How to Build a Futon Frame

Kids, college students and even adventurous adults love futons. They are comfortable, colorful and convenient, and fit in just about any room. But how do you assemble a futon's frame? What should you do if you can't make any sense of the enclosed assembly instructions? Follow these steps to help guide you through building your futon frame.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 6 main wooden parts: 2 arms, 2 rails, 1 seat, 1 back section 8 bolts 8 barrel nuts (shaped like a barrel) 4 nylon rollers 6 metal pins 6 washers 6 cotter clips Allen wrench

1. Attach the hardware by taking the four nylon rollers, four metal pins and four cotter clips and locate the wood backrest of the futon. The nylon rollers have two ends: a small round top and a larger round bottom. The larger round bottom is placed against the wood over the hole and the metal pin is pushed down through the small round top through the roller and out through the hole in the back rack. On the other side, slide a washer over the pin; use your cotter clip and push it through the small hole in the metal pin to secure it. You will complete this entire process four times---once for each roller.

2. Grab the wooden seat section and locate the hole closest to the end on the side. Carefully lay the seat and back sections face up and take the two remaining metal pins and push them through the remaining holes in the sides back section, in through the holes in the seat section. Again, slide a washer over each pin and secure it with the remaining cotter clips.

3. Attach the arms and stretchers by locating your two wood arms and two wood stretchers. If you look at the arms, you'll notice that one side of the arms has two routed out grooves. During assembly these routed out grooves have to face inward toward each other. Locate the two stretcher rails and take the barrel nut and place it inside one of the holes, which is clearly intended for the barrel nut. Carefully take the bolt and push it through the outside of the arm and into the rail threading it into the barrel nut; use the Allen wrench to wind the screw into the barrel nut. Repeat this same exact step on the other bolts, leaving them slightly loose. On the rail that is closest to the routed out grooves in the arms, leave two of your bolts out and make sure this allows you to move the arm outward somewhat.

4. Move the back and the seat section into the frame. The backrest has two nylon rollers on each side. Line up the top roller with the routed out grooves in the arms that go up and down. Take the bottom rollers on each side and line them up into the routed out groove that runs left to right.

5. Finish by putting the last two bolts and barrel nuts into the back arm and connect them together as described in Step 4.

6. Tighten all the bolts. When you are done, the futon frame should not wiggle or creak; it also should not be bowed or warped by bolts that are too tightly screwed in place.

Tips & Warnings

• Lay out all your materials before you begin so you will have easy access to every tool and piece of the futon.

• Be sure to test out the bed in both the upright and reclined positions before allowing a child to use it.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Find a mattress for your futon here.