I got this bed frame on sale for really cheap. Had I paid more, I would probably not be so happy with it. If you want a nice, good quality bed frame, don't buy this one. If you need a cheap bed frame that will work for now, this might be for you. Read the rest of my review below..........................
The bed came in a big box with two corners marked "Fragile Corner". One of these corners was completely crushed. Somehow, the pieces inside were perfectly fine. Kudos to the packaging engineer, wherever you are.
****I set this bed up by myself in about two hours. It definitely could have gone a little quicker with help. I have lots of experience assembling flat-packed furniture. I thought the instructions were fairly easy to follow. It is definitely important to read the hardware key and figure out which bolt / screw the picture refers to before starting to assemble. At this price-point they definitely don't give you spare hardware.
****I would also recommend a ratcheting screwdriver with the appropriately sized hex head rather than the included Allen wrench /key. It’s not required, but it will probably make the job go a lot faster.
****The design is not so bad. Perhaps they made some adjustments after the poor reviews. The screws for the slats were fine; none of them stripped on me. However, I would HIGHLY recommend that you have a hammer and an awl / long nail / other pointy object to tap a little pilot hole for the screws. Again, at this price-point, they’re not doing it for you.
****If you just put the bed together as instructed, it will be unstable. The joints are not that robust and there is no cross-bracing to keep everything square. It’s not a terrible design, just minimal. You can go around and tighten the bolts again with your Allen key, but be careful not to over-tighten, as the hardware will start digging in to the cheap particle board stuff and make the problem worse.
****The main way to fix this is to use a box spring or get some plywood in place of a box spring. This helps a bit to keep the whole thing more square. I got some thick chip board cut for me at the home improvement store. It works just fine under my cheap 8" memory foam mattress. I definitely would not recommend putting a mattress straight on the slats of this bed. I really don’t think it would be safe. I think there was even something that came with the bed that advised against it. Spend the extra money ($*+ gas) to get the plywood.
****Once you add the box spring/plywood and mattress, the bed should be a lot more stable. If you have carpeting, you might be good to go at this point. If you have wood or other hard-surface flooring, probably not. You will need to put something under the feet of the bed to hold them in place. I used 3”x3” square rubber furniture cups under the four corner posts. They just fit if you turn them corner-wise. You could also probably just cut a few pieces of that rubbery drawer liner stuff, or anything else that’s rubbery and will keep the feet from shifting.
****After you do this, don’t forget to check the adjustable feet on the center supports. This part is the most annoying. If there’s a gap under the support you will have to turn the foot until it reaches the ground. If you’re a big person, you might have to enlist a smaller friend to crawl under there and do it while you lift the bed up a little.
****I haven't really had an issue with the center supporting leg being in the way. It does stick out a bit, which is unfortunate, but I don't think they could have designed it another way. I maybe kicked it once so far, but I'm pretty used to it by now.
****I’ve had this bed set up for more than a month now and it’s still quite stable. It’s more than adequate for one person and it performed admirably when put to the test by two people (combined weight >300lb). I wouldn’t recommend it for heavier people (interpret as you will) as an every-day bed, because the joints most likely wouldn’t hold up. However, this is a great every-day bed for one person and would probably be fine for two people in many circumstances. Certainly stable enough to use as a guest bed and (with a cheap memory foam mattress) probably more comfortable and stable than a comparably priced futon.
****Summary:
-:-Read the instructions, particularly the hardware key box at bottom of page
-:-Ratcheting screwdriver recommended
-:-Hammer and awl or nail HIGHLY recommended to tap pilot holes for slat screws
-:-Tighten, but DON’T over-tighten the bolts
-:-Use a box spring or plywood to support the mattress
-:-On hard floors, use something rubbery to keep the feet from sliding
-:-Remember to adjust the feet on the center supports when you’re done
-:-Center support isn't that big of a problem
-:-Definitely better than a futon
-:-Good value if you can get it on sale