This bed came with missing pieces and broken pieces, each which take over a week to come back. I received this bunk bed feb.17 and today march 13 it is still not put together completely I am still waiting for more pieces. The job of actually putting it together is tedious.. I hired 2 workers from a furniture store to put it together and they were here 10 hours in total and it is still not done.
The desk, storage unit and upper bunk are well-designed and very sturdy. They make great use of space and you can put it in a corner and still have access to all the storage. (You can also assemble it to fit in the opposite corner by putting the desk on the right and storage unit on the left.) However, the bottom bunk is too big, too heavy and provides no storage space underneath. Presumably you're buying a loft to conserve space, so I suggest substituting a different bottom bunk with drawers, or buy just a frame with legs so you can slide plastic containers underneath. I'd be less critical of the bottom bunk if it wasn't so high, but it positions the mattress 14 inches above the ground. Add the height of the mattress and bedding and you'll wish the mattress was a bit lower so that there's more space below the upper bunk.
The dimensions of the desk and storage unit are 46 inches high by 42 inches wide by 16 inches deep (Amazon's description of 42 high by 46 wide is wrong) so the top bunk is 46 inches above the floor.
I give the bottom bunk 1-star.
I give 4-stars for the desk, storage unit and upper bunk, primarily because it's really sturdy and I really like the design and excellent use of space. My only design criticisms are:
1) I wish the desk didn't have a back, so there was more open-space and natural-light around the bottom bunk. (However, the back of the desk adds a lot of structural strength, and the kids now have more space for posters.) If the storage unit is placed in the corner of the room, you'll need to put a light on its bookshelf so that it's not too dark underneath. (Plan ahead if you need to run an extension cord.)
2) When lying on the lower bunk, the bottom of the upper bunk, and the bottom of the bookshelves are visible, ugly particle board because they don't have the veneer that the rest of the visible pieces have. (Ironically, there's a couple of large internal pieces (H) in the bottom bunk that have veneer on both sides, but are completely invisible.)
I'd rate it higher (I'd give the desk, storage unit and upper bunk 5-stars if they assembled easily), but the assembly is VERY time-consuming. It took me 8 hours to assemble everything by myself (I did need help to lift the top bunk onto the desk/storage unit). Tip: it arrives in 4 boxes, open each, one at a time, and assemble it before opening the next box. Start with the two shorter boxes (desk and storage unit), then the longest, widest box (upper bunk), finally the long but not so wide box is the lower bunk. Also, it's very heavy and bulky, so I wouldn't recommend this for anyone planning to move soon because dis-assembly, moving, and re-assembly would not be fun.
The bed I received was manufactured in January 2012. The pieces are fiberboard with a real wood veneer that looks great and is very sturdy. I suspect that the review stating the bed is not sturdy is either referring to a different model or due to improper assembly. (For example, if they neglected to assemble the center brace (N) in the upper bunk, then it would sag, but with this piece it's very stiff and sturdy.)
It arrived with no missing pieces and everything in good shape (with lots of cardboard and styrofoam to be recycled). However, there was a one piece that was a little bit too long in the desk (D3) and another in the upper bunk (N), so I had to cut them slightly (very simple to do). Also, the slots in the lower bunk (C) were not wide-enough for the particle board (B) to slide in, this was really time-consuming to carve it to make it fit.)
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We own this set and I am so surprised to read the other review about this being a cheap flimsy set. The loft bed is so sturdy that my husband (who is Not so skinny anymore!) two children, and I can all get up on top and not worry in the least about it collapsing. The wood is very heavy and does not peel off! All I can figure is that my set was made a few years back and perhaps what is being offered now is of lesser quality.
I gave 4 stars and not 5 because the top bed is quite difficult to get the fitted sheet onto. If your child is a bit older and can do it himself it wouldn't be a problem, but I was sleeping a potty training 3 year old up there and it was no fun for me to have to climb up to change that out (I was pregnant at the time).
I do reccommend this bed set, and I think you'll be happy with it :)
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I love this bed collection! We have it now for a few months and of course it is not hardwood, but it is sturdy enough, even my 200lb+ husband climbs on top with our son and it holds up well. I guess how well you put it together, my husband put it together very carefully with a lot of strength to make sure all the screws were tight. It is a very practical set, the desk with the light is great, the drawers are great for the homework, and kids crayons, book shelves hold so many books and even the cabinet on the side allows for more storage. The room looks actually bigger than with two separate beds. My only complaint is that the bottom of the top bed is not well finished. You lay down on the bottom bed and you stare at the unfinished wood... it is very annoying, I am thinking about doing something to cover it up... Another thing that wasn't done to the full potential is the bottom bed it is built like an empty box with mattress on top, I wish there was an opening to put in extra pillows or blankets, anything, but instead it is wasted space. These are not deal breakers, it is still a great set, a wonderful solution for a shared room. I would definitely recommend it. (It matches great with the Ikea MALM collection dressers)
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My 9 year old daughter loves the bed. Shipping was fast and arrived completely undamaged. Worst thing about this bed was the assembly it took my husband a full day to put it together. In general, it is a great product!
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This is of course, as listed, a door poster. It is much longer than a normal poster, which is ok because i was aware of this fact. I you dont read the description, you may get a surprise when you receive your product
