package weights (frame packages of 19.95 kg and 16.35 kg, the SKORVA tube at about 3.5 kg and a 10 kg slat box); a king's packages total about 53 kg. The piece that matters in London is the side-rail package — a 25 x 8 cm profile, about 194 cm long for a double and 204 cm for a king. Two metres of rigid box is exactly what jams on the winder of a Victorian terrace staircase and won't stand upright in many conversion-flat lifts, so we ask for a photo of the stairs or lift with your WhatsApp message. The frame boxes are wide (78 cm) but flat, so they turn landings more easily than they look. Once built, the frame is bigger than the room plan usually allows for — 166 x 209 cm for a king — which matters in typical London double bedrooms, and it cannot leave the room assembled, so we always build in situ. We cover all of London within the M25.

Before we arrive

  • Check all packages arrived — a standard MALM double/king is four packages: two frame boxes, the thin SKORVA tube, and the LURÖY slat box. Storage-box versions have more. The thin tube is the one that goes missing.
  • Decide the bed's final position before we arrive; a built MALM won't fit back through the door, and the frame is noticeably larger than the mattress.
  • Clear a working area roughly the size of the bed plus a metre on each side, and have the old bed stripped down or tell us on WhatsApp so we can plan for disassembly and moving it.
  • Send us WhatsApp photos of the packages, the room, and your staircase or lift — the 2 m side-rail package is the piece that decides whether carrying up is straightforward.
  • If you've bought LÖNSET slats or extra storage boxes separately, have them in the same room.
  • Keep the mattress handy but out of the work area — we'll place it as the final step.
  • Let us know your floor type if you're having storage boxes: castors want hard floor or low-pile carpet.

IKEA MALM bed frame assembly FAQs

Are the slats included with the MALM bed frame?

Yes — buy it as listed on IKEA UK's site and the LURÖY slatted base and SKORVA midbeam are included in the bed's price, but both come packaged separately from the frame. So a 'bed frame' is four packages, and jobs stall when the thin SKORVA tube or the slat box didn't make it home. Many customers upgrade to the sprung LÖNSET base, sold separately; we fit either.

Is the MALM range being discontinued?

The phase-out talk concerns IKEA's chests of drawers — IKEA's newer STORKLINTA chest range is now on sale — not the beds. When we checked ikea.com/gb/en in August 2026, the MALM bed frames were live in a full spread of sizes and finishes, and the MALM chests were still listed too. If the beds are ever affected later, spare parts are the thing to watch; in our experience IKEA keeps spare parts available well after a range change.

How long does a MALM bed take to assemble?

As our own working estimate: 60–90 minutes for a standard double or king, longer for the storage-box versions and around 2–2.5 hours for the ottoman version. Send us WhatsApp photos of your packages and the room and we'll confirm everything, including how long we expect your build to take, before you book.

Does the MALM bed need to be fixed to the wall?

No. The bed frame is freestanding and its IKEA UK page lists no wall-anchoring requirement — that guidance concerns IKEA's chests of drawers, which ship with a wall-anchoring fitting. If you're pairing the bed with drawer units, we're happy to anchor those properly while we're there.

Which mattress fits a UK MALM bed?

IKEA UK sells the MALM in UK standard sizes: Standard Single (90x190 cm), Standard Double (135x190 cm) and Standard King (150x200 cm), plus a 180x200 cm continental size. The adjustable side rails take mattresses of different depths. Remember the frame itself is much larger than the mattress — a king frame is about 166 cm wide by 209 cm long.

Can you add the underbed storage boxes later?

Yes. The add-on storage boxes are sold as a 2-pack, in a single/double length and a 200 cm length, and simply roll under the high frame on castors with no change to the bed itself. IKEA lists 21 cm of free height under the high frame, and the castors roll best on hard floors or short-pile carpet.

Can you move an already-assembled MALM to another room or flat?

Not in one piece — it won't pass through doorways, and dragging it loosens the cam fittings in the particleboard. We offer disassembly, moving and reassembly as one visit; it's usually quicker than the original build.

Book IKEA MALM bed frame assembly in London

Send us a photo of the boxes or the product name, your postcode and when suits you. We will come back with everything confirmed before you book — no obligation, no call-out surprises.

WhatsApp us to get started or call 07700 170 070, 7 days a week.

Every job is done by TaskMan of London's own DBS-checked, insured team and carries our 12-month workmanship warranty.