The Best Platform Bed Frames Under $600

Gregory Han is a writer who has covered home decor for a multitude of design-focused outlets, including Apartment Therapy, Design Milk, and Dwell—where he helped readers turn houses into homes. Before that he worked as an industrial designer for children’s toys and furniture. For Wirecutter, he has tested and recommended everything from desk lamps and floor lamps to patio furniture and alarm clocks.

Dorie Chevlen is a staff writer covering all things home and decor. She has written across the website, reporting on topics as varied as bath mats, menorahs, and blackout curtains.

Who it’s for: People who need a sturdy bed frame and DIY enthusiasts who want the option of personalizing the raw wood to match any style will like this frame.

Why it’s great

It’s especially sturdy. The popular hardwood KD Frames Nomad Platform Bed is one of the strongest wood bed frames we found—it can hold up to 600 pounds. That’s likely a conservative figure considering that the Nomad  features two sets of slats that form something like a rib cage. None of the other frames we tested offered this weight-bearing design, although the wooden Zinus bed frame we recommend below is rated for up to 500 pounds.

It won’t wiggle or wobble when you settle into bed. The KD Frames bed has two more slats than most other frames, for a total of 16 beefy, 2-by-1-inch hardwood planks. Between each piece there’s just a small, 2.8-inch gap, which contributes to the bed’s strength. Add up those specifications, and you have a 68-pound platform bed frame that one tester said could withstand “energetic jump-ons and 190-pound body slams” with confident indifference.

You can customize it by staining the wood. The Nomad is a great choice for DIY enthusiasts who want a customized look. The blond wood is nice on its own, but it also takes stain or paint well, giving you the option of personalizing your frame. The straightforward silhouette also lends itself to whatever creative design you may come up with. Without any treatment, the frame over time will patina slightly in direct sunlight.

It has plenty of room for storage underneath. This bed frame is taller than any other frame we recommend: It’s 15 inches high, with 11.5 inches of clearance. This means you’ll have a little more storage space underneath it than with other beds we recommend here, and KD Frames also sells a replacement set of 18-inch legs (about $30), which raise the clearance to 14.5 inches. At either height, you get plenty of room for storage bins, which is a perk for anyone looking to take advantage of space under the bed.

For matching under-bed storage, KD Frames sells rolling drawers that are outfitted with wheels for smooth and easy access (and they work with the Nomad). If you regularly host guests and sometimes need room for one more, a Roll-Away Trundle Bed twin frame adds a hideaway bed underneath.

One of our long-term testers reports that the bed is holding up perfectly after several years of use, and she especially appreciates that because it has only four legs, sliding the under-bed storage in and out is easy.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• The bare wood of this model is susceptible to nicks, cuts, pen marks, cat claws, and other household agents of destruction.
• We’ve found this frame’s availability to be somewhat inconsistent, but the company has always been communicative and honest about timing, which is why we’ll continue to recommend this bed.
• The Nomad is made of heavier hardwood, so it requires more effort to assemble than some lighter-weight softwood or veneer beds we tried in this price category. It also ships with a lot of pieces, so although the instructions were clearly laid out and assembly was straightforward, there were dozens more slats, sides, and pieces of hardware to keep track of in comparison with our other picks.