I purchased the `white bunk bed. All painted surfaces were in good condition. The product was well packaged (came in two boxes). The bed is sturdy and made with adequately strong materials for children. The ladder creaks when I put weight on it (200 lbs).
During assembly I experienced the following challenges. I should note that I have a lot of experience assembling furniture (I assembled all of the floor displays at a Wal/Mart) for a couple years)
(1) Poorly and inconsistently labeled parts. The wood pieces should be labeled (as claimed to be) because they look similar. I was able to differentiate parts from the diagrams in the directions. Pay particular attention to drill holes during assembly. As well, the hardware list in the directions was not entirely clear because the diagram showing the hardware was not drawn to scale. This would greatly help when determining which (of three) wood screws to use for example.
(2) One of the safety rails on the upper bunk had a miss/aligned drill/hole (middle of the rail). This was easily overcome because the wood/screw easily self/taped into the wood. This would be a greater problem if one of the critical points at the rail/ends were miss/aligned.
In addition, the bed does have a critical safety deficiency to be evaluated. The two bunks are only secured at one corner of the bed (at the ladder). The four corner rails are not securely attached; they are attached with a loose/fitting steel dowel only. I thought that this was quite unsafe (especially for small children).
I was able to easily solve the problem with a simple flat steel bracket and some wood screws at the remaining 3 corner posts (luckily I had the hard/ware on hand). Im sure that could come up with a more elegant solution for little to no significant cost.
You may think that I am being over cautious but within minutes of finishing assembly and showing my kids, my (less than sober) father in/law climbed up to the top bunk and then vaulted off causing the whole thing to rock off the floor. If I had not secured the corner posts it could easily have jumped off the dowels and possibly collapsed.
Still, the finished product is attractive and safe (with my alterations). I would recommend it to a friend but only if I could help them assemble it. 3 of 5 stars.
Adequate (Yes I would buy another one)
I purchased the `white bunk bed. All painted surfaces were in good condition. The product was well packaged (came in two boxes). The bed is sturdy and made with adequately strong materials for children. The ladder creaks when I put weight on it (200 lbs). During assembly I experienced the following challenges. I should note that I have a lot of experience assembling furniture (I assembled all of the floor displays at a Wal/Mart) for a couple years) (1) Poorly and inconsistently labeled parts. The wood pieces should be labeled (as claimed to be) because they look similar. I was able to differentiate parts from the diagrams in the directions. Pay particular attention to drill holes during assembly. As well, the hardware list in the directions was not entirely clear because the diagram showing the hardware was not drawn to scale. This would greatly help when determining which (of three) wood screws to use for example. (2) One of the safety rails on the upper bunk had a miss/aligned drill/hole (middle of the rail). This was easily overcome because the wood/screw easily self/taped into the wood. This would be a greater problem if one of the critical points at the rail/ends were miss/aligned. In addition, the bed does have a critical safety deficiency to be evaluated. The two bunks are only secured at one corner of the bed (at the ladder). The four corner rails are not securely attached; they are attached with a loose/fitting steel dowel only. I thought that this was quite unsafe (especially for small children). I was able to easily solve the problem with a simple flat steel bracket and some wood screws at the remaining 3 corner posts (luckily I had the hard/ware on hand). Im sure that could come up with a more elegant solution for little to no significant cost. You may think that I am being over cautious but within minutes of finishing assembly and showing my kids, my (less than sober) father in/law climbed up to the top bunk and then vaulted off causing the whole thing to rock off the floor. If I had not secured the corner posts it could easily have jumped off the dowels and possibly collapsed. Still, the finished product is attractive and safe (with my alterations). I would recommend it to a friend but only if I could help them assemble it. 3 of 5 stars.