A pull-down bed or Folding bed is a great option when you’re short on space in your bedroom. It is also ideal as a guest bed, as it does not take up space when not needed. In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to make a Murphy bed step by step.
Murphy beds or folding beds allow you to get the most out of small rooms. For this, it is essential to find the model and style that best suits our needs. For example, if the room is narrow and has a low ceiling, the best option will be a horizontal folding bed.
In this tutorial ,you can see how to build a vertical folding bed step by step, with which you can save space since it will remain folded when not in use.
tools and materials for folding bed
- miter saw
- circular saw
- keyhole saw
- drill driver
- Sergeants
- 9 wooden strips of 4 x 4 x 240 cm, 1 pine board of 200 x 60 x 1.8 cm and 5 MDF or DM boards of 200 x 60 x 0.3 cm
- 3 wooden brackets 12 cm deep and 6 fixing brackets
- Screws with nuts and lag bolts
- mounting adhesive
- Decorative panels
- Brush
- Varnish
Cost, duration, and difficulty
If you have the necessary tools, the approximate cost of the materials is $240. In the following link, you can access the ManoMano shopping basket in which some of the tools and materials used have been included. You can also find beds and bed bases on their website that can inspire you or adapt to your needs.
The execution time is a couple of days. The first day will be devoted to cutting the materials and assembling the bed frame and structure. The second day will be used to check that everything works perfectly and make the necessary adjustments, as well as to varnish the wood and install the decorative panels.
On the other hand, this project has a medium difficulty since it requires previous practice in the use of power tools and the construction of custom furniture.
Step-by-step vertical folding bed
This vertical folding bed or Murphy bed project has been custom-made for a mattress that is 135cm wide and 190cm long, making it ideal for a double bed. To do this, a bed base has first been built with slats and pine boards and a slatted structure that will be fixed to the wall and the floor. In the following image, you can see a sketch with detailed measurements.
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1. Cut the pieces
First of all, the slats and the pine board, and the MDF sheets will be cut. For this, the miter saw has been used to cut the slats, the circular saw to cut the board and the MDF plates, and the jigsaw to round the corners of the bed.
The pieces that will be needed for the mattress are:
- 2 strips of 195 x 4 x 4 cm and 2 of 140 x 4 x 4 cm for the outer structure
- 4 strips of 132 x 4 x 4 cm, 5 of 25 x 4 x 4 cm and 2 of 27 x 4 x 4 cm to reinforce the structure internally
- 2 boards of 200 x 20 x 1.8 cm for the sides of the bed base, 1 of 144 x 20 x 1.8 cm for the foot of the bed, and 2 of 144 x 10 x 1.8 cm for the head of the bed frame and the shelf/leg.
- 4 MDF boards measuring 198 x 60 x 0.3 cm and 2 measuring 198 x 19 x 0.3 cm for the top and bottom of the bed base
The pieces that will be needed for the structure that will hold the folding bed are:
- 3 strips of 145 x 4 x 4 cm
- 4 strips of 80 x 4 x 4 cm
- 8 strips of 40 x 4 x 4 cm
2. Assemble the mattress
Next, the slats of the bed base structure will be screwed to form a rectangle, as well as those that will serve as internal reinforcement. Next, the wooden boards will be screwed to the sides and the MDF boards to the top of the bed base.
3. Assemble the structure and turning mechanism
Next, the slats that will form the structure that will hold the bed when it is hidden will be screwed on. To do this, the two sides will be screwed with the 80 and 40 cm long slats, and the three 145 cm long slats will be joined.
To join the bed base to the bed structure, two holes will be made on the sides and a threaded screw will be passed to create the pivot point. It is important that this point is at the same height as the leg that will be placed at the foot of the bed and that in this case, it will have a height of 12 cm. I
n addition, it must be taken into account that an interior space must be left for the mattress to fit when the bed is hidden. In the case of mattresses with a thickness of less than 15 cm, it is recommended that this space be 30 cm. If the thickness is greater, the inner hole must be 40 or 45 cm.
4. Panel the lower part of the bed
When the bed is hidden, the bottom panel will be exposed. To make it aesthetic, it will be lined with DM or MDF boards and polyurethane panels will be fixed with mounting adhesive.
Next, some wooden squares will be screwed onto which a shelf will be placed that will serve as the lower leg.
Then all the wood will be varnished with a colorless varnish and the mattress will be placed on the bed base, which can be fastened with tape stapled to the base. Finally, some decorative side panels will be placed so that the bed is completely hidden when it is folded.
Without a doubt, building your own custom folding bed is an option that will allow you to make the most of your space since you will have a fully functional piece of furniture only when you need it. The rest of the time it can remain hidden and, at the same time, add a decorative touch to your home.
