Checking a bunk bed after a move

Find the instructions again

Removal crews and family helpers take bunks apart quickly, and the bag of bolts is often the thing that goes missing. Before you rebuild, find the maker’s instructions, either the paper copy or a copy from the maker or the seller. Assembling a flat-pack bunk bed covers the build itself: floor space, two people and the order on the sheet.

Lay out the parts and count the fixings against the parts list. If any are missing, order the right replacements from the maker or the seller. A screw from the toolbox that looks close enough is not the same part.

Rails, ladder and mattress

Every guard rail goes back where the drawings show, with all its fixings. A rail that moves when you push it, or a ladder that shifts at the top, needs attention before use, not later. If the instructions say the bed is fixed to a wall, that applies in the new room too, and the new wall may need different fixings.

Check the mattresses as well. In a move they get mixed up, and the deeper one from the bottom bed can end up on top. Bunk bed mattress depth and guard rails explains why the marked maximum thickness matters.

What this is not

This page is a reminder, not an inspection checklist, and it is not the standard. BS EN 747: what parents need from the bunk bed standard explains what the standard covers and the markings on the frame. Rebuilding a bed at home does not test it to that standard. If a part is cracked, bent or stripped, contact the maker rather than repairing it yourself.

Questions people ask