Convertible Bunk Bed

Our son’s room is a small 10′ x 12′ with a full size bed from Ikea. We wanted to give him more floor space to play on while also eventually moving in his younger sister in preparation for our third child. A bunk bed was the answer, particularly when my brothers and I had loved them so much during our childhood!

Configurations: Stacked Bunk vs Dual Standalones /Costzon

What’s Good? What’s Bad?

Pros

• Solid, wood-like material
• VERY easy assembly with clear, numbered/labeled parts
• Opens up the room with some extra space
• Conversion between a bunk bed and 2 standalone twins
  • Both beds can have the headboard reversed so the pattern can orient in the same direction as the footboard
  • Both beds can be converted to look exactly the same

Dual Twin Bed Configuration /Costzon

• Full guard rail for upper bed with a small opening for a 5-step ladder
  • Ladder is removable
    • Can be screwed permanently onto the upper bed or left alone with its built-in hooks
  • Ladder was able to withstand a 220 lbs person
    • Since the upper bed can take 330 lbs (according to manufacturer), the ladder should be able to accommodate that too
  • Bottom of ladder is about 1.5′-1.75′ away from the lower bunk
  • No guard rail for lower bunk
• Upper bed did not shift even though it is held together to the lower one with 4 rods (weight of bed keeps it from tilting)

Labeled Parts and Instructions

• Nice feel and coating
• Pleasant Headboard/Footboard design
• Pair of slats (12 boards each) included that can support a manufacturer-stated limit of 400 lbs (lower bunk) and 330 lbs with a 1-person limit for the upper one
  • Can accommodate full size adults
  • Each board is solidly held together by screws to prevent shifting
• 1′ space below the bottom bed for storage (or rather, the kids to crawl under for fun)
• 2.25′ (approximately) vertical space between upper/lower bunk without mattress
• J hex key Allen wrench included
  • Phillips head screwdriver required
• Company warehouse based in Fontana, CA

Lower Bunk Bed Assembly

Upper & Lower Bed Assembly

Cons

• Strong, chemical smell of new wood and paint
  • Air out for 36-48 hours to get rid of the initial odor
• Ladder can only be used at one fixed location
  • Limits configuration and orientation of where the bed can be placed in the room
  • We wished the ladder could be moved to the other end of the upper bunk instead
• Slats are not as thick and wide as Ikea’s
  • Costzon vs Ikea
    • 2.5″ wide (Ikea: 3.5″)
    • 1/2″ thick (Ikea: 3/4″)
    • 3″ gap between boards (Ikea: same)
  • We plan on purchasing a thin plywood board wrapped in cloth fabric to help strengthen the slat support and prevent the mattresses from falling apart sooner due to friction
• No non-slip cushion for bottom of ladder to minimize scratches against the floor

Notes

Rods connecting Upper and Lower Bunks

• Be aware that the room should have enough space to assemble both bunk beds
  • We had to temporarily stack the upper bed over the bottom during construction when we ran out of room
• When purchased from Amazon, the parts arrived in 2 boxes on DIFFERENT days
  • Other box arrived about a week later
  • 2nd shipment did not come with a tracking number on the Amazon order page, but the seller provided it upon request
• Weight limits (per manufacturer)
  • Upper Bunk: 330 lbs, 1 person max
  • Lower Bunk: 400 lbs
• Dimensions: 79″ L x 39″ W x 66.5″ H
• Made in Malaysia
• Mattresses (not included)
  • Must be less than 7″ thick, at least 5″ below upper guardrail edge
    • 8″ thickness should be fine for an older, responsible child. This leaves 4″ for the guard rail
  • Recommended size: 38″-38.5″ W, 74″-75″ L (standard twin size)
    • We love the Inofia foam mattress (Style 1 / Style 2). Firm enough to not cause us to have a bad back
  • Should not use a box spring on the upper bunk since that would make the mattress be too close to the guard rail
• Manufacturer does not recommend anyone younger than 6 years old to be on the upper bunk

Final Thoughts

We were more than happy with this bunk bed for its solid material and reasonable pricing. Our biggest qualms were that the ladder could only be used at one location and the slat boards were a tad too thin and narrow. Having a bunk bed in a small room opened up the area as expected, but what caught us immediately after all was assembled was the the feeling of relaxation with the freed up space! More importantly: our son overjoyed with happiness at his new bed and expanded play area!

Where To Buy

• Costzon Convertible Bunk Bed (Twin-over-Twin, White, Wooden)
• Inofia 6″ Foam Mattress Twin Size: Style 1 / Style 2