A Murphy bed, or wall bed, allows the bed to fold up against the wall when not in use, allowing you to maximize the space of your bedroom while saving floor space that can be used by other furniture items. It’s an easy project to build at home if you’re comfortable with basic carpentry skills, as well as some power tools like a saw and drill/driver. If you want to see how it’s done, just follow these step-by-step instructions on how to build a hinge for a murphy bed.
Measure The Bed
Measure the height and width of the wall you plan on attaching your hinge to. In this case, it’s 36×81. Determine which side of the wall you’ll need your hinges. If the Murphy Bed will be in front of a window, then plan to put your hinges on the opposite side of the wall.
You can place your hinges 18 away from either side or about 6 apart in between. Once you’ve measured and figured out where you want your hinges, attach screws at each corner before drilling into the drywall.
Cut And Drill The Wood
Take one piece of the 2×4 and clamp it in your vice. You will need to drill two holes, so drill two 5/8 holes as far from each other as possible on one end of the 2×4. On the other end, you will need to cut the board about 3-5 inches long depending on how tall you want your door (see Step 1). After cutting, you will drill another hole into that end of the board.
The hole drilled into the 3-5 inch section should be just barely wider than your hinges but not as wide as a gap. When drilling this side, put clamps around it so they hold down firmly while drilling.
Assemble The Hinge
To assemble the Murphy Bed Hinge, you’ll need: two boards measuring at least one foot in width and as long as your mattress is high, two hinges that are appropriate for the boards, and a drill bit size to match your screws. The process of assembling the Murphy Bed Hinge takes about 15 minutes and should be very simple.
Lay down one board with its surface facing up, then place another board on top so that the edges line up flush with each other (do not worry about holes). This step is often easier if you have a friend hold the boards in place while you drill or hammer them together; this person will also help by lifting off the top board if necessary when attaching hinges.
Attach It To The Bed Frame
Drill two more screws into the top of the bed frame, one on each side of the opening. Make sure you go through both pieces of wood and make sure that your hinges are facing up. The hinges should now be supported in place by four screws, two at the top and two on the side.
It’s not necessary but you can use wood glue to reinforce these last two screws, though it is not necessary. Now that your hinges are attached you can use them with any other part of your Murphy Bed Frame!
Make An Inexpensive Murphy Bed
you can make your own Murphy Bed. To start, you’ll need the following:
- twin mattress (or whichever size mattress you desire)
- twin size flat sheet
- wooden dowel, approximately 1/2 inch in diameter and 12 inches long (you can find them at the hardware store) – these are often called curtain rods or curtain poles. the end of one dowel should be squared off to fit inside the other. You may also use an unused shower rod for this purpose, if it fits your dimensions.) For example, 3′ x 2′ dimensions would require two dowels each measuring 36 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter
How Do You Put Hinges On A Murphy Bed?
Murphy beds are a great space-saving option when you don’t have much room in your home. A lot of the time, these types of beds come with hinges so that they can easily be opened and closed. This is especially convenient when the bed is used as a sofa during the day. If you’re interested in installing hinges on your murphy bed but aren’t sure how to follow these steps!
