{"id":15413,"date":"2025-02-04T16:10:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=15413"},"modified":"2025-02-04T16:14:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:14:18","slug":"how-to-build-a-folding-bed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/how-to-build-a-folding-bed\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build a Folding Bed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Someone renovating a vintage camper told me he is going to make a murphy bed using the hardware from a sofa bed. A thrift store sofa bed costs less than murphy bed hardware. Huh! That might work!<\/p>\n

He asked for some photos of what the metal hardware inside my sofa bed looks like and how it works. I found instructions to build a bed that folds back up against the wall out of wood. That’s at the bottom of the post.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jayco Dinette Table Bed
Top Photo by Ace424
Bottom Photo by Redwolf Journeys \/ Mike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You often see a bed\/dinette combination. The table legs telescope to slide up or down, then the bench cushions become the mattress.<\/p>\n

I have slept on these and they aren’t wonderful.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fold Down Bunks
Photo by Jean Gilbet Casanis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is another idea you see. A bed folds up against the wall.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sofa bed hardware where it attaches to the inside of the sofa frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using the parts from a sofa bed to make a Murphy Bed<\/h2>\n

My friend’s son has completely gutted an old trailer camper. Among his many many ideas is to have a murphy bed. Murphy bed hardware he has found costs more than he expected, so he asked for some photos of what my sofa bed hardware looks like to see if it will work. I thought I would share it here, too.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pull up with this handle. It lifts easily, then pulls forward.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After you take the pillows off, you pull up with this handle. It lifts easily, then pulls forward.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pull up with this handle. It lifts easily, then pulls forward.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are springs inside that make it easy to open with just one hand.<\/p>\n

\"\"
As you pull up, the center support legs are unfolding as you pull.
Straps and springs underneath support the mattress.
Photos of what my sofa bed hardware looks like<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The straps help to support the mattress.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Large hinges by the center legs as the bed first folds out of the sofa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the way it lifts out at first, while it is still all folded up.<\/p>\n

\"\"
This is as the bed first folds out of the sofa with everything else still folded together.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a closer view at the folded mattress and frame. You can see how the metal hardware slides and folds.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A close up of the large hinges by the center legs.
This is as the bed first folds out of the sofa with everything else still folded together.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a closeup of the hinge over the leg support.<\/p>\n

\"\"
As the sofa bed unfolds, the first legs come down to support the center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The bed frame is hinged to unfold and lock as the legs unfold.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The bed frame is hinged to unfold and lock as the legs unfold.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This shows the hardware at a 45 degree.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The bed frame is hinged to unfold and lock as the legs unfold.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don’t know if this is going to work to fold up against the wall, but the metal mechanical parts ought to work somehow to do what you want.<\/p>\n

\"\"
This piece keeps the mattress in place as you open and close the bed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This piece keeps the mattress in place.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The mattress support has bands and springs. There is a piece of fabric.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is with the mattress pushed to the side to see the spring supports.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The bed frame part of the sofa bed is hinged to unfold and lock as the legs unfold.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are springs on each side of the metal rods to support the mattress.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The bed frame part of the sofa bed is hinged to unfold and lock as the legs unfold.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the hinges with the bed completely unfolded.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sofa bed hardware where it attaches to the inside of the sofa frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, this is what the hardware looks like inside my sofa bed. It holds a queen-sized mattress. It was made by La-Z-Boy in 2005 or so.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sofa bed hardware where it attaches to the inside of the sofa frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These are probably the most important pieces. They are sturdy metal that holds each side of the metal bed frame onto the wood couch frame. They have springs to make it really easy to open and close the sofa. I am little and can do it easily with one hand.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sofa bed hardware where it attaches to the inside of the sofa frame.
I never noticed that inside is all of the details of sofa and a sample of the leather.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the part that attaches to the sofa frame.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sofa bed hardware where it attaches to the inside of the sofa frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He plans to have the bed fold up against the wall, instead of folding flat into a sofa.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Combination Table and Folding Bed
Photo from Library of Congress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before we settled on sofas, folding beds were put into a lot of different kinds of furniture. This bed folds up into a table. (I’m a little too “princess and the pea” for a mattress that thin.)<\/p>\n

\"\"
How to Build a Folding Bed
May 16 1904 Tacoma Times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is an old plan for a folding bed. It was in the May 16 1904 Tacoma Times.<\/p>\n

\"\"
How to Build a Folding Bed
May 16 1904 Tacoma Times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The top of the folding bed will make a good mantel. The back of the bed should be boarded up or well braced to keep it from racking. The \u201cswivel,\u201d or bold around which the bed turns to fold on, should be set as far forward in the end boards as possible, and the same distance up from the lower shelf. Thus the bed will partly balance itself, making it easier to fold up. By tying weighs on the short ends of the headboards, next to the back of the bed, it can be made very easy to handle. The two legs are fastened on with hinges, so as to fold up. The bed clothes can be held in place by canvas straps. The movable part of this bed consists of little but the two end boards and the front board with strips on the inside of these on which to rest the spring mattress.<\/p>\n

A pretty curtain hung on a brass rod makes the bed when close an inconspicuous piece of furniture.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
How to Build a Folding Bed
May 16 1904 Tacoma Times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Someone renovating a vintage camper told me he is going to make a murphy bed using the hardware from a sofa bed. A thrift store sofa bed costs less than murphy bed hardware. Huh! That might work! He asked for some photos of what the …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/featured-sofa_bed_to_murphy_bed.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16101,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/murphy-bed-diy-kits\/","url_meta":{"origin":15413,"position":0},"title":"Murphy Bed DIY Kits","author":"Carla","date":"May 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Fold away beds have been around for hundreds of years. Murphy beds, also called\u00a0 pull-down or wall beds fold up against the wall when they are not being used. Some fold up into furniture. Others fold into a closet or alcove. This bed folds into a trunk.\u00a0 A Murphy bed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Projects"","block_context":{"text":"Projects","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/projects\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/featured-murphy_bed.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/featured-murphy_bed.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/featured-murphy_bed.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/featured-murphy_bed.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16108,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/space-saving-solution-for-an-office-guestroom\/","url_meta":{"origin":15413,"position":1},"title":"Space-Saving Solution for an Office Guestroom","author":"Carla","date":"June 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Do you want to efficiently combine a guest room and a home office? A Murphy bed folds away when not in use, freeing up floor space for your office area. This ingenious\u00a0Murphy Desk Bed from Murphy Door combines \"a full-size bed and workspace in one sleek design\u2014perfect for small spaces,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Projects"","block_context":{"text":"Projects","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/projects\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/featured-murphy_bed-office.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/featured-murphy_bed-office.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/featured-murphy_bed-office.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/featured-murphy_bed-office.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15839,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/ikea-home-office-inspiration\/","url_meta":{"origin":15413,"position":2},"title":"IKEA Home Office Inspiration","author":"Carla","date":"March 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"When you first walk into an IKEA store, there are rooms to wander through for inspiration. This IKEA display demonstrates a home office with a sofa-bed living area. It is in the Jacksonville, Florida IKEA store. The office has a comfortable rolling chair, full-sized desk and plenty of storage. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiration"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiration","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/inspiration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-ikea-2025-office.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-ikea-2025-office.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-ikea-2025-office.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-ikea-2025-office.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15838,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/ikea-one-room-living-inspiration\/","url_meta":{"origin":15413,"position":3},"title":"IKEA One Room Living Inspiration","author":"Carla","date":"March 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"One of my favorite things about visiting IKEA is wandering through the display houses. These IKEA display houses demonstrate Small House living. They are in the Jacksonville, Florida IKEA store. This display in the Jacksonville, Florida IKEA store looks like a beach house. They had the inside and outside set\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiration"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiration","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/inspiration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IKEA Room Inspiration HYLTARP sleeper sofa SUNDVIK Children's table and chair STARTTID backpack","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-ikea-2025.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-ikea-2025.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-ikea-2025.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-ikea-2025.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14698,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/turning-the-cabin-into-a-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":15413,"position":4},"title":"Turning the Cabin into a Home","author":"Carla","date":"August 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Mom has moved in. All of the furniture from her old house fits perfectly and the colors are perfect together. This photo makes it look more cramped than it looks in real life. There is a lot in the living room. A sofa, two arm chairs, an ottoman, a desk\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Modular Cabin"","block_context":{"text":"New Modular Cabin","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/new-cottage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/featured-moved_in.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/featured-moved_in.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/featured-moved_in.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/featured-moved_in.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15156,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/buy-a-used-disney-fort-wilderness-log-cabin\/","url_meta":{"origin":15413,"position":5},"title":"Buy a Used Disney Fort Wilderness Log Cabin","author":"Carla","date":"September 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"We drove by cabins for sale somewhere between Melbourne and Ormond Beach, Florida. Later, while fueling up, I opened Facebook Marketplace to see if there was something intriguing nearby. We were in no hurry. I immediately recognized the same cabins I saw. Same gravel lot, same log cabins sitting on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADUs"","block_context":{"text":"ADUs","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/adus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-Fort_Wilderness_Cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-Fort_Wilderness_Cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-Fort_Wilderness_Cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-Fort_Wilderness_Cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15413"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15443,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15413\/revisions\/15443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}