The IKEA-style assembly of this bed does, as other reviews indicate, leave something to be desired in terms of sturdiness and creakiness. However, with a couple extra hours and about $25 worth of apparatus from the hardware store, it's easy to build this thing solid as a rock. If you've got the time and the inclination, you'll end up with a surprisingly high quality piece of furniture. (And it doesn't look cheap either.) Total assembly time, with the modifications, was about five hours for a moderately capable guy with a drill and a six-pack of High Life. You'll also need a companion to help hold things together as you're slotting together the bigger bits.
If this sounds intimidating, it's actually pretty easy. Just buy the hardware and things will be pretty intuitive once you're done slogging through the directions and you return to this.
You will need the following from the hardware store. Just ask someone there if you're unfamiliar, and they'll point you right to it:
8 2.5inch/63mm "corner braces"
A box of wood screws that are sized 6x5/8. The corner braces may come with screws, but these will be 3/4in or longer, and will poke through the wood. You're going to use the 6x5/8 screws with the corner braces.
A box of wood screws that are 1.5 inches long. Just get the narrowest ones they have, whatever gauge that may be. If they don't have something 1.5 inches, anything in that neighborhood will do.
15 feet of 1/2in wide heavy duty felt tape. (Get six rolls of the stuff and you won't run out.)
STEP 1: Before you install the slats on which the bed will rest and connect the whole thing together, stick a strip of felt across the top of the two inside support beams. This will help keep the beams from rattling around under your mattress.
STEP 2: Once you have assembled the frame, take the longer wood screws and drill them down through each slat into the support beams, right through the felt. Make it nice and tight.
STEP 4: Cut the felt tape into 3 inch strips and, without removing the wax paper backing, slip them into the slots where the ends of the slats are fitted, using a flathead screwdriver to stuff them in if you have problems. This will tighten the ends so that they don't rattle around in the metal bracket.
STEP 5: Drill the corner braces using the 6x5/8 screws into each of the four corners. It will be obvious where to put them: you're just trying to firm up the connection between the side beams and the ends, so that they don't flex around. I found it helpful to put the top four horizontally (directly above the slats) and bottom four vertically (like an L, inside the opening where the drawer will go). Don't worry that you will impinge on the drawers -there's room.
(It's also helpful to run some felt tape along the bottom of the bed, especially if you have wood floors, so that you can move it around without scratching.)
Congrats, you now have an extremely solid (and subtly classy looking) bed. And you spent $350, not $800.
Prepac Espresso Tall Twin/Mates Platform Storage Bed (6-drawers)
Prepac Monterey Cherry Queen Platform Storage Bed (6-drawers)
Ive read the previous reviews and they all have one thing in common. They havent had the bed very long. Ive had this frame for abou ta year and a half. It is nice to look at, at first anyway, but is made out of cheap materials. The old saying "You get what you pay for" holds true in this case. The drawers are quite literaly garbage. The bottoms come out after just a couple of months because they are made of heavy cardboad and secured with tiny tiny tiny nails. If you place shoes in them, it will pull the nails loose and the drawer wont open easily. If you nick the surface anywhere you will have a big white mark to show you where you hit it. Its compressed fiber board covered in a pretty plastic film to make it look nice. The boards that provide support for the bead are rediculously flimsy. Ladies and gents if you deside to "play around" on this bed, then prepare for everyone to know it. Its flimsy and makes lots of noise even when all the bolts and screws and properly tightened. It is an amazing hunk of crap lol. I wish I would have known ahead of time this was going to be a shoddy, compressed fiber board and film, discrace of a bedframe. This is an honest review from someone whom has put this thing through its paces. If you do get this dispite this review, reinforce it! You'll be glad you did. Or just spend the 400 on something nicer. Thanks for reading.
Buy Prepac Manhattan Queen Platform Storage Bed, Espresso Now
As always Amazon ships super fast and items arrive in good condition. The bed is nice for those of you that are looking to save space. The drawers are a very good size and the bed is nice and high (I am using my bed and frame although the unit itslef doubles as a frame. I prefer a bed that is higher).
Only tough part was putting it together because there was so much to do (drawers, frame, hinges, bed frame, etc. and there seemed to be a million nails/screws.
Don't lose the nails/screws as they are pretty much counted for.) but nothing that can't be completed in half a day or so (4 hours).
One thing to note, the frame while good uses many leverage points to make things happen. WHat I am getting at is this is not a bed that you want to move (especially with the bed on the frame).
Seems like a bed you need to tear-down if you ever move or else the frame will get damaged. However, for the price and storage space, I am happy and would purchase again.
Conclusion
Worth the price for the storage space.
Read Best Reviews of Prepac Manhattan Queen Platform Storage Bed, Espresso Here
My husband and I ordered this bed and we are pleased. My husband put the bed together, drawers included, in about 2.5 hours. Nice color. Nice size drawers, no box spring needed as now our bed sits pretty high up but very comfortable.
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My husband and I are so happy with this bed!
We were so impressed that every piece required to put the bed together was all there. The instructions were very clear and easy to understand. It did take us longer to put the bed together than what others have said, but that is only because I am disabled and so wasn't able to help my husband very much.
The one thing we did not expect is how comfortable our bed is now. We don't quite understand why getting rid of the boxspring made a difference, but it did. Also another thing that we really like is how solid the bed feels. Now when my husband moves in bed, I don't feel it!
One thing you want to make sure of is that the bed is sitting perfectly square, otherwise the drawers don't fit right. Also you will want to assemble the bed where you plan on putting it, because it is quite heavy to move.
We highly recommend this bed!
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Vanity looks great, very easy too put together. Only negative was the first time it was shipped to me a piece of wood underneath one of the cabinets was split and broken. I returned the item, and it was replaced quickly with an undamaged vanity.
