PHOTOS BY MARK MACEMON

Murphy BedMagic

Turn any room into a spare bedroom withthis easy-to-build space-saverb y D a n C a r y

ike many homeowners, I converted a small bedroom into a home office. It’s atrade-off that makes sense, except when we have visitors and must give upour bed. We considered buying a sofa bed, but we’ve never liked sleeping on

them, and our current sofas don’t need replacing.In my search for a new and better alternative I found a solution that isn’t new at

all — a murphy bed. It’s an ingenious piece of furniture that combines the comfortof a standard mattress with the appearance of a closet or cabinet that is less than 18in. deep. You can customize most designs to fit your home’s décor, adding trim,matching bookcases or even built-in lighting (see “Design Options,” p. 35).The bed’s name is attributed to William L. Murphy, who designed and patent-

ed the original Murphy Bed in San Francisco around 1900. His company, TheMurphy Bed Co., and several others continue to manufacture and sell murphy

LNow you see it; now you don’t. Lift-mechanism hardware makes openingand closing this modern murphy bedeasy for anyone.

beds today (see SOURCES ONLINE).Several of these companies havedesigned their own lift systems, someadopting the murphy bed name andothers simply calling their productswall beds.Even though they’ve been around for

more than a century, murphy beds aren’tcommon in today’s homes. You won’tfind them in most furniture showrooms,and many people incorrectly assume thatinstallation requires cutting into a wall.Although early versions were built intoapartment walls and concealed withcloset doors, today most murphy beds areplaced in the room like a large piece offurniture. Besides greater installationflexibility, modern murphy beds alsohave improved lift mechanisms, so youdon’t have to worry about being gobbledup into the wall like the comedians in oldslapstick movies.There are three basic requirements

to consider before buying or buildinga murphy bed. First, you need at least4 ft. of open wall space for a twin bedand more for a larger bed or if youintend to connect a bookcase. Second,you need 7 ft. of clearable space (witheasy-to-move furniture) in front of thebed for it to open. Finally, you musthave an egress window (a window largeenough for a person to climb through)in any room that will be used for sleep-ing. Check with your local buildinginspections department for minimumegress requirements.

Murphy bed constructionWhether you choose to call them murphybeds or wall beds, they feature three keycomponents: the lift mechanism, the bedframe and the cabinet. There are twomain types of lift mechanisms: springand piston. Both systems operate under asimilar principle — they create force that

helps lift the bed into the closed position(see “How a Murphy Bed Works,” p. 37).The force is balanced so that the

weight of the bed frame and mattresstogether is enough to hold the bed downon the floor. Some spring systems fea-ture adjustable tension, but piston sys-tems are typically not adjustable.Different piston strengths are matched tothe style and size of bed you are build-ing. The variable is the mattress weight.If the mattress that you are using with anonadjustable piston or spring system istoo light, the bed will rise slightly orfloat off the floor. In this case, you mustadd a small amount of weight under themattress to keep it grounded.The bed frame holds the mattress.

Because the bed frame must fit intothe cabinet, thickness is an issue. Atypical installation does not contain abox spring, and the mattress cannot bemore than 12 in. thick.

Assemble the inner bed framewith frame struts (inset) made with solid wood 1x2s.Plywood bed rails and panels will conceal this frame.

Fasten the lift-mechanism hardware to the side rails andvertical side panels and then remove the hardware beforeapplying finish to the pieces.

Lower ball-stud plate

Pivotplate

Side rails

Depthgauge

BUILDING A MURPHY BED

Fasten the three locking hinges to theleg with No. 6 x 3/4-in. panheadwood screws.

Fasten the locking hinges, already attached to the leg, to theinner frame strut. The top of the leg must be flush against theface panel (inset).

Leg

Facepanel

11

66 77

22

Leg

Facepanel

Design optionsMurphy beds can be designed to complement any home’s décor, andyou can install a mattress as large as queen size in either the verticalor horizontal position. The strength of the lift mechanism requireddepends on the configuration that you choose. — DC

Reattach the lift-mechanism hardwareto the side rails and then attach thehead, foot and side rails to the innerframe with 1-1/4-in. wood screws.

Position the face panels facedown.Apply glue to the bed frame struts,and fasten the frame assembly to theface panels with 1-1/4-in. screws.

Attach 5-1/2-in. stripsto the second panel

No. 6 x 3/4-in.wood screws

Three bot-tom panels

First panel

Install the 1/4-in. plywood mattresspanels over the inner frame. Drive 1-in.screws to secure the elastic strapsthat will hold the mattress in place.

Reattach the lift-mechanism hardware to the cabinet sides before installingthe bed. Fasten the pivot rod plates and upper ball-stud plates with woodscrews, machine screws and T-nuts.

Pivot rodplate

Wood screws

T-nuts MachinescrewsMattress

strap

Cabinet sides

88 99

33 44 55Fasten the aluminum strips to thebottom edge of the four bottom facepanels and to the top and bottomedges of the top panel.

Horizontalconfiguration

Verticalconfiguration

Upper ball-stud plate

Insert the pivot rod on the cabinet side intothe pivot plate of the side rail. Secure thepivot hardware with an E-clip (inset).

Pivot rod plate

Plasticwasher

PivotplateE-clip

Studloca-

Spring systems often incorporate ametal bed frame. These systems areusually fastened to the floor, and thecabinet is a freestanding box builtaround the bed frame. Piston systemsuse a wood bed frame that is connectedto the cabinet by pivots, and the cabinetis fastened to the wall.Most murphy bed manufacturers

do not require professional installers;in fact, they encourage DIY construc-tion. Product options range from basiclift-mechanism kits, which cost $250 to

$300 and require you to build the bedframe and cabinet from scratch, tocomplete ready-to-install beds thatcost several thousand dollars.I chose to use a piston-mechanism

kit manufactured by Create-A-Bed Inc.of Louisville, Kentucky. The kit costs$279 and includes all necessarymechanical hardware, building plans fora bed and bookcase and a videotape thatdemonstrates the construction processand building techniques.One of the benefits of this bed sys-

tem is that you don’t need many tools tobuild it. You will need basic hand tools(a tape measure, a hammer, clamps,etc.), a table saw or circular sawequipped with a sharp plywood-cuttingblade and a drill/driver. A miter saw ishelpful for cutting pieces to length, butit’s not required.

MaterialsThe bed in the Create-A-Bed design isbuilt from a combination of solid stockand veneer-core plywood or particleboard

Keeping the cabinet a couple of feet fromthe wall, connect the piston to the lower andthen upper ball-stud plates. The bed is tilteda few inches beyond vertical to make theupper connection. Safety note: Do not oper-ate the bed until it is secured to the wall.

Drive 3-in. coarse-thread screws through the header and into wallstuds. Secure a full-size bed to at least three stud locations.

Tilt the cabinet side panels upright,and attach the headboard with 2-in.screws and the cabinet header assem-bly with 1-1/4-in. screws. No glue isused to assemble the cabinet, makingit simple to disassemble and move.

1010

1111

1212

1313

Stud: 3-in. coarse-thread screws

Masonry: 3/16 x 2-in. masonryanchors

Metal stud: 3/16 x 4-in. toggles

Direction ofpiston force

Pivot

Upper ball-stud plate

Compressed piston

Lower ball-stud plate

How a murphy bed worksA murphy bed closes with the assistanceof a spring or piston mechanism. The bedI built uses a piston system. The piston iscompressed when the bed is open (left).When the bed is closed the pistonextends, exerting force to help lift theweight of the bed. — DC

Anchoring a murphy bedIt is critical that you properly anchorthe bed cabinet to the wall. Here arethe three most common wall materi-als that you will encounter and thecorrect anchor to use in each case.

material, such as melamine. Differentbuilding plans are provided depending onthe combination of material, bed size andorientation that you choose.I built a full-size vertical bed with

one 24-in.-wide bookcase using cherryplywood and solid cherry. It requiredfive sheets of 3/4-in. cherry plywood,one sheet of 1/4-in. cherry plywood,two sheets of 1/4-in. birch plywood,about 24 lineal ft. of 1x4 solid cherryand 14 pieces of 1x2 x 8-ft. solid poplar.Create-A-Bed’s cabinet is designed

to look like a closet with bifold doors,but I wanted to create a more modernstyle. With the approval of the manufac-turer’s technical advisor, I modified thefront panel and leg to suit my taste (see“Our Design Modifications,” p. 38).The change had little effect on thematerial requirements.

Safety note:Murphy bed lift systemscreate strong forces on the structure. Besure to check with the manufacturerbefore making any changes to the design.

Building the bedThe construction process is not difficult(see how-to photos beginning on p. 34).The biggest obstacle for many peoplewill be finding enough space to work.You need a large, flat work surface —a full sheet of plywood is just the rightsize. The finished bed is large, so if youhave a narrow hallway or stairway tocontend with, consider machining andfinishing the parts in your shop orgarage and assembling the bed in itsdesignated room.

Most of my building time was spentcutting and finishing the large plywoodpieces before assembly. I used a tablesaw to cut the plywood, but you couldalso use a circular saw with a straight-edge guide.

Tip:When you cut plywood witha table saw, keep the good side of theplywood faceup; when you use a circu-lar saw, keep the good side of the ply-wood facedown.Cover all of the plywood edges that

will be left exposed with heat-activatededge banding, which is sold in rolls (seeSOURCES). Cut each strip of edgebanding a couple of inches longer thanthe plywood edge. Press the edge band-

ing along the plywood edge with a hothousehold iron. (Protect the face of theiron by covering it with aluminum foil.)While the edge banding is still hot, pressit down with a roller or scrap of wood.Allow it to cool for a few minutes andthen trim off the excess with a utilityknife, chisel or special edge-bandingtrimmer, also available where edgebanding is sold.Fasten the bed hardware and then

remove it before sanding and applyingthe finish. The manufacturer providesdetailed diagrams that show where eachpiece of hardware is located.After sanding, I chose to apply three

coats of wipe-on polyurethane finish to

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all of the panels before assembling thembecause it is easier to work on the flatpanels individually. Mask over or leaveunfinished any areas where glue willbe applied, such as along the bottom1-1/2 in. of each rail and the inside facesof the face panels.After the finish is dry, reattach the

hardware and begin assembling the bed.The bed frame and rails are joined withsimple butt joints fastened with glue andwood screws or finish nails. Drill coun-tersinks and pilot holes for each screw.The last step before installing the bed isto attach the face panels to the frameand rail assembly.

InstallationInstalling the bed and cabinet are proba-bly the easiest parts of the project, butthey are also the most important forensuring safe operation.Finish assembling the cabinet and

bed frame a couple of feet away fromthe wall. Connect the pivot hardwareattaching the headboard and cabinet topwith wood screws.

Connecting the pistons to the ball-stud plates is the final step beforesecuring the cabinet to the wall. Thepiston is labeled to show the correctinstallation orientation. Close the bed afew inches beyond vertical to snap thepiston onto the ball-stud plates. If thepiston does not fit, double-check theball-stud and pivot-hardware locationsand adjust them if necessary.The cabinet must be properly fas-

tened to the wall for safe operation.When a murphy bed is in the open posi-tion, the lift mechanism is storing theenergy that will be used to help lift thebed. If the cabinet is not properlysecured, the lift mechanism could pull thecabinet away from the wall and down ontop of the bed.Use the appropriate type and number

of fasteners for the size of bed you areinstalling and for the room’s wall framing(see “Anchoring a Murphy Bed,” p. 37).Drive one fastener into each stud locatedbehind the bed, or drive masonry anchorsat 16-in. intervals in masonry walls. Usethree anchors for a twin or full-size bed

Murphy bed mechanismand cabinet manufacturers:

Create-A-Bed, 877-966-3852Murphy Bed Co. Inc., 800-845-2337Murphy Bed Products, 888-730-30031-800 Wallbeds, 800-925-5233Woodworker’s Hardware (edge banding andcabinet pull No. A19019), 800-383-0130

and four for a queen-size bed.Once the bed is secured to the wall,

it is ready for the mattress. The bedframe will be a little difficult to pulldown without the mattress. Get a helperto assist you in holding the bed framedown and placing the mattress. If the bedfloats above the floor, more weight isneeded under the mattress. A simplesolution is to fasten a 2 x 4-ft. scrap of3/4-in. medium-density fiberboard tothe plywood panels under the mattresswith 1-1/4-in. screws. Once the bedframe stays down on the floor, the bedis ready for use. u

For online information, go to www.HandymanClub.comand click on SOURCES ONLINE.

side, and center the middle notchalong the top edge.

Aluminum AccentsAluminum strips are attached betweenthe face panels as a decorative accent.You can purchase aluminum at a met-alworking or metal supply shop. Whenwe bought aluminum, the supplier cutit to length, and we drilled countersinksand pilot holes through each strip forNo. 6 screws.

Tip: Use a carbon steel drill bit tobore through aluminum. To cut alu-minum, use carbide-tip saw bladesdesignated for nonferrous metals (met-als that don’t contain iron).

Support LegTwo small legs are replaced with onelong leg. Use 7-in.-wide stock, or gluetogether pieces of 3/4-in. solid stockto create the 7 x 45-in. leg.

11-1/4"

12"

12"

4"

14-1/4"

17-1/2"16"

16"

Our design modifications

Cutting List ChangesBed face panels, veneer-core plywoodTop face panel . . . . 3/4 x 11-13/16 x 56 in. (1)Face panels . . . . . . 3/4 x 15-7/8 x 56 in. (4)Aluminum strips . . . 3/16 x 3/4 x 56 in. (5)Aluminum strips . . . 3/16 x 3/4 x 5-1/2 in. (2)Leg, solid wood . . . 3/4 x 7 x 45 in. (1)

Additional Materials3/4 x 1-1/2-in. x 8-ft. solid frame stock (2)25 lineal ft. of 3/16 x 3/4-in. aluminum30-in. cabinet pull (see SOURCES)

Bed frame

The murphy bed shown in the photosrequired several changes and addi-tions to the Create-A-Bed plan provid-ed with the kit:

Inner Bed FrameReposition and add frame struts toprovide support behind the horizontalface-panel seams (see drawing below).

Face-Panel Hinge OpeningsThe leg hinges fit through notches cutthrough the second face panel fromthe top. Cut three 2-1/4-in.-wide x3-in.-long notches through the topedge of the panel. Locate the out-side notches 5-7/8 in. from each

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