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They are heavy and bulky and therefore
expensive to ship from the manufacturer to retailer.
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The less material in the bed, the lower the
"mass" and therefore the more flimsy they seem on the old shake test!
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The cheap bunk beds are just that - cheap and
often dangerous.
To justify the higher prices needed for shipping and retailing manufacturers tend to make
the beds more elaborate by incorporating drawers and other extras. It's in
the extras that they make their profit so make sure that things like drawers
are well constructed.
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Don't forget to include the cost of mattresses
as they can add substantially to the final price.
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Q. Where do I buy to get the most value? Fortunately, bunk beds are not complicated to make and there are lots of individuals making beds form small work shops and
garages (like I did) and who sell them directly to the public. To find
people like this just type in bunk beds in the
custom search box below. These
beds tend
to be rugged and basic in appearance but they do offer a strong and affordable
bed. I would assert that most of these builders are familiar with
the safety issues associated with beds but there is no way they can afford
specialized testing of each model. Again, you
become familiar with the information listed above under safety.
Q. What do I need
to know about mattresses?
The hardest part about bunk beds is making the
top bunk! (tip: put a fitted sheet over the mattress before you
heave it over the guard rails). A basic 312 coil insulated
mattress is usually fine for both adults and kids. This level of
mattress is generally seven to eight inches thick and is not too heavy.
Leave your thick plush mattresses for the bottom bunk.
I prefer the mattress to be supported by a
bunkie
board rather than slats. A bunkie board is a flat covered board, about
1 1/2" thick which gives a flat surface to support the mattress and
you can buy them at pretty well any mattress store or on-line at the Shopping Warehouse
(search on bunkie) They are made from a wooden frame covered with a thin board and cloth, but are constructed
in a way that will support plenty of
weight. So if you are physically able to climb into the top bunk, you
should be quite safe to get up there and read to your kid at bed time!
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Q. What kind of finish
is best?
A nice shiny lacquer or polyurethane finish looks
great in the shop, but rather like patent leather shoes, they never look
better than the day they were new. Whereas leather shoes seem to
improve with age and plenty of polish. I find that these lacquer finishes
will get scratched and the bed soon looks beaten up. I prefer just a
stain to give color which you can keep clean with something simple like lemon
oil. This also make repairing the surface for re-sale much easier.
White is a very popular color and is used a lot
in beds made with laminated board. However if you want a solid wood bed,
you should perhaps consider a white pickle stain rather than paint.
Paint will wear off with time especially along the rungs. The pickle will not
give you a solid white but may have the effect you are looking for.
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Q. What kind of wood
should I choose?
Most solid wood bunk beds are made from pine.
Pine is perfectly strong enough and a lot less expensive than hard wood such
as Oak. There are
several different species of pine used in the industry, the most popular being Radiata, a relatively clear
pine, plantation grown in South America.
Southern Yellow Pine from the US is also extremely solid. You may also come across beds made
from Rubber Wood, sometimes called Parawood, which are made in Malaysia and
other countries where they tap latex. This wood is hard and very
suitable for bunk beds.
Plywood, whenever this is used, is exceptionally
strong and perfectly adequate for the job. Just try to avoid veneered
particle board as it tends not to hold fasteners well and generally unsuitable
for bunk beds, dressers etc.
Q. What about
matching furniture?
When you have selected your bunk bed, you can purchase
unfinished furniture and finish it to match your bunk bed. In
this way you can get exactly the combination of furniture you want
and in the right colors. Please see my short article on
buying unfinished furniture.
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