Expert: Mark H. Miller - 7/1/2005

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Which is better to buy--a sofa bed or a futon?I need a spare bed for occassional use and space is limited.  thanks
Answer -
Hi,

Great question !   I vote for neither.  I also live in a small space and bought one of those blowup beds from Overstock.com  it's great and takes even less room than a futon in my closet.  My blowup bed is the same height as a regular bed and the firmness can be adjusted.

If I have to choose between a sofa-bed and a futon the futon wins hands down.  Only disadvantage of the futon is that it's a little harder to get down to for someone who is not in the best shape,  and some people don't like sleeping on the floor.

So why didn't I vote for the hide-a-bed?

Because most sofa beds are neither a good bed nor a good sofa.  The mattress tends to be a thin flimsy pad that looks somewhat like a mattress and then all resemblance ends there.  When the mechanism is open it's usually a cloth base that doesn't support the weight of the mattress with people on it.  Lord help you if someone sits on the edge of the frame to tie their shoes, they are likely to bend it and then it won't close.

As a sofa the seating is often hard and uncomfortable, remember when a sofa-bed is a sofa one sits on a folded mattress pad with cushions on top of it, also they take up more space than a regular sofa.

If you don't want your guests to stay long put them on a sofa bed.  

When I visit my friend in New York who has a sofa bed I take the mattress out and put it on the floor in front of the sofa, that way I can sleep.

I hope this helps,  please don't hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.

Mark Miller.

Wow, talk about a fast answer--you replied in less than 2 hours.
If I go with a futon ( I can use the extra seating) what should I look for?
I'm from central Canada we don't have the variety in stores as the US.--what kind of wood etc?  Thanks again.  

Answer
Hi,  A futon the way I understand it is a folded plad and usually doesn't have a frame,  so I can't give you any pointers on that.  I can tell you this though, when buying furniture and comparing A v.s. B and one doesn't know which is better then judge it by it's weight,  the heavier in weight a piece of furniture, the better the quality.

I hope this helps.

Mark Miller.