A murphy bed, also known as an accordion bed, pull-down bed, or wall bed, is a type of fold-down bed that can be folded down out of the way when not in use, often against a wall in an unused corner of the room. Murphy beds are ideal for small spaces because they allow you to maximize your floor space without compromising your ability to sleep at night. They are popular among students and young professionals who live in apartments or tiny houses but want more bedroom space than their roommates can provide.
Materials Install Hinge Murphy Bed
mounting brackets that are at least 1 tall x 4 wide
Drill and drill bit (the size will depend on the thickness of your wood)
Wood screws that will match the screws in your hinges (will rely mainly on the kind of hinges you buy)
Hinges for your doors, specifically designed for a murphy bed style door (1/2 width is a good guideline)
Measuring And Prepping The Door
The first step is to measure and pre-drill the holes. Measure the space between where the hinge will be mounted and where it attaches at the top of the door. Typically, this is 3/4 – 1. Then, measure how wide you want your door open before it folds up and mark that spot. For a traditional Murphy Bed installation, drill a hole for each side of the hinges near that location so that they’re not too close together.
Attaching Hinge To Frame
A typical doorway is 6 feet or less in width. A Murphy bed is typically just 4 feet wide. This means that the door will need to be cut down so that it can slide inside the frame and align with the hinges. When cutting down the door, it’s best to leave 1 inch of clearance all around (1/2 inch at the top). This will allow you to measure where to drill holes and cut through any screws that could affect your cut.
Begin by marking all your cuts on both sides of your door with a marker or pen. Using a circular saw, start by cutting in one corner, trimming away from that corner, and continuing on each side until you can remove enough wood for everything else to come together.
Installing Hardware
Use a mounting board when installing hardware for your Murphy Bed. A mounting board will help ensure that your furniture is level and that your hardware is installed at a height that won’t obstruct its opening or closing.
Cut out the hangers from the hinges with a hacksaw. You’ll need hangers to attach the mounting board to both sides of the door frame – so cut them out before attaching anything else, as it’s much easier now than later. Drill pilot holes in the door frame near each hanger and screw them securely into place using wood screws.
Finishing Up
When you have finished assembling the hinges, you will now need to attach the hinges that attach to the door frame. If your frame is made of wood, drill a pilot hole into the top and bottom of each hinge; if your frame is made of metal, there will be holes in the pre-drilled openings that you can use. Make sure not to drill through anything other than what is marked as a hole before screwing in both screws on one side, then do so for all four screws on both sides.
After securing one side onto each hinge, you will repeat this process by attaching one side of your hinged surface onto each set of two pre-assembled hinges. For example, you will connect one side of the board to two groups of 2 hinged covers by using these pieces as bases (making a total of 4 hinged characters).
Once connected, they should look like a triangle or diamond shape when viewed from the front. You will want it to look like this because it will support much more weight and prevent tipping over easily once everything is added on top. You can even put small amounts of weight near or at the base or poles (such as furniture), which may be used once installed inside your Murphy Bed later.
Conclusion
If you are considering converting your bedroom space into an area for a Murphy Bed and need some advice, we have provided you with step-by-step instructions below:
- Determine the height of the hinges by measuring the length of each side that will attach to the door frame.
- Measure twice before drilling a hole in each side where they will attach to the door frame and cut off any extra pieces of wood to flush against the frame.
- Attach one side of one set of hinges onto one side, screw them in tightly and tighten screws from inside until it is sturdy.
