How to choose a sofa bed

Sofa bed - One of the most popular interior details of many apartments. It can serve as a sleeping place, and a place for gatherings, and become an additional space for storing things. But, in order to choose the right sofa bed, you need to pay attention to several details, which will be discussed in our article.

For what purposes will the sofa bed be used

First you need to clearly understand where will it stand sofa, and what functions to perform: either it will be located in the living room, constantly operated by the owners as a place to sit and only occasionally sorted out as a sleeping place for guestsor it will be used regularly as a place to sleep daily.

In the first case the requirements for the folding mechanism are minimal, but for the filler - huge, as the sofa will have to constantly withstand heavy loads.

Sofa, which will primarily play the role of the beds and serve as a place for daily sleep, should be conveniently laid out - this is the most important and basic parameter. If you see that to transform the product you need make a notable effort, or the procedure itself is not very convenient and lengthy, it is better to abandon such a model, even despite the assurances of sellers in the store that over time the transformation mechanism will be developed. You need to remember all the time that you will repeat the steps of folding and unfolding twice a day. Reliability and durability of the mechanism itself become the most important parameters here., since some sofas that are not designed for daily folding, with regular such loads can fail after 1.5-2 years, just at the moment when the warranty expires.

Frame materials for sofa beds

If the sofa is chosen in order to regularly transform it into a berth, then it should be as comfortable as possible in the folded and unfolded position. You can check this and even need to in the store, after sitting and lying down on your favorite model. Also need pay attention to the features of the framewhich can be made of:

• oak, beech or birch Is the best option
• or from multilayer plywood - The option is cheaper, but not much losing in quality.
• But MDF or chipboard frame It is unlikely to be able to serve faithfully for at least a dozen years: it is better to discard this option altogether, or consider it only as a guest.

Ideally, the frame should consist of slightly curved up wooden planksthat are located across the berths. Due to this configuration, light springiness and a good orthopedic effect are provided, which is especially important when using a sofa for sleeping.

Which filler is best for a sofa bed?

For whatever purpose a sofa bed would be chosen, anyway filler quality we are most interested in, since it depends on him how the sofa will keep its shape, and how long it will last.
So, many recommend choosing natural materials, such as felt, batting, latex, since they are not destroyed, and, therefore, with them are more likely to last.
To synthetic materials include foam, polyurethane and polyurethane foam, which significantly reduce the price of the entire product.
Anyway pay attention to the density of the fillerand preference is better yet give polyurethane foam, latex and spring blocksbut foam rubber will not be able to maintain its original shape for a long time under conditions of active use. So do not forget to ask the consultant in the store about the quality of the frame and the filler in the sofa.

The mechanism for transforming a sofa for sleeping

All sofas can be divided into two categories: those that form sleeper parallel to the back, and perpendicular to it.

• In the first case, the sofa looks quite long and holds plenty of seating, but the width of the berth is not very large. Such sofas are characterized by the "book", "euro-book", "dolphin" and "click-clack" transformation mechanism.
• The second mechanism is different ample sleeping space, but there are not enough places to sit in it. Such models include roll-out sofas, clamshell sofas and accordion sofas.

You need to choose the right option, given a number of parameters: The main purposes of using the sofa, its location in the room, etc. After all, it will not be good if, in a disassembled state, he will end up abutting against other interior items, forcing you to perform acrobatic numbers each time to be in place.

Now the most popular are sofas with folding mechanism "book". Everything is simple and convenient here: the seat rises a little, and then moves forward, thereby opening a place for storing things, on which the back is lowered. As a result, a spacious berth is formed, and a minimum of time is wasted. The click-clack mechanism is an improved version of a sofa-book. Here, in addition to the position of the sofa and bed, there is also the opportunity to fix the backrest at an angle. Both of these mechanisms are suitable for regular transformation.

Roll-out sofas They can also be regularly used for sleeping: here, some part of the bed is hidden under the seat, and if necessary, it leaves. At the same time, the difference in height is compensated by pillows - a good option, but not the most convenient. There are a number of folding sofas with slightly different folding mechanisms: such products are more relevant to guests, since it takes a lot of time to prepare a berth, and linen boxes are often absent in it.

Many modern sofas can surprise with an additional set of options: for example, there are models that solve the problem of constant linen. In them, with the help of special clamps, bedclothes are fastened to the mattress, then all this can be folded and folded inside the sofa, and then laid out as soon as possible.

Appeared and modular sofas, which consist of several blocks that are not fixed to each other. That is why they can be interchanged and rearranged as many times as you want, getting almost any design. This diversity even compensates for the lack of storage space.

Attention to the manufacturer

If you choose a sofa bed designed for daily sleep, then pay attention to domestic models, as foreign sofasmainly relate to the type of guest, which, in most cases, are equipped with transformation mechanisms not designed for daily folding. The only exceptions are those that are specifically designed for our market. But anyway, in any case, you need to ask the seller again or look at the data sheet to make sure that the sofa is designed for constant sleep.