Futon or convertible sofa bed
Two side arms, a seat deck, a back deck, and a hinge mechanism that lets it fold flat.
Not what you bought? Try Sofa, loveseat or sectional · Upholstered or wooden bed with a headboard
What you need
In the box already: Allen key · Barrel bolts and washers · Side arms · Seat and back decks · Hinge mechanism · Mattress straps
Before you open anything
- Clear a space the size of the futon fully flat as a bed, not as a sofa. You will need to lay it out to test it.
- Identify the seat deck from the back deck now. They are different lengths and the mistake costs a full disassembly.
- Keep the mattress rolled and out of the room until the frame is done.
Please don't skip these
- Keep fingers out of the hinge mechanism when converting. These mechanisms close with real force.
- Never leave a futon half-converted with children around. The folding action can trap a hand.
The whole thing, step by step
9 steps-
Lay out the two arms and both decks
You have two side arms, a seat deck, a back deck, and the hinge hardware. The seat deck is usually the shorter one. Confirm against the manual before anything else.
- Two arms, mirror images, often marked L and R
- Two decks of slightly different lengths
- Hinge arms and barrel bolts in their own bag
Watch out. Swapping the seat and back decks is the classic futon error. Measure both and check the manual's dimensions. -
Attach the hinge mechanism to the decks
The folding mechanism bolts to the outer rails of both decks. Get all its bolts started loosely, and check the mechanism's pivot points face the right way.
- Mechanism arms onto the deck rails
- All bolts finger-tight
- Mirror it exactly on both sides
Tip. Photograph the manual's mechanism diagram and keep it on your phone screen while you work. The orientation is genuinely hard to read from a small printed picture. -
Bolt the seat deck to the arms
With a helper holding an arm upright, bolt the seat deck to it. Barrel bolts and washers, finger-tight. Then the other arm.
- Helper holds the arm vertical
- Washer, bolt, hand tight
- Repeat on the second arm so the frame stands on its own
Watch out. An arm let go while only one bolt is in will swing and crack. Keep hold until both bolts are in. -
Bolt the back deck on
The back deck bolts to the mechanism, not directly to the arms. Line up its pivot with the mechanism's slot and bolt it loosely.
- Line up the pivot bolt first
- All bolts started loose
- Check the back can swing freely before tightening
Tip. If the back cannot swing, the mechanism is on backwards. Check it before you tighten anything — afterwards is a full disassembly. -
Test the fold before you tighten
Convert it from sofa to bed and back, twice, while everything is still loose. This is where you catch a mistake cheaply.
- Lift the seat deck and push the back down to flat
- Pull it back up to sofa position
- Do it twice, watching for binding
Watch out. If it binds or will not go flat, something is mirrored wrong. Fix it now. -
Tighten everything in sequence
With the futon in the sofa position, tighten the arm bolts, then the deck bolts, then the mechanism. Then do a second lap.
- Sofa position for tightening
- Arms, decks, mechanism, in that order
- Second lap
Tip. Tighten it in the position it will spend most of its life, so the frame settles into that shape. -
Fit the mattress and strap it down
Unroll the mattress onto the deck and use the straps or ties to hold it. Unstrapped futon mattresses slide off every time you convert.
- Unroll on the deck in bed position
- Thread the straps around the deck slats
- Snug, not crushing the mattress
Tip. A new futon mattress needs a day or two to finish expanding. It will feel firm and look thin at first. -
Convert it ten times
Work the mechanism ten times. It will loosen up and you will catch any bolt that needed another turn.
- Sofa to bed and back, repeatedly
- Listen for knocks
- Retighten anything that moved
Tip. New mechanisms are stiff. Ten cycles and it will feel like the showroom model. -
Protect the floor and the wall
Felt pads under the feet, and leave a few inches from the wall. A futon moves backwards every time someone sits down heavily.
- Felt pads on hard floors
- A few inches of clearance behind
- Check the back clears the wall in bed position
Watch out. Measure the footprint in bed position. Futons grow by a foot or more when flat and that often means moving it away from a wall.
If something has gone wrong
It will not fold flat
The mechanism is almost certainly mirrored wrong on one side, or the back deck is in the seat position. Loosen everything and compare both sides against the manual photo.
One side folds and the other sticks
The two mechanisms are at slightly different positions on the deck rails. Loosen both, align them by measuring from the same end, and retighten.
The frame creaks loudly
Barrel bolts have settled. A full tightening lap in the sofa position fixes most of it. Felt or nylon washers at the pivot points kill the rest.
The mattress slides off when I convert it
Use the straps. If none came, luggage straps or heavy-duty velcro ties around the deck slats work perfectly.
A bolt is too short to reach
You have a bolt from the wrong bag, or the frame needs loosening elsewhere so it can shuffle. Loosen everything, let the frame find its shape, then try again.
Words you will see in the manual
- barrel bolt
- A long bolt used on beds and futons that threads into a cylindrical barrel nut dropped into a hole in the rail. Start it by hand — the barrel has to be rotated so its threads line up.
- handed
- Means a part exists as a mirror pair — a left one and a right one. Chair legs, drawer slides and sofa arms are commonly handed.
- mechanism
- The tilt and height assembly bolted under a chair seat. The height lever goes on the right as you sit.
- washer
- A flat metal ring that goes under a bolt head. It spreads the load so the bolt does not pull through the material. Never leave one out.