Hi, I have recently bought a flat pack loft bed online and the top guardrail at the front of the bed seems to be warped in such a way that it bends towards the inside of the bed next to where is supposed to be near the ladder. I am wondering if I screw it to the attaching piece, will it pull itself apart from it eventually or should I ask for a replacement piece?
This is the bed in question:
No-one can say for sure. Get them to replace it. If you f*** about with it and fail, it will be the perfect excuse for them not to replace it.
I think it depends on the degree. If, when attached, it pulls itself back to a position which looks OK, I'd say leave it as it may well creep into shape over time. If it is pulling other parts of the structure out of shape, get a replacement.
It looks like cheap kiln dried wood, there's no bracing and it relies on machined flat surfaces being pulled up square by the bolts to give it its shape. Not a mortise or tenon in sight. But it's cheap and cheerful, and you won't be looking for a particularly long life.
Watch out for the joints loosening once kids get bigger and start swinging on it. You might consider putting wood glue on the joints. The structural strength will still come from the metal bolts, but the glue may reduce the "flex" which leads to bolt loosening. I've sometimes wondered whether things like this should be assembled with double sided sticky tape at the joints.
I would definitely add bracing, or at least some hefty metal brackets on the undersides of the joins so they're not very noticeable.
Re the warped plank, you've not told us how much it's warped or how thick it is, but most likely it'll be fine when the bolts are done up. If the warping is more severe then it may not do up, or the result may be an out of line guard assembly.
NT
I'm in two minds about bracing. The triple rail at the top will help to stop the faces become parallelograms. A couple of screws into the walls would make a lot of difference, at the expense of mobility (wall plugs if solid, or make sure you find the studs if plasterboard).They would need to be larger brackets, the standard L shaped corner brackets made from 2.5 mm steel wouldn't do much. A sheet of hardboard on the outside over the two main spaces against the wall might be another option. As I said before, look out for it becoming wobbly and then tighten it up.
it will, whether it will prove adequate is another matter
an excellent alternative if a strong enough attachment can be made.
A set of high load brackets would do nicely.
hopeless agaist the onslaught of 2 kids.
NT
I would screw it to the wall, for sure. It's quite a heavy structure to fall on a child. You'll need a spacer, the thickness of the skirting board - an offcut of wood will do, or an old paperback!
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