What Are Fold Out Beds?

Sofa Bed

• A sofa bed is just what the name implies. By day, the sofa bed serves as a comfortable couch for the living room or den. At night, owners can pull a mattress out of the sofa and use it for an extra bed. A sofa bed can be a suitable choice for overnight guests or unexpected visitors, since you can still enjoy it as a couch during the day. Sofa beds do tend to be quite heavy, much more so than a traditional couch. This is of course due to the fact that they house a full size mattress. You will probably not want to move the sofa bed often, but once it is in place, it can do double duty as a couch and a bed.

Futon

• A futon can be an excellent alternative to the traditional sofa bed. Instead of a traditional metal frame and mattress, futons feature flexible cloth mattresses that fold out easily and provide a comfortable sleeping surface. In addition, some futons can be adjusted in many ways, from a totally flat bed to a traditional sofa to a reclined position. Futons tend to be lighter in weight than sofa beds, due to the construction and materials of the mattress and the frame.

Extra Bed

• If you host visitors at your home on a regular basis, a fold-out bed can be a wise investment. The great thing about a fold-out bed is that it can serve as a functional piece of furniture when you do not have guests. But when those guests arrive, you can easily turn that futon or couch into a comfortable sleeping place for your friends or relatives.

Comfort Level

• Choosing a fold-out bed can be a bit more complicated than shopping for a regular bed or a traditional sofa. When you shop for a fold-out bed, you need to look at the comfort level of both the bed and the traditional piece of furniture. You do not want to choose a pull-out bed with a comfortable mattress but an uncomfortable seating surface, just as you do not want to choose a comfortable couch with a terrible mattress. Shopping around and buying the highest quality sofa bed or futon you can afford is one way to ensure you get the best of both worlds.