Buying guide: Metal bed frames

A good quality metal bed frame can give your bedroom a great minimalist look while also being comfortable and helping to extend the life of your mattress. Before choosing a metal bed frame, it is important to choose your mattress carefully: the best memory foam mattress will be uncomfortable on the wrong frame. When looking to buy metal bed frames is important to look at the following:

The frame

Size Bed frames made of UK sizes won't fit European mattresses, and the other way round. Measure your mattress and compare its size with the inside size of the frames you are considering, and make sure that it fits perfectly. Extra support A good quality metal bed frame will have a middle beam for extra support for double bed mattresses and wider. This helps to keep the mattress flat and improves the quality of sleep, and without it, you risk the bed sinking in the middle. If you are using memory foam bedding, you will need a frame with extra support or the mattress can become damaged. How easy it is to mount Most metal bed frames need to be assembled on location, and while this allows you to buy low cost metal frames and bring them into small flats without having to use the windows, it also means extra work making sure that it's properly mounted. If you plan on mounting it yourself, make sure that the screws are standard and no special tools are required. Stability and strength
Look at how the frame parts are assembled and what kind of fit it has, and try to shake it to see if it's stable. You don't want a bed which feels like it would fall apart at any moment, because your sleep quality will suffer. Maintenance Most metal bed frames are sturdy and don't have specialist maintenance requirements such as, for example, a leather one. However, keep in mind that a shinny finish may be more difficult to keep, or that in some cases, a cheap metal frame surface may chip.

Your mattress

Mattress compatibility Consider how your mattress will look in the new frame, and the overall effect of the height of the bed in your room. You can ask sales staff to see examples of high and low mattresses on the metal bed frame you are considering. Bases If the bed frame also incorporates a bed base, it's important to check if it's compatible with your existing mattress or the one you are thinking of buying. Some types of mattresses, such as foam bedding require specific types of bases or they may get damaged or become uncomfortable to sleep on.