Build your own modern sofa sleeper.
For those who shun all things traditional, this solution will appeal to your sense of style while solving your sleeping and seating dilemmas. Build a modern sofa bed that makes room for guests, whether they are sitting or sleeping over. This project comes complete with its own dual nightstand and end table. Using simple materials and mattresses you may already own, this inexpensive project can be completed over the course of a weekend. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Construct two box frames. Cut 3/4-inch thick plywood into four 75-inch-long by 8-inch-wide pieces with a skill saw. Cut four more pieces of plywood 39 inches long by 8 inches wide.
2. Cut one piece of 3/4-inch plywood into a 40-inch-by-94-inch section. Cut the second piece 40 inches wide by 76 inches long.
3. Cut four pieces of 1/2-inch molding into 40-inch lengths. Cut four more pieces into 76-inch lengths. Use a miter saw to cut 45-degree angles on each end.
4. Sand and stain the wood and molding with 220-grit sandpaper.
5. Connect the frame with double-wide corner braces. Start by forming an L-shape with one short piece and one long piece, stood on their sides. Screw two braces into each corner, one near the top and the other near the bottom with 1-inch screws. One by one, add the last two sections of the frame.
6. Cut a 2-inch-by-4-inch piece of wood 37 1/2 inches long. Screw it across the center of the bed frame for support using 2-inch screws.
7. Adhere felt strips to the bottom of each frame with construction adhesive.
8. Place the 93-inch-long piece of plywood onto the first frame, allowing 19 inches to overlap on one end. Screw the plywood into the frame with 1 1/2-inch screws placed in the corners and then spaced every 18 inches.
9. Position the second piece of plywood evenly on top of the other frame and screw it into place, spacing the screws every 18 inches, as with the first piece.
10. Add the molding to the first bed, creating a rectangular rim into which the sofa bed will rest. Place the 40-inch strip along the top edge of the plywood on the side that is flush with the bottom frame. Add the longer pieces along the top of the front and back edges with 1-inch screws. Screw the final piece of molding in place with 1-inch screws. The rim will not be centered in accordance with the corner piece that overhangs the bed frame.
11. Screw the remaining molding into the second frame, flush with the top edge. The molding for this bed frame will be even with the entire top piece of plywood.
12. Drop a twin mattress into each rim. Cover the mattresses with fitted sheets. Tuck a top sheet and thin, decorative blanket around the mattress.
13. Prop several oversized, 23-inch-by-23-inch decorative pillows along the back edge of the bed, allowing them to overlap slightly as they lean against the wall.
Tags: 1-inch screws, frame with, inches long, piece plywood, plywood into, with 1-inch