I most certainly have never written a review this long but, I felt I needed to save people some time and frustration. The bed came nicely packaged (although the poor UPS driver who carried it in looked like he was going to keel over-the package was very heavy). I organized/separated all the screws and pieces and started to put it together by myself. I found it easier to put all the numbered pieces to the inside.
I did need another person to help me connect the head and foot of the bed. All was going well until, I tried to connect the stabilizing bar that braces the top bunk. Somehow the tough rubber that caps both the top and bottom of this bar was also obstructing the holes where you needed to put screw through. Because the rubber was so tough, I was unable to just jam a screwdriver in it to clear the hole. I finally had to get my drill. That did the trick and the holes were then clear to continue the construction of the bed. I would say it took me several hours to put this bed together but several weeks before it was ready to sleep on.
I would heartedly agree with most, that the instructions are not the best. They could have been clearer with words not just pictures.
In my excitement, I put the bed together and then thought the slats were too far apart (1st photo)!!! I went to furniture stores and looked at other bunks that did not require Bunkie boards (all the slats were much closer together than this bed). More work for me!!! I decided to purchase additional bed slats through . Classic Brands Xtreme Heavy-Duty Solid Wood Bed Support Slats Bunkie Board, Twin($59.00). I disconnected all the slats which I had installed and reconfigured. I took all the slats they sent with the bed (the ones meant for the top and bottom bed) and put them all on the top bed (you have to cut the cloth pieces that connect the slats (the slats originally meant for the bottom bed) and place them in between the slats (meant for the top bed) that are already connected. The additional slats I purchased, I placed on the bottom bed. The wood slats from Classic Brand only had pre-hold drills in the first and last slats but the mattress is not going anywhere on the bottom bed even with the rest of individual slats not being screwed in (3rd photo). You would most likely have to drill your own holes and screw all of them into the bed if you used these on the top bunk. On the bottom though, the WORKED GREAT!
My biggest issue was my search for twin mattresses. BEWARE!!! I went to at least 8 different mattress and furniture store. There are no standard twin mattresses anymore (39x75). I took my measuring tape with me to each store and measured each twin mattress. No two were the same size and none of them were 39x75!! Who would have guessed and what is up with that!!! I broke down and bought memory foam mattresses through (although I was truly uncomfortable about purchasing a mattress which I could not try out first). These types of mattresses are the only ones that you will find that are 39X75 inches (and you do need that size for these beds). I purchased Jingwei Twin Mattress, 8-inch gel infused memory foam in a box. I could not be happier (2nd photo)!
You can put the entire bed together with the hex wrenches they supply, a Phillips screwdriver and a mallet. No power tools required for assembly. It is very sturdy and with the extra slats I added, it is PERFECT. My granddaughters 7 and 3 love it!!!! The only reason I did not give it a 5 was the following:
(1) The instructions need to be clearer.
(2) I should not have had any issues with the stabilizing bar-which I had
In my opinion, the slats were not close enough together to provide adequate support or safety. The manufacturer should include more slats even if that increases the cost of the bed. It would have saved a me a lot of time and frustration if the correct number of slats were included and someone had warned me about standard size twin inter spring mattresses
GREAT LOW LAYING BUNK BED
I most certainly have never written a review this long but, I felt I needed to save people some time and frustration. The bed came nicely packaged (although the poor UPS driver who carried it in looked like he was going to keel over-the package was very heavy). I organized/separated all the screws and pieces and started to put it together by myself. I found it easier to put all the numbered pieces to the inside. I did need another person to help me connect the head and foot of the bed. All was going well until, I tried to connect the stabilizing bar that braces the top bunk. Somehow the tough rubber that caps both the top and bottom of this bar was also obstructing the holes where you needed to put screw through. Because the rubber was so tough, I was unable to just jam a screwdriver in it to clear the hole. I finally had to get my drill. That did the trick and the holes were then clear to continue the construction of the bed. I would say it took me several hours to put this bed together but several weeks before it was ready to sleep on. I would heartedly agree with most, that the instructions are not the best. They could have been clearer with words not just pictures. In my excitement, I put the bed together and then thought the slats were too far apart (1st photo)!!! I went to furniture stores and looked at other bunks that did not require Bunkie boards (all the slats were much closer together than this bed). More work for me!!! I decided to purchase additional bed slats through . Classic Brands Xtreme Heavy-Duty Solid Wood Bed Support Slats Bunkie Board, Twin($59.00). I disconnected all the slats which I had installed and reconfigured. I took all the slats they sent with the bed (the ones meant for the top and bottom bed) and put them all on the top bed (you have to cut the cloth pieces that connect the slats (the slats originally meant for the bottom bed) and place them in between the slats (meant for the top bed) that are already connected. The additional slats I purchased, I placed on the bottom bed. The wood slats from Classic Brand only had pre-hold drills in the first and last slats but the mattress is not going anywhere on the bottom bed even with the rest of individual slats not being screwed in (3rd photo). You would most likely have to drill your own holes and screw all of them into the bed if you used these on the top bunk. On the bottom though, the WORKED GREAT! My biggest issue was my search for twin mattresses. BEWARE!!! I went to at least 8 different mattress and furniture store. There are no standard twin mattresses anymore (39x75). I took my measuring tape with me to each store and measured each twin mattress. No two were the same size and none of them were 39x75!! Who would have guessed and what is up with that!!! I broke down and bought memory foam mattresses through (although I was truly uncomfortable about purchasing a mattress which I could not try out first). These types of mattresses are the only ones that you will find that are 39X75 inches (and you do need that size for these beds). I purchased Jingwei Twin Mattress, 8-inch gel infused memory foam in a box. I could not be happier (2nd photo)! You can put the entire bed together with the hex wrenches they supply, a Phillips screwdriver and a mallet. No power tools required for assembly. It is very sturdy and with the extra slats I added, it is PERFECT. My granddaughters 7 and 3 love it!!!! The only reason I did not give it a 5 was the following: (1) The instructions need to be clearer. (2) I should not have had any issues with the stabilizing bar-which I had In my opinion, the slats were not close enough together to provide adequate support or safety. The manufacturer should include more slats even if that increases the cost of the bed. It would have saved a me a lot of time and frustration if the correct number of slats were included and someone had warned me about standard size twin inter spring mattresses