Lodge style bunk beds are a popular choice for summer camps and retreats, given their inherent warm, rustic, cabin-like feel. As such, wood is usually the go-to choice for lodge bunk beds, but picking the right beds for your facility comes down to more than just appearances.
Many camp and retreat owners are realizing that metal may be the superior material choice for multiple reasons. While both wood and metal have their merits and advantages, metal is usually the better choice between the two. What follows is a list of five reasons why that is.
Wood Is More Vulnerable to Specific Types of Damage
Wood lends a warm feel to a space, given that it is a natural material, but that can act as a double-edged sword. Since wood is a natural material, it’s also prone to cracking, splitting, and warping over time, whereas metal is incredibly strong, durable, and resistant to deformation.
Additionally, wooden lodge beds are more vulnerable to water and moisture damage. Combined with the fact that cabins tend to be humid, it’s easy to see why cabins and wooden beds do not mix well together. Most metal bunk beds are coated with a powder finish to help protect against corrosion and moisture damage.
Lastly, wooden beds are more vulnerable to damage from pests and animals. Termites can decimate bunk beds in a single season, and if some kind of wild animal or bored pet gets loose, a wooden bedpost can make for a perfect chewing spot. On the other hand, nothing can chew through heavy-duty steel.
Wooden Lodge Bunk Beds Are Heavier
Another detracting feature of wooden bunk beds is that they tend to be significantly heavier than their metal counterparts, which poses a big inconvenience in commercial settings where furniture often gets moved around for routine cleaning. Metal lodge bunk beds are typically lighter and easier to move around, which makes a big difference when you have lots of beds to move or rearrange at once.
Wood Is Harder to Maintain
Although wood is aesthetically pleasing, it’s much harder to clean and maintain than metal. Metal can be easily wiped clean of dirt, dust, and debris, and it doesn’t require any additional maintenance.
For any facility with multiple bunk beds, the decision between wood and metal can come down to one simple factor: time. The extra time it takes to maintain wooden beds can add up quickly. Metal beds are a major time-saver when it comes to cleaning and can help free up more of your time to take care of more important things.
Metal Lodge Bunk Beds Last Longer, Saving You Money
No matter the kind of camp or retreat you operate, you likely don’t have the budget to replace all the beds every few years. However, choosing wood lodge bunk beds may force you to do exactly that.
Metal bunk beds are known to be stronger, sturdier, and more durable than wooden beds, which are especially advantageous features in commercial settings where many different-sized people use the beds.
Metal bunk beds are also known for having longer lifespans than wooden bunk beds. Whereas wooden beds tend to last for ten years at most, metal beds can last for double that or even more. On average, going with wood over metal translates to buying twice as many beds over the same time period.
Easy Assembly
Metal lodge bunk beds from ESS Universal are much easier to assemble than the average wooden bunk bed. The latter comes with many different parts and hardware and requires several tools and technical finesse.
On the other hand, the parts of ESS Universal’s heavy-duty bunk beds are designed to fit together easily without any of the hassle or headache wood may bring about. It’s normal to experience a small learning curve on the first one or two beds, but once you get the hang of it, you may be able to assemble metal lodge bunk beds in as little as 20 minutes.
Which Types of Lodge Bunk Beds Are Best for Your Facility?
Heavy-duty metal bunk beds from ESS Universal have several advantages over the flimsy wooden offerings on the market today, making them the ideal choice for camps, retreats, and other commercial facilities.Â
ESS Universal manufactures and supplies high-quality, cost-effective commercial grade beds, mattresses, and furniture to camps, hostels, shelters, dorms and more. View our entire line of furniture products including our popular waterproof foam mattress for institutional use, single metal bed frames, single over single bunk beds, single over double bunk beds, and triple bunk beds. Download our catalog for detailed information on our complete product line.
