FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
College Dorm Bed Questions
What are the biggest differences between your wooden lofts and the metal lofts
sold by your competitors?
What mattress size can I use on your loft beds?
Why do I need a Loft Bed when I can use cinder blocks instead?
Our college requires 4x4 corner posts, does your loft meet
this requirement?
How sturdy is your loft bed? Does it need to lean up
against a wall for support?
Do you provide Fire Retardant Lofts?
Can I fit a 79" sofa or futon under the loft?
Ordering Questions
Where do I enter my custom specifications information?
How much
headroom will I get above and below the loft?
You recommend 30" minimum headroom above, can I go closer
to the ceiling to get more space underneath?
Shipping Questions
Do I
have to be here to sign for it
Setup & Specifications Questions
College Dorm Bed Questions
What mattress size can I use on your loft beds?
We have Loft Beds that will hold
Twin, Full and Queen size mattresses. A Twin (also called a single bed)
mattress is 39" wide. A Full (also called a double bed) mattress is 54"
wide. A Queen mattress is 60" wide. We do not make lofts for King
size mattresses. The mattress lengths are: Regular 75", Extra Long 80" and
Dorm XXL 84" in length.
If you have an odd size mattress or are confined to
a tight space, we can custom build a loft to your specifications.
Click
for more information.
Please note, the longest box we can ship is 84" long, so we
can't build a loft for a mattress longer than 84" or legs taller than 84".
Why don't you make a King Size Loft Bed?
A king size
mattress is very big and the loft will require a large center support.
This makes the overall design a little more complicated and is not an
easy-to-assemble type project. Only a few loft bed companies will
manufacture a king size as a custom order. If you require a king size, we
recommend you hire a local woodworker to build it for you.
Can I use your Loft Bed in my
college dorm room?
Yes. Our loft beds were specifically
designed to be used 
sample of existing dorm bed
for this purpose in college dorms. Most
college dorm beds
can be disassembled and the spring frame and
mattress used on our loft. For example, with the dorm bed pictured here
you can remove the headboard and footboard and place the metal frame and
mattress on top of our bed slats. You can store the headboard and
footboard behind the loft against the wall and out of the way. Please
remember that when you dis-assemble your existing dorm room bed, you need to
save any bolts and loose hardware as you will need to put the bed back together
at the end of the school year.
What is the Dorm XXL 84" Length Used For
We created the Dorm XXL 84" Mattress
Length (87" overall length) Loft for customers that want to put a futon or full
size sofa underneath the loft. It is 4" longer than most lofts on the
market and the extra length gives you enough room to place most futons or sofas
underneath. The distance between the inside rungs is 84" and the distance
between the legs is 76". Click for more info.
Where can I
get sheets and bedding for your 84" mattress?
Take a look at
.
I
see you sell Twin Mattresses, do you also have Full and Queen Sizes?
Sorry, but no. Full and Queen
size mattresses are too large to ship with FedEx. You are better off
finding a local supplier for full and queen sizes.
Can I fit a
79" sofa or futon under the loft?
Yes, our
84" Length loft was designed to allow
a Futon to fit underneath. Click here for more information.
Ordering Questions
How do I
verify you are a legitimate business?
We have been in business since 2002
and sell
of beds every year. We sell to parents
for youth and teen lofts,
college students in dorms and apartments,
, book stores and
fraternities across the country. We are a year round business and we
provide a full warranty.
Better Business Bureau A+ Rating Accreditation
We are an Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau and have the
highest reputation with an
. We have had no customer
complaints in the past 3 years. You can get a
report on us by clicking on the logo on the left or by calling the
BBB at
800-828-5000.
We recommend before you purchase a loft bed from any company that you run a
on them, you
will be surprised at what you will find.
We are also
Verified. Click
for more information.
Do
you sell through other furniture stores?
We are the
original (and only) manufacturer of the College Bed Loft,
with our unique notched leg design. They
can be purchased through our
and at the following
.
We are not affiliated with or
sell our lofts through ABCHomeStore.com. Click
for more information.
What is PayPal?
PayPal (an eBay company) is the
world's largest online payment network, serving over 100 million members. With
PayPal, you can pay anyone using your credit card or checking account.
With PayPal, your credit card and checking account information is never revealed
to the people you pay, ensuring your
privacy and giving you the peace of mind that comes
with knowing who has access to your financial information.
Easy and Fast: Send
money instantly and securely with your credit card or checking account.
Private and Secure:
Your financial information is not shared when you send
money.
Free: PayPal is completely free.
It only takes a
few minutes to sign up and we accept orders immediately after you sign up.
PayPal Customer
Service 888-221-1161
Can I enter my credit card without creating a PayPal account?
Yes. Signing up for a PayPal
account is optional. At the bottom of the payment screen you can directly
enter your credit card and shipping information without setting up a PayPal
account.
I've used PayPal in the past, but I don't remember the email address and
password?
Once you use PayPal, it
saves the email address and credit card number. For security purposes, the
credit card can not be used with another email account. If you don't
remember the password you can call PayPal Customer Service at
888-221-1161 and they can help you get the
password. College Bed Lofts does not have any access to your credit card
information and we can not get your password reset.
How will I know my order went through properly?
After you place your order, you will receive an
email from PayPal confirming
your order within an hour. You will then
receive an email from College Bed Lofts
confirming your order within 1 business day.
When the loft ships we will email you the Shipment Tracking Number.
Do you take orders over the phone
with a credit card or personal check?
Yes, we accept orders over the phone with the following credit cards or personal
check:
Sample Check
Payments made by check takes four to five days to clear.
Do you
rent lofts?
No. You purchase the loft, it
is yours to keep and customize it any way you want. When students
graduate, many sell their loft, they maintain their value very well.
Do I
need a Box Spring?
No. Each loft comes with a set
of slats.
Where do I enter my custom specifications information?
During
you will get an option to enter a message
to us. Enter the custom specifications into the text box provided.
I am an AOL
user and can't access PayPal, why?
You must use your internet browser to
access our site and PayPal.
I entered the wrong shipping amount, how do I get it corrected?
If you entered an incorrect shipping
amount College Bed Lofts will correct the it when we receive the order from
PayPal. If you were overcharged we will issue you a credit to your
account. You need to log into PayPal to accept the credit. If you
were undercharged then College Bed Lofts will send you a PayPal money request
for the additional shipping amount. Do not call PayPal as they cannot
change orders already sent to us.
How do I get the Loft Bed Plans?
Within 10 - 15 minutes after placing your order an email will be sent to
the email address you provided. It will contain the instructions on how
to print your plans from our web site. If you don't get the email within
one hour check your bulk and spam mail folders. If you didn't receive the
email please
.
Please Note: An email address
is required in order to receive the instructions on how to print the plans from
our web site. Please double check to make sure you enter your correct
and current email address. If you use multiple email addresses please
remember which one you used. Also, many email systems will block new mail
or place new mail into a BULK or
SPAM mail folders.
How does the $10 Loft Bed Plans
Credit work?
We understand that sometimes people don't have all the right tools, enough space
or just not enough time to build the loft bed themselves.
So, if for any reason after purchasing our
Loft Bed Plans you decide you would like to purchase our complete Loft Bed
instead, the $10 payment may be credited
toward purchasing any of our Loft Beds Kits.
To get the $10 refund credit when ordering our Loft Bed Kit on-line, enter the
following during the checkout process:
"I request a $10 refund for
the Loft Bed Plans I purchased on xx/xx/xx".
If you forget to ask for the $10 credit, just send us an email requesting the
credit and the date you purchased the plans.
If you are making the purchase over the phone
tell
you are requesting the credit.
How much headroom will I get above
and below the loft?
It depends on your ceiling height,
the mattress thickness and how many safety rails you are using. We
customize each loft (at no charge) to your exact requirements. During
order entry you will enter the ceiling height and mattress thickness into the
order form. You
can see exactly what you are going to get by using our
Loft Height Calculator. There, you may
enter your specifications and see the results instantly.
You recommend 30" minimum headroom above, can I go
closer to the ceiling to get more space underneath?
Most colleges recommend a minimum of
30" of space from the top of the mattress to the ceiling. If this is for
home use you can go closer to the ceiling. We recommend you try it out
first to make sure you feel comfortable being that close to the ceiling.
We recommend you lay down face up and place a sheet of cardboard 30" above your
mattress. Then move it down to 29", 28" and so on until you get the right
amount of space based on your needs. We don't recommend going closer than
26" though.
Shipping Questions
How far in advance do I need to order and how
long will it take to arrive?
See our .
Should I have it delivered to
my home or directly to my college or apartment?
We recommend (if possible) having it
shipped to your home early during the summer, and you take it to college with
you. Move in day for most students is a stressful experience for both the
student and family. With the traffic jams, waiting for elevators, hundreds
of students all moving in at the same time, getting everything organized, etc.,
the last thing you want to do is to wait for a FedEx delivery to arrive on time.
It would be very helpful if you can get the loft partially assembled at home before you
arrive on campus. Setting it up at home first will allow you to see how
everything fits together and when you get to school setting it back up will be
quick and easy. While it's home you may want to paint or customize it to
fit your personality. We know this is not always possible, so if you want
it delivered directly to your college, first check with your college's receiving
department to verify whether they will accept packages for you before you arrive
on campus. Please note, many college receiving departments do not work on
Saturdays.
I live
in a college dorm room, will you deliver it directly to my dorm room?
Most colleges have a central
receiving location where they accept all packages and they do not allow
deliveries directly to the individual dorm rooms. For security purposes,
they don't want delivery trucks driving around campus and they will not allow
delivery drivers to enter dorm facilities. Once it is delivered to a
central receiving location, they will contact you to have you pick it up.
Check with your college to see what their package receiving policy is.
I am moving in on a Saturday, do you
deliver on Saturdays?
Yes, we offer
as well as
options for an additional fee. For Date Certain Delivery, the delivery
time is not guaranteed, it can arrive anytime between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm.
For Appointment Delivery, once FedEx has received the packages at the local
terminal, they will call you to set up a specific date and time (2 hour window)
for delivery. Please note, most college deliveries go to a central
receiving dock and trying to have it arrive on a Saturday with hundreds of
students all trying to move in at the same time will be very difficult for the
delivery truck to get in on a set schedule. Also,
many college receiving departments do not work on Saturdays, or if they do work
on Saturday, they may not allow commercial deliveries while students and parents
and trying to move in. If you are moving in on a Saturday we
recommend you have it shipped to you home first and bring it with you to
college. See above question.
I
entered the wrong shipping address, how do I get it corrected?
To protect us from fraudulent
purchases, our credit card processor requires that we receive all address
changes in writing. Please send us an email from the same email address
that the original order was placed under. If you call it in we will ask
you to immediately follow-up with an email and we will hold your order until we
receive your email. We will reply to your email to confirm we received the
address change.
The loft has shipped and I haven't received it yet, can I change the
destination?
It depends. If it hasn't
reached the final FedEx terminal, we can notify FedEx to hold it when it arrives
and have it shipped to the new destination. There are additional shipping
and handling charges based on the new destination. If it is already on the
local delivery truck, we may not be able to re-route it.
I received
the boxes, but they appear to be damaged, should I accept the shipment?
Yes, please accept the shipment.
The boxes are very large and heavy, sometimes they do get torn during shipping,
however in most cases, the wood inside is fine. If there are any damaged
pieces we will get them replaced at no charge to you.
Do I have to be here to sign for
it?
We deliver by FedEx. A
signature for the delivery is at the discretion of the driver. If the FedEx
driver has delivered to your address before it is likely they will leave the
packages. If the driver feels the area is not safe and secure they will leave a
door tag with information on how to set up a new delivery date. We will
email you the shipping tracking number when the loft ships.
For customer that have elected to
have their package delivered by appointment, once your package has reached the
local FedEx Home Delivery terminal they will contact you by the phone number on
your order to set up a delivery time. Keep in mind FedEx may request a 2 hour
window to make the delivery in.
I live on the 3rd floor without an elevator, will FedEx bring
it to my apartment?
Yes, they will bring it to your
apartment.
What
is the size of the shipped package?
For the basic twin loft, we typically
ship three boxes per loft,
the first is 8" high x 12" wide x 84" long and weighs 70 pounds. The
second and third boxes are 8" high x 12" wide x 46" long and weighs 60 pounds
each. Both will
easily fit into the back of most station wagons, mini-vans and SUV's.
Other options such as bookshelves and desks are is separate boxes.
FedEx transit times are in Business Days, what is a Business Day?
For Ground (standard delivery)
shipments they work Monday - Friday, packages don't move on Saturday, Sunday or
holidays. For Home Delivery (date certain and appointment delivery)
shipments they work Tuesday - Saturday, packages don't move on Sunday, Monday or
holidays.
Do
you ship to outside the continental US?
Sorry, but no. Due to the high
shipping costs (typically two to three time the cost of the loft itself), we
don't ship lofts to APO/FPO, Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico. With the high
tariffs and import duties, we don't ship to Canada or any international
locations. Another option would be to purchase our Loft Bed Plans and have
someone build it locally for you.
Setup Questions
What tools
do I need to set this up?
All wood comes pre-cut and
pre-drilled. You will need a cordless drill/screwdriver with a phillips #2
medium head bit, an adjustable (or 9/16") wrench and a hammer. Setup takes
roughly 1-1/2 hours. Click to view the
.
Why
is the quality of the bed slats not the same as the rungs?
The bed slats are underneath the
mattress and typically can't been seen. Though there may be some
imperfections, stamps, marks and knots in the wood, it is basically used to
provide the strength to support the mattress. Surface cracks and knots
will not affect the strength of the wood.
Also, the
pilot holes at the ends of the slats are very close to the edge and if it is
split it is ok as the screw is only used to prevent the slat from moving around.
The screw itself doesn't add any support or stability to the loft. Our bed
slat system provides 1000 lbs. of support. Depending on how your existing
spring frame or box spring is setup, you may not need to use all of them.
For each slat removed, it reduces the total weight capacity by 50 lbs.
Click on the pictures below to see a sample.
Do you offer assembly services?
Sorry, we do not offer assembly
services. However, many major cities and college towns
have Furniture Assembly companies.
For example, if you do a Google search for
"Furniture Assembly (city state)" and
you put in your city and state, you will find local furniture assembly
businesses. For example try: ""
and you will find a good number of
companies.
Does the wood frame have a surface finish?
No, our lofts are made from
unfinished softwood construction grade dimensional lumber, 2x4, 2x6, plywood,
the shelves, desktop and safety rails are made from MDF (see next question). For staining the loft, we
recommend using
PolyShades all-in-one stain and
polyurethane
finish, it does a real nice job on all
the boards including the MDF pieces. If
you are looking for more environmental friendly products, consider using
from
.
You are free to customize the loft any way you prefer. Click for more information about
your loft.
Why are the
shelves, desktop and safety rails made from MDF? What is MDF?
Medium Density Fiberboard, or MDF,
is a composite wood product. It is a
, made out of wood waste
fibers glued together with resin, heat, and pressure. MDF is appropriate for
many applications, from cabinetry to furniture, because it is very smooth, uniform,
and wont warp. This means that paint or
polyurethane
(see previous question) take well, leaving an attractive, finished surface. The
reason we use it for the shelves, desktop and safety rails is because it is very
smooth and bed sheets and blankets will not snag on it if the loft is left unfinished. The MDF
(Material Safety Data Sheet) is available
. Since it is a
, the color will vary based on
the amount of recycled material. Shown below are a sample of the colors.
Can I
leave the loft unfinished?
We do recommend finishing the loft as
unfinished softwood will absorb moisture and surface cracks will appear over
time. Surface cracks do not affect the stability of the loft. Our
experience is most college students don't paint them, most home users do paint
them.
Are the beds likely to need sanding to remove rough edges
and splinters?
We try to find smooth wood,
however they may require some sanding. The amount of
sanding that needs to be done is a matter of personal preference and how it is
going to be used and finished. For college students that will be setting it up
and taking it down a few times, they typically don't sand it at all. If it is
going to be used in a home and painted, the amount of sanding is minimal. If it
is going to be stained, then it depends on the preference of the customer.
If I decide to paint or stain it, should I do so before
or after assembly?
We recommend painting or
staining after assembly. The rungs of the ladders sometimes are a tight
fit and the finish may get marked up during assembly. Also, the wood glue
used in the notched legs adheres better to unfinished wood. It is also much
easier to paint or stain it when it is set up as opposed to all the individual
pieces on the floor. If you paint it, we recommend you put a good primer
coat, and two finish coats of a durable enamel paint. A primer we
recommend is
, which can be purchased at most home
improvement stores.
If you plan on staining it, we recommend you
use a
first.
If you are looking for more environmental friendly products, consider using
from
.
The loft
rocks a little when I climb up, how can I correct this?
After completing installation, let the loft sit as the wood glue will take about 2 hours to
dry. Do not use or put any pressure on the ladder rungs or loft while the
glue is drying.
After the wood glue has dried,
the loft should be tight and not rock in any direction more than 1/2". If
it does rock, try the following. Did you use a cordless drill/screwdriver?
Make sure your drive the screws nice and tight, but do not strip the wood. With
the 1-1/2" thick softwood, the screws should be recessed about 1/8" to make a
tight fit. Try un-screwing them very slowly one at a time and re-tighten slowly.
If you use a regular electric drill, make sure it has an adjustable chuck to
adjust the tension on the screws, without an adjustable chuck, a regular drill
will strip the screws into the wood. If you do strip the wood, you can
fill the hole with toothpicks and a little wood glue and give it time to dry,
then reinstall the screws.
If the loft rocks more than
1/2", what direction does it move? When standing at the front rail (the long
side) does it move left to right or front to back?
If it moves front to back then the rungs are moving inside
the notched legs. Did you coat the inside of the notches with the wood
glue we provided? Remember,
the wood glue will take about 2 hours to
dry. Do not use or put any pressure on the ladder rungs while the glue is
drying. Once the glue sets, the rungs and legs will become basically
one piece and there should be no movement between them. Try adding a third
screw to the rungs in-between the two existing screws, drive it into the wood
slowly at an alternating up and down angle. If you have a small drill bit,
use it to drill a pilot hole first to prevent the wood from splitting.
If it moves left to right then the screws in the front and
back rails should be checked. You may add additional screws to the front and
back rails, spacing them roughly 3" apart. Also, drive the new screws at
an alternating left and right angle, angled screws provides better support.
The carriage bolt should be tight and the rounded end should be recessed about
1/16" into the wood. The carriage bolt is primarily used to support the
weight and the screws provide the stability. More information is available
by viewing our .
Example of Back Rail and Front Rail with more
screws to further stabilize the left to right movement.
What is the best way to dismantle the loft?
When you are ready to take it home for the
summer we recommend you dismantle the front and back rails and leave the end
ladders intact. This will give you a
package that is 7" high x 45" wide x 75" long.
Can I change the height on my own?
Yes. Using a 3/8" drill bit you can
re-drill holes for the front and back rail at any height you need. If you
want to go higher though, you will need to order the loft with extra tall legs.
Can you customize the loft to make it a little smaller?
Yes. If you are confined to a tight
space, we can customize it to your exact requirements. There is a
Customization Charge of $20 to make the loft a little narrower or reduce the
length. When measuring your room, measure the distance from wall to wall
from the corner and go out about 4' and take another measurement, use the
smaller measurement. The reason for this is many corners are not perfectly
square and the wall may move in or out a little. Also when measuring take
into account any baseboard or molding that may stick out. Use our
to plan out your room.
with your requirements
or questions.
