Are you looking for a quality kids’ bed? With so many options and retailers out there, we understand why shopping can be a tricky process. Just looking at pictures on a computer screen can make everything look the same. So we listed some key features you should look for on the search for a great quality bed for your child – be it a bunk bed, a loft bed, a free-standing bed frame or an entire bedroom set including dressers, shelves or a desk.

So when it’s time to shop or buy, here’s what you should look for to know you’re choosing the best quality kids’ furniture, for maximum comfort, safety, longevity, and style.

1. Solid Wood Construction

When examining a bed, especially if it's elevated like a bunk bed or loft bed for kids, your instinct will be to check if it's sturdy – you definitely don't want a bed that wobbles. If you are purchasing online and cannot see the bed in person, take a look at the company’s customer reviews. Also, look at the product description for key language that will help you understand if the kids bed you’re shopping for has solid wood construction, extra sturdy hardware, or even better, hardware that is specifically designed to prevent connections from coming loose.

Kids’ furniture has to withstand more wear and tear than other furniture in your home and is often handed down to younger siblings, so solid wood construction definitely pays off if you want your furniture to last. The best bunk beds for kids will last through years of playtime, bedtime, and everything in between.

 

At Maxtrix, we build the sturdiest solid wood bunk beds, loft beds, and kids’ beds, plus all the matching furniture to create complete kids’ bedroom sets. With Maxtrix, you can be sure to get best-in-class construction on all our furniture, thanks to the following features:

• Rock Solid Connections: Our patented Rock Lock technology is designed to not just connect but actually compress two pieces of wood together. We use this connector in our kids’ bunk beds and loft beds to connect leg extensions or to stack two beds (or even three beds if you’re looking for a triple bunk bed) on top of each other. This proprietary device makes the bed leg even stronger than if it were a naturally grown piece of wood. Our sturdy bunk beds, loft beds, and kids’ beds never wobble and are rock solid.

• Dovetail Drawers: Maxtrix staircase and dresser drawers feature high quality English Dovetail construction. Our Drawers are reinforced with cross beams, helping them to withstand 50 pounds weight position on the drawer front and fully extended. Plus, the dressers don’t tip at that extreme.
• Bed Slats: All Maxtrix beds are sold with wooden slats, and can hold up to 800 pounds of weight, more than double US Safety Regulations. All you need to add is a mattress – no box spring or bunkie boards required.

2. Quality Materials

If you are shopping for wooden furniture, the material is the biggest driver of cost. The difference between great and not-so-great quality is that some furniture manufacturers save on the amount of quality material where they can. Hardwoods like maple, aspen, or birch are much more expensive and the best quality you can get.

Solid hardwood kids’ furniture is not going to dent or show signs of wear and tear like soft wood such as pine. Hardwood is also much more beautiful. While most wooden furniture has a coat of lacquer or finish on it, quality products don’t show unsightly finger joints or knots, but rather the beautiful natural marbling of wood. One example is the Great, our Maxtrix low loft bed with stairs that is made of beautiful maple wood.

All Maxtrix products are made from premium grade, sustainably harvested solid hardwoods like maple, birch, and aspen. We use "select grade" wood, which is a premier classification of beautifully clean and clear wood. We offset the high premium of this material by achieving an extremely low level of waste material in our factory.

But how do you know if you are truly buying a hardwood bed? Terms like solid wood and hardwood are used often, but what can help you distinguish true quality? Look for knots in the wood. Every time there is a knot in the wood, there is a structural imperfection, so the bed is more prone to cracking and splitting. Even when you paint over and seal it, the wood will still eventually crack. While you may not see the knots today, if the bed is not made of hardwood, you will likely see the dark knots bleed through the surface paint over time. Even under a solid white finish, this can easily cause unsightly yellow stains.

 

The amount of material used in constructing a bed is equally important as the quality. Many products in the market shave down key dimensions to the absolute minimum to save on material costs. Compare how thick the legs are (for stability), how wide ladder steps measure (for comfort), and how tall guardrails reach (for safety), especially on the upper bunk or loft. Think about the process of buying a home – the structural beam of the home is more important than anything when talking about the integrity of the property. The same thought process holds true with furniture. Low quality bunk beds and kids’ beds skimp on the amount of material used on ladders, steps, and slats.

Here are some measurements for you to compare against:

• All Maxtrix bed legs are 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches.
• Maxtrix ladder sides and steps are nearly four inches wide and one inch thick.
• Maxtrix guardrails are 16 inches tall (tallest in the industry!).

3. Material Process & Treatment

Before manufacturing, all wood needs to go through a moisture-removing process. When purchasing a piece of furniture to use indoors that will stand the test of time, you’ll want a product that has been kiln-dried to ensure it does not warp, crack, or break. This process can take a long time, but it's a critical step in creating a quality wooden product.

Maxtrix hardwoods all are kiln-dried, and once the furniture is made one of three finishes is applied: white, natural, or chestnut. To create the most beautiful finish, the wood goes through a seven-step process to get the color just right. All our stains and finishes are extensively safety tested. We take special care to get the stain just right, ensuring the color will match exactly with other Maxtrix pieces, even if you purchased your products years ago. As Maxtrix is a system, there is a consistent stain and style within our collections so you can build on it over time without concern that your furniture won't match.

 

4. No Safety Shortcuts

There are regulations for kids’ furniture, but there is a difference between products that are designed to just meet these standards and those that are built to go the extra mile and exceed them. Take weight capacity as an example. Many beds on the market today are engineered to be right at the limit. But what if Mom and Dad want to come into bed to read a bedtime story? That could easily become a problem with a bed that does not have the right support structure.

Maxtrix kids’ beds don’t take shortcuts. Every detail matters when you break down safe furniture construction, and here are a few you should keep in mind:

• Weight Limits: Maxtrix beds carry adults easily. In fact, all our beds are tested to hold 800 pounds and many even use Maxtrix bunk beds as adult bunk beds. Plus, all full-size beds come with an extra metal underbed support beam. No one needs to worry about climbing on our beds.

• Extra Tall Guardrails: Maxtrix beds like our elevated loft beds and top bunk beds have extra tall 16-inch guardrails, plus you can add an extra safety rail to the bottom bunk or front guard rails on toddler beds if you want to.
• Climbing Safety: Maxtrix beds have extra handrails and grooved steps for safety when climbing to elevated beds.

5. Assembly & Flexibility

When you assemble a kid’s bed, you can easily notice the difference between a low and high quality bed. What type of hardware was included? How heavy are the materials? How solid is the construction?

Maxtrix uses heavy-duty hardware, and our beds go together easily. Taking it one step further, we have thousands of models you can create with Maxtrix parts and extension kits, which make configuring and reconfiguring your bed fun:

• Disconnect and Reconnect: The heart of our company is the joy we bring to kids and parents for the duration of their time at home – toddler to teen. Easily disconnect your MAXTRIX bed configuration and reconnect it into a different setup as many times as you need, without blemishing the wood or diminishing the quality of the bed.
• Reversibility: Our ladders can be placed on either side of the bed. All can be assembled in mirror images (left vs. right) and then changed if your child’s room changes.

 

Shop Maxtrix Beds

You should feel comfortable and confident when shopping Maxtrix kids’ beds. And, if you feel like you want assistance choosing the right design and configuration for your child’s room, we have a team dedicated to help you maximize space, function, and fun. Use our online chat tool or email us directly to create your own custom bunk bed, loft bed, or kids’ bed. Happy shopping!

*800 lbs weight test is an internal test based on the ASTM 1427-13 test method.