How to make a sofa from a single bed?

The question of how to make a bed with your own hands often occupies people's minds. After all, each of us devotes almost a third of our lives to sleep. In a dream, a child grows faster and becomes stronger, while an adult rests and restores the strength lost during the day. Therefore, the quality of sleep is of great importance for the health of the entire body.

Despite all the advantages of multifunctional furniture, if the problem concerns a sleeping place, all experts dedicated to the intricacies of the issue strongly recommend choosing a bed. Yes, the sofa takes up less space, it has a compartment for folding bed linen, but you will only get healthy rest and proper relaxation by lying down on the mattress of the bed. The number of rooms in your small apartment and its area do not allow you to place a bed with an existing ottoman or other similar furniture? No problem. We'll show you how to make a bed out of an old sofa.

What is needed for a full-fledged sleeping place

Elements of furniture that can provide a good night's sleep are legs, headboard, footboard, base for the mattress and the soft part itself, which is purchased additionally. Based on this, the main effective part of the bed is the base under the mattress, the remaining parts perform supporting and decorative functions. In addition, such pieces of furniture can be additionally equipped with storage space, bedside tables that are part of the headboard and various accessories for the canopy.

When starting to remodel an old sofa, pay attention to the safety of the soft, spring or foam part; it can be used as a mattress. If small fragments have survived, it is better to use them for decoration. Wooden/plywood elements can be useful for the bed frame, headboard, footboard.

After disassembling used furniture and assessing its condition, make a list of purchasing materials necessary for the work. It may include the following items:

• Boards or plywood about 1.5-2 cm thick for lining the footboard, headboard, frame. You can use textile decoration.
• Boards or plywood about 0.6 mm thick for lamellas.
• Beam 4x4 cm for legs and support parts for the base under the mattress.
• Foam rubber with a thickness of 3 to 5 cm (as needed).
• Decorative textiles.

Craftsmen, when using the soft part of an old sofa as a mattress, as well as in transformer models, advise connecting the two halves (seat and back) with large door hinges. If you plan to assemble an open structure, you can choose decorative fittings.

Comfortable sofa

Drawing of a frame for a sofa.

There is an interesting option to make a sofa using a couch or using a bed element such as a metal armored mesh. For this you may need the following materials:

• wooden beams;
• foam;
• hammer and wallpaper nails;
• drill;
• furniture screws and screwdriver;
• sewing materials and upholstery fabrics;
• accessories (zippers of different sizes) for a cover, 21 cm long, and 3 zippers of 7 cm each for pillows;
• metal mesh and corner.

Take the following approximate dimensions of the future sofa: height - 90 cm, full width - 95 cm, width of the soft part - 80 cm, length - 185 cm.

Sofa assembly option.

To make the frame of the product, you need to connect 6 wooden boards, 1500 mm long, with three vertical boards, 660 mm long, using screws. The corner connector should be made 20x20x190 mm.

The top edge of the base should be 20mm below the top edge board. The support bars must be secured to the back and behind the front panel. They will be the load-bearing parts of the seat.

The back itself must be fixed to the base very firmly, using thick metal corners. Choose its inclination yourself, as it is convenient for you.

After this, you can fix the mesh from the bed to the wooden base using metal brackets. It will serve as a kind of support grid on the frame of the sofa to hold the seat cushions.

You can also glue several transverse beams onto the longitudinal ones. This will add reliability.

The foam rubber is cut to the specified size of the back of the sofa, the main thing is that it is no thinner than 15 cm.

Make two such blanks. They will need to be sheathed with the chosen fabric and connected with a zipper. Mattresses are attached to the structure with decorative tape. Upholstery material and Velcro are suitable for its manufacture. One end of it is attached with small nails to the frame, and the other to the cover. Next comes the turn of the pillows. Covers for them are sewn from the same material, using zippers and foam rubber. As a result, you should have 3 pillows.

A full-fledged sleeping bed made from an old ottoman

It happens that you still can’t throw away not just old, but almost ancient furniture. You can get rid of it quickly, but at the dacha it would be nice to have a new bed, and at home it’s not very comfortable on the sofa. The solution comes naturally. You have almost nothing to lose if you try to transform an old but still strong foundation into a new place for healthy sleep. Of course, the main role will be played by a good modern mattress, for which we will make a bed from what we have.

Materials and tools for remodeling

We will use legs, base boards, and partially surviving foam rubber from an old ottoman. Additionally you should purchase:

• A sheet of plywood about 1.5 cm thick.
• If the legs are not very strong, stock up on a 4x4 cm block.
• Foam rubber with a density of 3-5 cm.
• Thin foam rubber or padding polyester.
• Leather substitute for surface decoration.
• All-purpose or wood glue.
• Screwdriver.
• Sandpaper.
• Decorative nails.
• Screws.

Use a tape measure, pencil, drill, jigsaw, hammer, scissors, and a furniture stapler with staples.

Step-by-step description of the alteration

1. Remove the railings. Fully expand the sleeping area. Check its integrity and stability by pressing on the outer corners of the structure.
2. Mark the places where additional legs need to be installed. Use a tape measure to measure the size you need.
3. Cut 2 (or all 4) extra legs from the block. Sand them lightly with sandpaper. Install the legs with screws and glue to the strongest areas of the structure being used.

We recommend connecting all parts using screws and glue. Thus, the product will be stronger and more reliable.

1. Measure the length of the outer sides of the frame. Using these measurements, cut planks about 30 cm wide from boards or plywood.
2. Install the outer panels along the outside of the base with glue and screws.

To prevent laminated or not very dense wood material from cracking when screwing in, first drill a hole, then apply glue and screw in the screw using a screwdriver.

1. Cut long strips of leatherette 5-7 cm wider than the outer panels. And made of thin foam rubber - 2 cm wider than the boards.
2. Attach thin foam to the outer panels using glue. Then decorate it with leatherette on top. Attach the material to the back of the bottom of the panel first, using slight tension, securing the position with staples at the top.
3. Start making the headboard. Cut the plywood into the desired shape or just leave it rectangular.
4. Glue thick foam rubber onto the plywood using wood glue.
5. Cut a piece of leatherette at the top and sides 4-5 cm larger than the parameters of the plywood for the headboard.
6. Use a furniture stapler to attach the decorative material to the back of the plywood.
7. Mark the mounting locations with decorative nails.

The shape or pattern of arrangement of decorative nails can be arbitrary. But if you do not have experience in this method of decoration, use traditional squares or diamonds, reminiscent of a carriage tie.

1. Using a cloth or rubber pad to avoid damaging the decorative nail heads (if using a regular hammer), drive the nails in at the marked points.
2. Use a drill to carefully attach the headboard to the bed frame using screws.

How to make a bed from a sofa with your own hands

Tired?
Everyone knows this feeling. Irritability, fatigue and laziness most often arise due to the fact that a person did not sleep enough, or his bed was too uncomfortable. Researchers have proven that on average, each person spends 24 years sleeping in their entire life. So let's together make this time spent in sleep mode convenient and comfortable. It is recommended to sleep exclusively on beds, because sofas are not so comfortable and do not follow the curves of your body. And if you have an old sofa that just begs to be thrown into the trash, but it’s such a shame to throw it away, then this is a great option for creating a new comfortable bed. You will learn how to make a bed from a sofa with your own hands by reading this article. The bed consists of two posts (at the head and at the feet), equipped with legs and a directly connecting part of the bed, where the mattress is placed. Currently, when making furniture, experienced manufacturers equip beds with places to store bedding and other decorative elements, including lighting, but for sleeping this is not the main thing, the main thing is convenience and comfort.

If there is a need to purchase additional material, and given that the sofa is old, there will be such a need, then take high-quality materials:

• wooden boards must be at least 2 cm thick so that they can support the weight of a person, and if the bed is double, then the weight of two;
• legs - made of thick bars 5 × 5 cm, for strength and reliability of the structure;
• It is better to take foam rubber at least five centimeters, because over time it will settle a little and you need a small reserve so that in the end you do not hit your bones against the boards of the bed.

Prepare additional tools in advance:

• drill;
• saw;
• screwdrivers;
• screwdrivers;
• sandpaper (sandpaper);
• self-tapping screws;
• nuts;
• washers;
• screws;
• furniture stapler with staples;
• roulette;
• pencil.

If you are planning to add decor to your bed, then think through every detail that you will need.

By the way, it is now very fashionable to combine colors, so you can cover the walls of the bed using leftover fabrics purchased in the store; such fabrics will cost much less.

Required tools and materials

The base with legs and partially the remains of foam rubber will be used from the old sofa. You will also need to additionally purchase a number of products:

• a plywood sheet with a thickness of at least 1.5 cm (if the condition of the legs leaves much to be desired, it is recommended to take a 4x4 cm block);
• foam rubber or padding polyester, the density of which is 3–5 cm;
• leatherette to decorate the surface;
• universal or wood glue;
• screwdriver;
• sandpaper;
• decorative nails with screws;
• ruler for measuring;
• marker;
• drill;
• scissors;
• hammer.

Step-by-step instruction

After preparing the necessary tools and materials, you can safely begin the process of converting the sofa into a bed:

1. First, the railings are dismantled: the sleeping place is completely unfolded and checked for integrity and stability. You should press on the corner parts of the structure and make sure they are strong.
2. Mark the places where the mount in the form of legs will be installed. A tape measure is used to measure parameters.
3. Additional block legs are cut off and then sanded using sandpaper. The legs are installed on screws and glued to the most reliable places in the structure.
4. The length of the outer frame sides is measured. Taking into account the data obtained, strips are cut out of plywood elements, the width of which should be at least 30 cm.
5. Installation of outer panels is carried out along the outer part of the base (glue and screws are used for this). To prevent the wood from accidentally cracking during screwing, it is recommended to first drill a hole, then apply glue and screw in the screw with a screwdriver.
6. Several long strips are cut out of leatherette, the width of which is 5 cm greater than the outer panels. Strips of thin foam material should be 2 cm wider than the boards.
7. The outer panels are glued with foam rubber. All this is decorated with leatherette. This material is attached to the lower panel part, slightly stretched and secured with staples at the top.
8. Then you can proceed to the headboard: any shape is cut out of plywood.
9. Wood glue is used to secure thick foam rubber to plywood.
10. A piece of leatherette is cut out several centimeters larger than the dimensions of the plywood for the headboard.
11. Using a furniture stapler, the decorative element is secured to the plywood back.
12. Places for fastening are marked with decorative nails.
13. A layer of fabric or rubber is used so that the decorative element is not damaged by nails. Using screws and a drill, the headboard is carefully attached to the sleeping area.