How to make your own folding sofa

The folding sofa has become a great tool to save space at home, while resting comfortably in your bed. If you do not want to resort to a commercial and elaborate model, you can do it yourself with the guidelines that we offer you.

When it comes to looking for the best folding sofa for your home, we have a wide range of products on the market, with all kinds of measurements and sizes, in line with those of conventional mattresses. But the truth is that, in many of these models, especially the cheaper ones, all that glitters is not always gold. It is common that the manufacturing materials used in the product are not the best, that their resistance can be improved or that they simply do not adapt to what we need.

A situation in which we have the alternative of building our own sofa, in case we have the tools and skills to do so. However, it is not a particularly complex process either, beyond how cumbersome the work is, for obvious reasons. We will see it in the guide that we offer you below.

Measurements and materials

The first thing we must be clear about are the measures and materials to be used in the process. Although there are many options, it is advisable to opt for woods of a certain hardness, such as cherry, walnut or elm, in planks that are about 2 centimeters thick. This thickness must be greater in case we plan to make a double bed. Regarding the measurements, we can choose a design with conventional measurements, leaving about five centimeters more on each side for safety, or adding more space on the sides or at the base to have some shelves or place drawers. By the way, if you want to save yourself cutting work in all the large surfaces where wood is sold, you can ask them to cut the pieces to the measurements you need.

Building the framework

Once with all the materials, it is time to start building the lower frame. This frame can be joined in various ways, such as with brackets located at the bottom and top of each interior corner of the frame or by means of specific screws and lag screws, for which we must hollow out the wood. Regarding the lower panel, we can nail it directly on the frame once created or empty a channel inside, where it fits. A process that offers a better finish but has the drawback of giving much more work.

Introducing the hinges

The next step is to place the special gas hinges, which we can buy at any hardware store and with which it will be possible to open the lid of the sofa once installed. These covers are placed on the sides of the frame, on the inside, and it is essential that they are installed at the same height and position. If this is not done, the hinges may not be able to be placed correctly on the cover later and the opening of the cover may be difficult or impossible. So, we will mark the points and check with the level that everything is in place to then make the corresponding holes. Once this step is done, we will not place the hinges yet, since the painting of the product remains, which is our next step.

painted the couch

We will continue the process with the painting of the canapé. A step that we will begin with the sanding of all the wood, using fine-grain sandpaper to prepare the surface for painting. Once the sanding is finished, it is necessary to pass a cloth over the wooden surface to remove the remains of dust present on it. Next, we will paint the entire surface of the chest with varnish, using a foam roller. Follow the direction of the grain to achieve a more elegant finish. You can choose the color you want and even use clear varnish inside and your favorite color outside, to better integrate the furniture.

Finishing off the montage

We will wait for the drying time indicated by the manufacturer of the varnish to elapse to finish the assembly of all the elements of the product. To do this, simply add non-slip adhesive felts to the base or specific feet, depending on what you prefer. We will also have to mount the hinges inside and the corresponding supports on the lid, verifying that everything fits correctly. It is advisable to check that the cover goes up and down correctly before finishing the assembly process. Finally, we will only have to place our favorite mattress on the sofa, make the bed and rest.

Additional issues

The project that we have discussed allows us to create a conventional folding sofa, but you may prefer that it be upholstered on top. In this case, all you have to do is add both the foam you prefer and a fabric you like to your shopping list. To place the fabric, that foam is first placed and the piece of fabric is spread on top, fixing it with a staple gun. It is important that this process is done with the cover removed, since it makes the task easier.

Another question to consider is if you want intermediate divisions within the sofa. In the case of double or large sofas, from 1.50 meters wide and up, it is advisable to have a second board in the central part, either widthwise or lengthwise, which gives more resistance to the cap during rest. This can be mounted with the same brackets that we have mentioned or with any other similar system.

As the last tip of our guide, it is essential that the wood to be used is flat, in one-piece planks, and that it does not have knots or other imperfections in its structure that could cause problems or weaknesses during use. A good selection of this wood is key to success in our project.