PrepacKing Bookcase Headboard, Espresso

I have never had a bed with a headboard but I have always wanted a bookcase headboard.It's been hard to find one for a king-sized bed that both suited our requirements but was also within the budget.This Prepac unit did both and did it well.The unit arrives in a flat pack. IKEA shoppers will be very familiar with this!This was better than IKEA though because the instructions were very clear - no ambiguous pictures.We had enough parts for assembly. No need to contact the manufacturer for spare parts.Although most of the parts can be assembled by one person, you will definitely need a second person for attaching the top piece to the bottom assembly. There are a dozen or so pegs and locking screws that need to be aligned carefully.You will need two Phillips screwdrivers for assembly - one standard medium bit and a second chunkier bit. The instructions said you could use a flat screwdriver for the locking nuts but we used the chunky Phillips. If you don't have the chunky Phillips, the flat will work fine. You also need a hammer for attaching the backing. Work with a partner on this part so you don't miss the frame when you drive the nails. We also used a rubber mallet to tap the pieces together snuggly. Much less painful than slamming down with your palms.I made two minor modifications to the setup.First, the headboard comes with some "feet" that you are supposed to drive into the uprights. We used these 3/4 Magic Sliders instead. These screw in and we have had a lot of good luck with them over the years.The second modification came on day 2. Our mattress is really tall and we have memory foam mattress toppers, too. This meant that our mattress was higher than the lowest shelf. I built some custom risers out of scrap wood I had laying around in the garage. Since this is a heavy piece of furniture, simply positioning it on top of the risers is quite stable. The risers are 10" long and wider than the uprights.A third modification will happen once we decide exactly where we want our lights and alarm clocks to sit. At that time (lol), I will carefully pry up the nails holding the backboard in place and snake the plugs down behind the shelf unit. That way no wires will show and we won't have to worry about tripping on anything.While we have not attached the headboard to our bed frame, this could easily be done. You will need a drill, a Forstner bit, and some carriage bolts if you decide to go that route. The product is constructed of particle board (hence the weight) and laminate, though, wo I would strongly recommend applying masking tape to the unit in the locations where you wil drill, That way you should be able to prevent splintering the laminate when you drill.

I'm completely pleased with this headboard--couldn't be happier!This isn't "nice" furniture by any stretch. So this will never become an heirloom for your kids' kids. Ain't gonna happen!But it's a very practical and useful headboard for a king-size bed, which is hard to find. It's also pretty typical of the type of cheap particle-board furniture that you see a lot of. So if you don't put wet things on top of it, use coasters, etc., I could see us keeping this thing for 5-10 years. If you're hard on things, you might wear it out faster.The cubby holes and shelves actually hold a lot of stuff which is just what we needed. The finish actually looks decent up close and very respectable at a distance. There's no hardware or pre-drilled holes for fastening it to the bed frame. You'll have to do that yourself if you want it. I was a little surprised the back wasn't notched at the bottom to accommodate molding and baseboards like some bookcases I have. So if you've got some kind of trim or molding along the wall, the headboard might not sit flush against the wall.Despite these little caveats and the fact it lacks built in lighting, it's still pretty awesome for the money. At around $150, it's about ten percent of what you'd pay for a similar item in mid-level, real wood furniture. It took me about an hour to put it together, but I was taking my time and watching TV out the corner of my eye. Watch your back though, it's an awkward, long (like 8' long!) box that weighs about 70lbs. It came pretty well dinged up but the contents were undamaged.

You know...this was not the easiest thing to put together. For one thing, it's heavy. So I would invite a friend over to help. It's also not quite as tall as I expected. So if you have a bed/mattress that sits high, you might want to set it on bricks. My bed sits low, because I have an elderly dog who likes to sleep with me. So the height is not a problem for me. Gotta admit that once it was assembled and put in place, this headboard looks damn good in my bedroom. And you can't beat the functionality of those cubby holes for my remotes, alarm clock, cell recharger, reading lamp, books, etc. I'd say great for the price.P.S. I've never bought an assemble-it-yourself furniture item that came with so many spare fasteners, etc. I inventoried everything before I got started and I had received extra everything I would need for the assembly! I think that's a good thing.

I was on the fence about getting this. I had only the pictures and reviews to go off of and I was a bit worried I wouldnt like it when I got it, or that some of the negative reviews would be my experience too. Usually for a purchase like this I would go to a store and see it in person. But the price point here made me take the plunge. I am happy that I did! The shipping was nice and fast, and the item arrived neatly packaged and protected. No defects at all. I had to open it downstairs and haul up the pieces a few at a time to my upstairs bedroom to prepare for assembly. once I had everything laid out I opened the instruction manual and began. It was actually pretty easy to put together. I did this with no help at all and was able to get it finished in about an hour and a half. Probably would take about an hour with 2 people on it. After it was assembled I placed it and put the bed against it and stood back to admire my purchase. It is not solid wood (obviously at this price) but it really does look great! It is very sturdy and I love that I have some extra storage shelves for my iPhone/Ipad, books, etc. I imagine that if you dont set drinks on it or get it wet, and just use it normally it will last for many years. So for me spending less than 200 bucks and having a nice looking piece of bedroom furniture like this, that will last for many years was a great deal. I recommend it to anyone looking for a well made, low cost, attractive headboard.