If you are buying a new sofa bed, you should know about the closing and opening of the sofa bed mechanism.
How Does Sofa Bed Mechanism Work? The sofa bed mechanism consists of the opening and closing of the sofa frame. To open it, unfold the mattress into three portions. A pair of legs slide down to support the sofa frame, then unfold the remaining bed. The closing of the mechanism is the opposite of the opening mechanism.
The mechanism involves opening and closing a sofa bed. It involves three opening mechanisms.
It depends upon the type of sofa bed you have in your room. The closing mechanism is similar in all types of sleeper sofa.
In this article, we will discuss all of the sofa bed mechanisms and their replacement guide.
It is a combination of both sofa and bed that serves as a bed and sofa at any time. When you want to sit, it works as a sofa and at night convert it into a bed for comfortable sleep.
People prefer sofa beds due to lack of space and, It is also very light on your budget as you will not have to spend thousand for purchasing separate furniture.
Opening mechanisms of sofa bed
Here is a brief description of all opening mechanisms of sofa beds
Pull out sofa bed
It is the most common type of sleeper sofa and is easy to set up. Its opening procedure consists of simple steps. Before opening, remove the cushion from the back of the sofa.
In most cases, these cushions are fixed with the sofa, pull them away, and set them aside. After removing back cushions, remove the top cushions from their respective place.
There will be a metal frame with a springs bed folded underneath the frame in three parts.
Pull out the metal frame outside by pulling the metal handle and unfold the bed frame by flipping its three foldings. During unfolding, two pairs of legs come down to support it.
This bed frame is more compact than other mechanisms and supports thinner matters. Mostly the mattress of the pull-out mechanism is 12 to 14cm thick.
Serie BL3 is the best example of a pull-out sofa bed mechanism. It consists of a high-quality cold-rolled steel tube frame and is ideal for both domestic and contract purposes.
Click-clack sofa bed mechanism
This mechanism is simple in operation and set up because no mattress and frames are present to pull out. A single entity serves as both sofa and bed.
You have to spread it in the forward direction to open it. The click-clack name is due to the sound it produces during the opening.
It consists of a metal or wooden frame with a single cushion. Some mechanisms have a handle or lever at the side of the bed.
Pull it to unlock the handle and pull the mattress forward until it produces a click sound. Fold it back to get a flat surface as a base.
It is very affordable, modern, and light in weight. Despite its lightweight, it can lift a higher weight than other mechanisms. But it has the drawback of having less space and its frame is not compact.
Futons are one of the best examples of the click-clack mechanism. In the tri-fold futon, the deck is present underneath and, it serves as a footrest and the rest serves as a headset and sleeper place.
Easy-open sofa bed
As the name suggests, it is a quicker opening mechanism than other types.
This mechanism eliminates the difficulty of removing the top cushion or box cushions from the mattress. The cushions are locked and stay in place after opening the frame.
It is also called the one move mechanism due to its fold bed frame. To turn the sofa into a bed, pull it from the back and keep pulling until you can not open it further. This mechanism mostly has a metal frame that makes it durable and lightweight.
It has a large surface area to accommodate many people at a time. Its opening takes only 5 to 10 seconds.
The frame can lift a thick sprung mattress and serve as a casual sleepover in your house. It is also a low-budget accessory for your room.
Drawer sofa bed mechanism
The metal frame is present in a drawer case with its legs folded inside. Just like opening a drawer in your cabin, pull it away from the couch.
The legs of the frame open and settle down to support the bed frame. In this type, the cushions also remain in their position and can fit both thick and thin mattresses. An extra seat at a side gives some space for sitting when the bed is open.
Electronic sofa bed
It is an advanced type of mechanism as it operates with the help of an electric button. It is best for people with difficulty in bending and lifting objects. Electric sofas work with buttons and switches to control their opening and closing.
Some electronic beds have two-button others operate with one button; after pressing the button front cushion slide in the forward direction to open the frame.
The top cushions slide back to serve as a headset and have additional cushions and seats. The bed frame consists of a wood or steel frame and a thicker mattress.
The closing mechanism of sofa bed
Closing the bed into a sofa is simple; it will take only 2 to 3 minutes. First, you should remove extra pillows and bed cover from the bed and place them aside. Start folding the bed frame from the end of it otherwise it can cause sagging in a leather sofa.
First, it will fold toward the middle portion of the bed. Then again, fold it toward the front end of the bed and fold the legs of the bed to fit in the bed frame.
Then push it to insert underneath the couch. Now it will serve as a sofa in the room. Place the sofa cushion at the backside of the sofas.
Sofa bed mechanism repair
A high-quality sleeper sofa lasts for approximately 10 to 15 years. As time flies, it can suffer from different issues. Here is a brief description of all the problems and tips to fix them.
Cracks in parts
Each mechanism has its capacity to lift the weight. When the load is more than its capacity, a crack appears at different parts. To look for splits, turn the sleeper sofa upside down.
Solution
When there are minor cracks, you can add any adhesive glue to repair them. Apply it with the help of any spatula on the respective areas.
On big cracks, apply plywood with glue on the damaged areas.
Corrosion of metal frame
The metal frame gets corrode due to humidity in the environment or any other external factors. The degradation causes the weakening of the structure and reduces its strength.
You can apply varnish or paint to it. The nuts and joints also get loose after some time. Tighten up all the nuts and bolts with the help of a screwdriver and replace missing nuts at their position
Replacement of sofa bed mattress
The mattress also starts to sag after prolonged use; replacing a sagging mattress is the best fix for this issue. To replace it, you should follow these steps. Measure the length and width of the bed frame.
You can use many measuring tapes for this purpose. Then you should measure the thickness of the matter. A standard mattress has 4 to 5 inches of thickness.
Buy any good quality matters of standard thickness from the market. Remove the old mattress from the frame, place the new one in its place, and fix it there.
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