Painted maple or stained white oak?
The short answer
A painted bed is maple plywood, primed twice and topcoated twice in a solid color. A stained bed is white oak plywood, stained and cleared twice, with the grain showing through. Order free samples to see both in your own light.
- Painted: maple plywood, primed twice and topcoated twice. A smooth, even color.
- Stained: white oak plywood, stained and cleared twice. The grain shows through.
- A stained bed costs more than a painted one, because white oak costs more than maple.
- Unfinished, when it’s offered, is sanded and left raw for you to finish.
- Screens change colors. Free color samples show the real thing.
Two ways a bed is built
Every bed and side cabinet is real 3/4″ hardwood plywood, and which plywood depends on how it will be finished. A painted bed is maple, a close, even board that takes paint smoothly. A stained bed is white oak, whose grain shows through the stain. Both are plywood, built up in layers, and layered plywood holds a screw and resists bending far better than particleboard, which matters on a bed that opens every day.
A painted or stained bed is sprayed in our own shop, every face that shows, before it leaves.
Painted maple
A painted bed is primed twice and topcoated twice in its color. The result is a smooth, even color with no grain showing, the look most people picture for a white or a soft gray bed. Pure White is the default, and there are other colors on every bed’s page.
Paint suits a room where the bed should read as part of the wall, or match trim and doors that are already painted.
Stained white oak
A stained bed is stained in its color and cleared twice. The stain colors the wood without hiding it, so the oak’s grain shows through on every door and panel. No two beds are quite alike, because no two boards are.
A stained bed costs more than a painted one, because white oak costs more than maple. The price on each bed’s page changes with the color you pick.
Unfinished, when it’s offered
When an unfinished option is listed on a bed’s page, it’s the same maple or white oak, sanded and left raw, with no finish on it, for you to finish yourself. It costs less, because we do no spraying.
Natural wood varies, so with an unfinished bed the final color, the grain and any blotching are yours. Test your finish on a hidden area first. Our terms set that out.
See the colors at home
Colors on a screen are never quite the color on the wall. Slight differences between the on-screen color and the finished piece are normal, and your room’s light changes everything again. So before you choose, order our free color samples: real swatches of the bed colors, mailed to you anywhere in the lower 48 states.
Hold them against your walls, your floor and your trim, in the morning and in the evening. Then pick the color on the bed’s page and the 3D view shows it on the bed you’re building.
Side cabinets match the bed
A side cabinet is cut from the bed’s own plywood and finished in the bed’s color, painted maple, stained white oak, or unfinished, whatever the bed is, with the same pulls. Choose the bed’s finish and its cabinets follow. Choosing side cabinets covers the rest.
Questions we get
What is the bed made of?
Real 3/4″ hardwood plywood: maple on a painted bed, white oak on a stained one. Layered plywood holds a screw and resists bending far better than particleboard, which matters on a bed that opens every day.
Why does a stained bed cost more?
Because white oak costs more than maple. Each bed’s page shows the price for the color you pick.
Can I finish the bed myself?
When an unfinished option is listed, yes: it comes sanded and raw, for you to finish. Natural wood varies, so test your finish on a hidden area first.
How do I see the real colors?
Order our free color samples. They’re real swatches of the bed colors, mailed to you anywhere in the lower 48 states.
Ready to plan yours?
Every bed is priced live on its page, built to the measurements you give us.
