I recently remodeled our guestroom and needed a headboard for the new bed. I settled on this one because I liked how it looked and the dimensions were what I needed. For reference, the mattress is resting on a Zinus 18" Smartbase platform, and I purchased the matching headboard brackets separately. I live in a Cape Cod style home which means EVERY room upstairs has angled ceilings. I hate it because it really limits the furniture you can place against walls because there's only about 49 inches in height. So finding a headboard that would fit was important. In the end I decided that a height adjustable one was ideal, because even if a fixed height headboard met the height specs on paper, there was still a possibility it could be too tall if the posts had to be raised off the floor when attaching them to the headboard brackets. When I unboxed this headboard, everything seemed to be perfect. No damage. There are only three pieces to assemble: two posts and the headboard. Unfortunately, those three parts were the only items in the box. There were no assembly instructions and no hardware. Usually I would have just requested an exchange or contact the seller to request the missing hardware, but I was impatient and wanted to assemble it NOW. The only problem was that I had no idea what hardware I needed. Once I found out what screws I needed, I sent my husband out to get them, which were more expensive than I expected. FYI what you need are four M8 1.25 x 45 mm screws. Once I had them, assembly was extremely simple. I would not have needed the instructions had they been inside the box. You just place two screws on each side at the height you want the headboard to be. And if you're like me, and get the height wrong on the first try, it's really easy to unscrew and readjust. It attached perfectly to the Zinus frame and it is definitely sturdy. Overall the headboard is fine, but I don't think it works as well if it's adjusted too low. I don't think this is a fault with the headboard though; it's a combination of the height of the bed platform (18"), the height of my mattress (13"), and the height of the wall (49"). In hindsight I probably should have purchased a 14" platform, but I just find the 18" to be more comfortable for getting in and out of bed. In any event, because the platform is so high, and I'm unable to make the headboard any higher because of the ceiling, it creates a situation whereby the headboard chops off a few inches from the platform. In essence, it blocks the mattress from sliding under it because there's no room. So those inches of mattress end up pushed over the foot of the bed. It's not by an extreme amount, but definitely noticeable unless you have a long bedspread to hide the mattress. I was unsure of what rating to give this headboard that I thought was fair. I couldn't give it 5 stars because of the missing hardware, but the headboard itself is fine. Ultimately I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5, as my only other issue is that I think the padding could be a bit more substantial. It's a bit stiff, especially compared to the Zinus upholstered headboard I have in the master bedroom which is very similar to this. As a stomach sleeper, my hands and arms are always resting on the headboard so its comfort is important to me whereas for others it might not be. It just comes down to personal preference.
