How To Choose the Right Metal Bed Frame

When you’re in the market for a new bed, the options and the styles may seem overwhelming. Between bed frames, mattresses, styles, and textures, you’ll have many ways to customize your new bed to fit your preferences and lifestyle. But there are also some practical considerations when making your decision. A metal bed frame may be the right fit, given the breadth of styles and sizes on the market. If you’ve already settled on a metal bed frame, you still need to determine which metal bed frame is right for you. In order to figure that out, you’ll need to determine your needs, your likes, and your budget.

Benefits of a Metal Bed Frame

Why choose a metal bed frame over other types of bed frames? There are many benefits to a metal bed frame that might influence you to pick it over other types.

Price of a Metal Bed Frame

Generally speaking, a metal bed frame is cheaper than other bed frames. The lower cost is one of the more appealing aspects of this popular frame type. As with any style of bed frame, the larger the bed frame, the higher the price. Once you start considering various kinds of metal frames, prices can vary wildly, even with the same size bed frame. As with any furniture purchase, you get what you pay for.

When considering the cost of a metal bed frame in the size you need, it might be best to choose a few metal frames that you like and list out why you like them. What advantages do those frames have over each other and comparable wooden frames? If the metal bed frame you want is more expensive than other frames, studying the benefits of your choice will guide you in determining if the cost is worth it or not.

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Another thing to keep in mind, especially regarding the overall bed height and cost, is that many metal bed frames do not require a box spring. If a lower profile on the bed works better in your bedroom, you can forgo the cost of a box spring if you choose a metal bed frame with built-in mattress support and potentially save some money.

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Ease of Cleaning and Maintenance of a Metal Bed Frame

Cleaning a metal bed frame is about as easy as it comes, provided they painted the metal correctly during manufacturing. The majority of quality metal bed frames are powder-coated, which is a highly durable type of paint. Dust it periodically and wipe down any spills with a damp cloth, and that’s about it for cleaning.

Metal frames will have joints where the pieces were machined together. They weld these unless comprised of parts that need to move as part of the home assembly process. Though welds are a powerful way of joining metal pieces, they are a weak spot in the overall metal bed frame. Inspecting the weld points periodically to ensure no signs of compromise is a wise step, but generally, they will hold up well over time.

Durability, Sturdiness, and Longevity of a Metal Bed Frame

A metal bed frame is comparable to a wood bed frame in overall sturdiness, durability, and longevity. A metal bed frame will not be susceptible to rot, and insects like a wood frame might be. A metal bed frame is also nearly flame-proof.

Wood swells and shrinks with humidity levels, but a metal frame will not suffer from that issue. The main risk to a metal bed frame is rust from moisture. If it’s painted with a powder coat, as most are, then rust is much less likely to be an issue. If this should happen to your metal bed frame, you can handle it like any other metal surface by cleaning/sanding the rust away and repainting the metal.

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A metal bed frame will look beautiful and remain adaptable through many phases of life. Speaking, of course, about the better quality frames with this statement, you can easily adapt a metal bed frame to fit any stage of your life by painting the frame and adjusting the style of bedding you put on it.

Now that we’ve established how great of a choice a metal bed frame will be, it comes down to choosing the right frame for you. That begins with studying the options of metal bed frame styles, of which there are many.

Style Options for a Metal Bed Frame

Regardless of the design style you’ve chosen for your bedroom, a metal bed frame option will fit perfectly into the space. You can find metal bed frames in various types, such as traditional, cottage core, modern, or any fusion of these or other styles. The metal and the type of frame are vital to ensuring you get exactly the style you’re looking for.

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Types of Metal for a Metal Bed Frame

Aluminum is a durable and lightweight metal and is generally the cheapest option for a metal bed frame. Aluminum is an ideal metal option for both children and homes of younger adults who tend to move in and out of spaces often. It’s used in standard-style beds, bunk beds, loft beds, and even futons. They consider this metal a “starter” level metal bed option as it will not have the longevity of other types of metal.

Brass is one of the more traditional metals used in a metal bed frame. The most iconic type of brass metal frame is the Victorian four-post bed, but you can find brass in many other design styles. They consider this type of metal lighter weight but is much more durable and has more longevity than aluminum.

Bronze is on par with brass for weight and durability/longevity. Bronze is more resistant to humidity than brass, so it is more naturally durable against rust issues. They often leave bronze unfinished, allowing you to enjoy the unique color of the metal. In this case, you will periodically polish the surface instead of painting it for maintenance.

Iron is the heaviest and generally most durable of all metal bed frame types. You can find iron often in intricate designs since you can heat it and bend it into unique patterns to fit any style. People usually hand down iron beds through generations and will often be the most expensive type of metal bed frame you can purchase.

Support Styles for a Metal Bed Frame

There are two significant types of support available for a metal bed frame. You can get support built-in to the frame or choose a basic frame style that requires a box spring to support that mattress. For built-in support, there are a variety of platform options available.

The solid platform option is a flat surface the mattress will sit on directly. This would most likely be a solid sheet of wood or many slats of wood in a wood frame bed. In a metal bed frame, this is usually a grid pattern. The platform metal bed frame is stronger than the wood frame and is the most rigid. That means even with the weight of a person or people, the platform metal bed frame will not flex and move, holding its weight well under a lot of pressure.

If multiple people are sleeping on the bed, the metal bed frame might be a better option as it will reduce the amount of disturbance the other person feels when you move around during the night. However, the give and flex in the wood bed frame may reduce pressure on the body by absorbing some weight from bodies and the mattress.

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Integrated Head Board or Separate Metal Bed Frame

Whether to have the frame separate from the headboard and footboard is just a personal preference. Having it separated means you could more easily change out the headboard and footboard if you want to change your bedroom’s decor, but sometimes, the frame is a crucial part of the overall bed’s support and style.

Size and Height Choices for a Metal Bed Frame

Bed frame types have a substantial impact on the overall footprint of the bed within your bedroom. Choosing a metal bed frame that is too big for the room will make the space a chore to use, and choosing a metal bed frame that is too small for space or your purposes will render the bed one more obstacle to overcome within your daily life. Size and height are, of course, dependent on the actual size mattress you have, but even given the same size mattress, the size and height of the bed frame itself can fill a small space up quickly.

If you want the bed to be a focal point for the room, it makes sense to have it be one of the larger pieces of furniture in the room. You can consider posters or canopies for extended height. Headboards that are wider than the frame base can cause the bed to take up more space vertically along the wall, which draws the eye to the bed.

If you are trying to minimize the impact of the bed in the room, then think simple and small. If you choose a metal bed frame with no headboard or a minimal headboard, you can shift the focus from the bed to other features in the room. This focus shift could be helpful when the bed is not in a separate bedroom, such as a studio apartment, loft, or school dormitory.

If you have a room with low or slanted ceilings, a platform bed can minimize the risk of smacking your head on the ceiling. Or, in a room with vaulted ceilings, a taller bed might be best unless you’re really into dollhouse furniture. The key is to be mindful of the size of the space when looking for the perfect metal bed frame for your home.

Design Elements to Consider When Choosing the Right Metal Bed Frame

Though there are endless things that you can consider when decorating your bedroom, there are a few basics to keep in mind so that your bedroom furniture suits not only you and your tastes but also is pleasant to anyone else who occupies that space. And unless you have the intention of staying in that space for the long term, you might want to consider the mass appeal for resale value on your home. You need to ensure the bed doesn’t damage the walls, ceiling, or floor if you rent.

Personalization

Of all the rooms in your home, the bedroom is the most personal and intimate. No matter the style of the room and the metal bed frame within it, the room should feel like an extension of your personality. Choosing a metal bed frame that suits your personality will make the bed a joy to retire to each evening and serve as a pleasing visual element during the day when you are using the room for other purposes. You can make it more personal by buying and decorating the bed to suit the room’s style and choosing that style carefully to be one you enjoy.

Comfort

The bedroom is where you rest, and rest is essential to your health, both physically and mentally. You should make sure your metal bed frame helps make the bed and the room feel comfortable for you. When you are in the space, you should feel relaxed and at ease, and when you use the bed each night, the bed should enhance that peaceful feeling to ensure a good night’s sleep.

Functionality

Your bedroom and the metal bed frame itself need to be functional. Your metal bed frame needs to work as a bed, of course, but it also needs to work with the rest of the furniture, the lighting, and the openings in the bedroom walls to help it function for you. If your bed is the wrong type for the space, it could prevent your usage of closets, doors, or windows within the area. Maybe it is too large, too small, too tall, or if you are a tall person and the bed is low, that could make it difficult for you to use. Please pay attention to the frame’s functionality before you purchase it to ensure years of enjoyment.

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Bringing it Together

You’ve done your research, and you’re now ready to pick out the perfect metal bed frame for your home. First, you’ll want to determine the room’s overall style in which the metal bed frame will be in. Once you’ve selected your overall style from modern, traditional, minimalist, cottage core, or other significant types, you can look at the other elements to narrow down your options.

One of the primary purposes of a bed is to help with comfortable sleep, which will be the next logical thing to consider. Which metal bed frame that fits your overall decor style will work with the right type of mattress you need to sleep well and give the room a general feeling of comfort and relaxation? Many elements can come into play when choosing a metal bed frame for comfort, but perhaps the most important is that it has the correct type of support for your body type and that of your partner, if you have one.

Once you’ve narrowed down the options based on decor style and comfort, you can look at the functionality of the metal bed frame. Size, height, weight, etc., will all come into play. You want to make sure you choose a bed that won’t take over the room by being too big, won’t damage the space, especially if you rent, and if the bedroom or sleeping space is large, you might want to upscale the size of your metal bed frame, so it doesn’t get lost in the open space of the room.

Since your bedroom and the items in it are very personal, you’ll want them to express your personality. Looking at the options you have available after the above narrowing, kick out all the metal bed frames that don’t feel like you. No matter the reason, if you look at it and it doesn’t feel suitable for you, drop that option like a bad boyfriend.

Hopefully, you’re down to just a handful of good options, and you’ll be able to use cost as the final differentiator. Many metals, particularly at the higher end of the quality spectrum, can be costly. Though you want to buy a metal bed frame that fits your style, you might need to make some concessions regarding the price of the frame. Using the space to get a good night’s sleep is the most critical factor since sleep is vital for your overall health. This is, after all, a room where you spend the majority of your time with your eyes shut, so make sure you don’t price yourself out of your budget when making your final choice, but give yourself some liberty to buy the metal bed frame that will bring joy into your bedroom and your life.

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