A chair-bed is the best solution for small rooms, as well as in case your guests want to stay overnight. Such a chair does not take up too much space, but it perfectly replaces a full-fledged berth.
The mattress is homemade flat pillows: the base of the seat and two pillows for the back. The chair is equipped with a box for bedding. It is easy to fold and unfold. To build such a chair bed do it yourself you don’t need any special professional skills - even a beginner will cope with the task.
So, the chair consists of two parts, fixed between themselves by the usual one-piece metal loops. Let's see what we need in order to make a chair-bed ourselves.
Materials:
- 8 boards of the same length for the manufacture of the chair-bed frame;
- 8 slats to strengthen the frame in the corners;
- slats for the base of the chair on which the pillow will lie;
- slats and two slats for the manufacture of the base shield for the second part of the chair;
- plywood shield - bottom for the main part of the chair;
- Three pieces of furniture foam 100 mm thick: two narrow for the back and one wide for sitting;
- any suitable fabric for pillows;
- furniture screws or ordinary wood screws;
- furniture glue at will;
- any tool for protective and decorative processing of wood;
- furniture varnish at will;
- nails;
- metal one-piece hinges: large for connecting the two parts of the chair-bed and small for attaching the shield in the compartment for bedding.
Instruments:
- manual circular or jigsaw;
- Miter saw;
- vibration or orbital sander;
- drill and drill on wood;
- screwdriver;
- construction tape measure;
- a clamp for drilling at an angle;
- pencil, square.
Step one: selection and preparation of materials
For the manufacture of chair-beds you will need boards with a thickness of at least 30 mm and suitable rails for the base of the pillows. Plywood - the bottom of the box for bedding - replace as desired with a sheet of fiberboard or particleboard. Prepare 8 bars to strengthen the chair frame in the corners.
All lumber must be planed and pre-sanded. You can paint parts already at this stage or after the final assembly.
Step two: measurements, drawings and preparation of parts
Decide on the size of the chair-bed when unfolded. It should replace a full berth.This means that the length of the structure will be at least 1900 mm, and its width - from 800 to 1000 mm. In each case, the dimensions are individual.
Saw boards and slats according to the drawings. Using a clamp for drilling, drill corner holes to connect the parts of the chair-bed frame. In the rails, drill holes for self-tapping screws, in order to avoid cracking when screwing in the screws.
50-63, 2
Step Three: Assemble the Chair Bed Frame
The chair consists of two parts. Start the assembly with the manufacture of the base. Assemble it using furniture screws and glue. Fasten the frame with bars. As conceived by the author, they are shorter by the thickness of the slats. Fix the slats between the bars - for the base under impromptu lamellas.
Assemble the second U-shaped part of the chair-bed. This time, to strengthen the structure, long screws are used, with which the author connected two boards joint to joint. Before screwing in the screws, drill holes through the wood with a drill and drill.
Fasten the bottom of the bed drawer with nails.
Step Four: Install the base for the pillows from the racks
Fix the slats - the base for the pillows - flush on the U-shaped part of the chair. Assemble the shield from the rails for the second part. Fasten it to small loops.
Step Five: Assemble a Bed Chair
Even the child will cope with the final assembly of the chair-bed. Just dock the two parts of the chair when unfolded on a flat surface.
Place the hinges where you plan to fix them, mark the attachment points and drill small holes for the screws. Fasten the hinges to the screws and check the design by folding and unfolding the chair bed.
Step Six: Wood Processing
For protective and decorative wood processing, the author used Rust Oleum oil stain. This coating is easy to apply, dries within an hour and does not require additional protection. The stain can be applied twice, each time carefully removing its excess.
You can also use alcohol stain. However, to protect the cover, the chair-bed should be painted with furniture varnish in two layers.
Seventh step: making pillows
For the manufacture of pillows use thick foam 80-100 mm thick. Better furniture - it will last longer. In addition, you can choose the appropriate stiffness.
Take measurements and cut three pieces of foam rubber using a sharp knife and rail. The first - large - will go to the base of the chair. Two narrow pieces - on the back. When unfolded, they fit along the edges and serve as a continuation of the mattress.
Mark and cover the fabric for the covers. The author used stretch knitwear, which was at hand. You can take a special fabric for upholstery of furniture. Sew the details of the cover and place the foam inside.
You can sew the incision manually or use a zipper. In the second case, at any time, the covers can be washed and used as new.
The chair bed is ready! Lay it out and try on pillows as a mattress. The chair folds easily, and bedding is always at hand, which is very convenient. The design itself was not too heavy, despite the fact that the author used natural wood. This was achieved thanks to the simplicity of construction and the use of plywood as a bottom. You can also equip a chair-bed with slats, which are much lighter than slats. So the mattress will last significantly longer, and the chair will become even easier!
