Metal Bunk Beds vs. Wood Bunk Beds

If you've decided to buy a bunk bed, you'll find that there are a wide variety to choose from, as well as a wide price range.

Some of the least expensive bunk beds are made of metal, and like most things, you get what you pay for. The reason we no longer carry metal bunk beds is because of all the inherent flaws that that type of construction has. Below are some of the common issues you'll find with metal bunk beds.

* Dents
* Rust
* Weld Failures
* Hardware not lining up (sometimes this happens with wood bunk beds, but with wood you can always use a drill to correct any misalignment issues)
* Bending of the bunk rails
* Too many safety recalls
* Wobbly

Also, as the cost of metal has sky rocketed, manufacturers in China keep using thinner gauges of to keep the price down, which just exacerbates the problems listed above. There is just no comparison from metal to wood.

So if you're seriously thinking of purchasing a metal bunk bed, you may want to reconsider. I cannot speak for other manufacturers of wood bunk beds, but I know every bunk bed we sell meets the ASTM Safety Requirements.

Suggestions?

Happy Holidays!

I see the traffic stats for this blog and I wonder if there's anything in particular all you folks would like me to write about. If there is something you'd like to see on this blog, please send me an email and if it's a good fit, I'll address it in a future post.

Thanks again,

Lisa

Assembling Bunk Beds Made Easy!

Okay, so you've bought a bunk bed and now it's time to put it together. Hopefully, you purchased a bed that doesn't require a degree in mechanical engineering, but if you did... well, crack a beer and hire a handyman, because that's just more effort than I'm even willing to write about. :) However, if you purchased a bed that is meant for normal people to easily assemble, then I have some tips that will make the job even easier.

IMPORTANT: Recruit a friend or family member for the furniture assembly. I cannot stress this point enough. I put together one of our futon bunk beds by myself (I'm a 5'1" tall woman) and everything was peachy until I got to the point where I had to put the top bunk in place. Ugh! What a nightmare, but somehow I managed it without ending my evening in the emergency room. :)

The next step is to unpack all of the boxes and clear the debris out of the room. You're going to need some elbow room for this task.

Once you've done that, what you want to do is take out all the hardware and arrange it in separate piles. Little styrofoam cups make great hardware holders, plus you can write on the outside of them so that you know exactly which parts each cup contains.

Once you've got your pieces-parts organized, you should really read through the directions. If this is too much to ask, then at least skim them to get an idea of which parts of the bed get assembled and in what order.

Chances are, you will begin assembly with the lower bunk. This makes perfect sense, since this is the foundation of the entire bed. Once you've got the lower bunk assembled, it's usually easier to assemble the entire top bunk on the floor, then lift it into place. This is where that extra pair of hands are going to come in handy.

Basically, that's the process. It's so simple that a large portion of the testimonials we receive are from people raving about the ease of assembly of our furniture. Good luck!

Making the Most of Small Spaces

As adults we're used to having our master bedrooms being large enough for a queen or king bed, plus dresser and nightstand, but kids' bedrooms are usually the smallest in the house and you just can't cram all that furniture into them and leave any floor space for playtime.

One of the major benefits of getting bunk beds, captain's beds or loft beds is that they often combine the bed, plus storage, in the same space that a normal bed would take up. For instance, our All in One Lofts come with a top bunk, bottom trundle, PLUS built-in chest of drawer, a desk and a rear storage area. What this does is keep the room open and your child can utilize the floor space for sleepovers or playtime with barbie dolls and/or matchbox cars (those were my favorites as a kid). Since our All in One Loft Beds take up the same amount of floor area as a regular twin bed, you can see how it's an efficient use of space and perfect for tiny bedrooms.

If you only have one child or just don't like the idea of your kid sleeping on a top bunk, a captain's bed might be the way to go. All of our captain's beds have the option of having 12-drawers underneath the bed, thereby eliminating the need of having a dresser or chest of drawers.

So, when you're budgeting for your child's bedroom furniture, keep in mind the money you'll save by not having to purchase additional accessories that will only crowd your child's bedroom.