Platform Beds - Domestic or Import?

Platform beds are an interesting category in furniture today. They’ve been around since the late Neolithic age dating back as far as 4000 B.C. when they were nothing more than huge slabs of stone covered with bracken and slept on. Today’s beds are much more attractive and comfortable than those early Neolithic beds used by our prehistoric ancestors and in this article we’ll talk about the many varieties of platform beds available to us today.

Platform beds are best described as a bed with its own foundation built into it for the purpose of being used with just a mattress. As such there are many different ways in which to create a bed with this description. Let’s take a look at some of these varieties.Domestic wood beds are made in the same country as where you are purchasing the bed from. Most often this means it is made in the USA. Manufacturers of these wood beds will use a combination of North American woods including but not limited to oak, maple, ash, pine, aspen, ect.

Wood beds made in the United States are often found to use slat systems which are slats connected together using a polypropylene material that correctly spaces out the slats. Center support beams are often used which will run parallel with the side rails. The advantage of buying beds manufactured in the United States is that parts are easy to obtain as well as service. These beds will often cost more than their import counterparts but are made well and are sure to last.

Import wood beds are just as they sound, made overseas from imported wood. There are many import manufacturers based in Malaysia, China, Indonesia that manufacturer wood platform beds. These beds will be made from tropical hardwoods or other mixed hardwoods. Ramin is a popular wood used in these beds. These beds most often feature wood slats that are connected together with a nylon material that spaces out the slats. Additional leg supports are often used beneath these beds to provide additional center support. Since many of the factories that make these beds make them for a variety of distributors who bring them into the United States it is not uncommon to see similar or identical styles from vendor to vendor. Most often they are made similar enough that the pricing should also reflect that similarity.

The only real disadvantages of buying import beds are obtaining parts for them. Because they are made overseas and brought over on containers, obtaining parts is challenging.Metal beds are of course made from steel. These beds are usually tubular in nature meaning that it is made from steel but using hollow tubes to form the various structures of the headboard and footboard. Side rails will be substantial and will typically weigh the most. Hollow steel cross bars are often used across the rails to form the foundation. Paneling or wood slats may be used across the foundation. These beds are available from North American manufacturers but are also slowly being built overseas as import models.

There are also many styles of beds available ranging from southwestern, modern, traditional, transitional and more. Many of the newest styles are starting to take a more modern and fresh approach to furniture designs and if you like contemporary styled furniture platform beds will definitely offer quite a bit to choose from in those designs. The hope of this article has been to provide you the reader with some things to think about towards the furniture you’re going to choose and maybe things to consider before shopping for your new bed. Part of the issue is trying to choose which bed is right for you. Do you buy domestic or import? Do you purchase a metal bed or wood bed? What style of bed do I want? These are all just some of the many decisions you’ll want to make before you begin shopping for a new bed.