I just finished putting this together; my kids (8 and 4) are sleeping in it now (or at least lying in it). Overall, I think this is a high quality product and very reasonably priced. But as other reviewers have mentioned, its a bear to put together. A few tips to make it easier:
Think (and read) ahead! A lot of the parts are symmetrical, or at least appear that way without very careful inspection. Only after you reach a subsequent step that requires you to attach something else to two subtle holes in the middle of a large piece will you realize you put it together backwards. I did this several times, at different stages, which was really frustrating. It would help if they put some pointers in the instructions (as in, make sure side with holes is facing inward).
The small bolts and the medium bolts are very close in size. Be careful not to mix them up or youll end up without enough of one or the other.
The washers stick together. Be careful not to use two instead of one or youll run out.
Tighten, but not too much! The screws can easily be stripped if you overtighten.
Finally, the plastic clips. These can go from infuriating to fairly simple if you know two things. First, the clips are not symmetrical; they only go in one way. The two vertical bars run all the way to what should be the bottom of the clip, but do not run all the way to the top. If you try to put one in the other way, youre in for a long afternoon/evening. Second, pliars. I know the clips are plastic and seem fragile. But your thumbs are fragile too, and there are a LOT of these clips to put in. Some of them snap in without much effort, but most of them were really tough. Only after my thumbs were about to fall off did I decide to risk pliars. Turns out the pliars worked great, as long as youre careful with them. They may scratch the paint a little, but I decided I could live with that. Result: thumbs recovering and no broken clips.
In the end, the bed seems very solid. I climbed up on the top bunk to test it before letting my daughter up there. Felt very solid, even for me (Im about 160 pounds).
Good luck! Be sure to have it
Assembly tips
I just finished putting this together; my kids (8 and 4) are sleeping in it now (or at least lying in it). Overall, I think this is a high quality product and very reasonably priced. But as other reviewers have mentioned, its a bear to put together. A few tips to make it easier: Think (and read) ahead! A lot of the parts are symmetrical, or at least appear that way without very careful inspection. Only after you reach a subsequent step that requires you to attach something else to two subtle holes in the middle of a large piece will you realize you put it together backwards. I did this several times, at different stages, which was really frustrating. It would help if they put some pointers in the instructions (as in, make sure side with holes is facing inward). The small bolts and the medium bolts are very close in size. Be careful not to mix them up or youll end up without enough of one or the other. The washers stick together. Be careful not to use two instead of one or youll run out. Tighten, but not too much! The screws can easily be stripped if you overtighten. Finally, the plastic clips. These can go from infuriating to fairly simple if you know two things. First, the clips are not symmetrical; they only go in one way. The two vertical bars run all the way to what should be the bottom of the clip, but do not run all the way to the top. If you try to put one in the other way, youre in for a long afternoon/evening. Second, pliars. I know the clips are plastic and seem fragile. But your thumbs are fragile too, and there are a LOT of these clips to put in. Some of them snap in without much effort, but most of them were really tough. Only after my thumbs were about to fall off did I decide to risk pliars. Turns out the pliars worked great, as long as youre careful with them. They may scratch the paint a little, but I decided I could live with that. Result: thumbs recovering and no broken clips. In the end, the bed seems very solid. I climbed up on the top bunk to test it before letting my daughter up there. Felt very solid, even for me (Im about 160 pounds). Good luck! Be sure to have it