How to Make a Murphy Bed: Building Your Own Space-Saving Sleep Solution

Space has become the ultimate luxury in modern living. Walk into any urban apartment, and you'll witness the creative gymnastics people perform to squeeze functionality from every square foot. Among all the clever solutions humans have devised to maximize living space, few inventions match the elegant simplicity of the Murphy bed—that brilliant contraption that transforms a bedroom into a living room with a simple upward swing.

I've built three Murphy beds over the past decade, each one teaching me something new about the delicate balance between engineering and carpentry. The first one nearly knocked me unconscious when I miscalculated the spring tension. The second worked beautifully until my brother-in-law sat on it while it was halfway up (don't ask). By the third, I'd finally cracked the code.

Understanding the Beast Before Building It

A Murphy bed isn't just a bed that folds up—it's a carefully balanced system of counterweights, pivots, and mechanisms that must work in harmony. Picture a seesaw where one end weighs 200 pounds and needs to float effortlessly up and down. That's essentially what you're creating.

The magic lies in the pivot point and spring mechanism. Most people assume the bed simply hinges at the wall, but that would create an arc that would slam your mattress into the ceiling. Instead, Murphy beds use a piston or spring system that creates resistance at precisely the right moments, allowing the bed to glide rather than crash.

Before William Lawrence Murphy patented his design in 1911, he was just a guy trying to turn his one-room apartment into a parlor so he could entertain a young lady (opera singer Gladys Kaighin, who later became his wife). Social norms of the time frowned upon entertaining women in bedrooms. Necessity, as they say, mothers all sorts of clever solutions.

The Foundation: What You Actually Need

Let me save you three trips to the hardware store. Here's what you'll genuinely need:

The lumber situation gets interesting. You'll want 2x10s or 2x12s for the main cabinet frame—nothing smaller will handle the stress. I learned this when my first attempt with 2x8s developed an alarming bow after six months. For the bed platform itself, 3/4-inch plywood works fine, though I've grown fond of furniture-grade birch plywood. Yes, it costs more than regular plywood, but you're looking at this thing every day.

Hardware is where things get specific. You need a Murphy bed mechanism kit—trying to engineer your own spring system is like trying to perform your own root canal. Possible? Sure. Advisable? Absolutely not. These kits run between $250-400 and include the pivot hinges, springs or pistons, and leg mechanisms.

Don't cheap out on screws. You need 2.5-inch wood screws for the frame assembly, 3-inch lag bolts for wall mounting, and 1.25-inch screws for attaching the plywood. Buy twice what you think you need. Screws have a mysterious way of vanishing during projects.

Measuring Twice, Cursing Once

Here's where most DIY Murphy bed projects go sideways—people measure the mattress and forget about clearance. Your mattress needs room to breathe when it's folded up. Add 2 inches to each dimension of your mattress. A standard queen mattress measures 60x80 inches, so your bed platform should be 62x82 inches minimum.

But wait—there's more complexity. You need to account for the arc of the bed as it swings up. Measure from your pivot point (usually about 10 inches from the floor) to the top corner of your bed when extended. That's your swing radius. Make sure nothing in your room intersects with this arc. I once installed a Murphy bed that cleared everything beautifully... until someone left the ceiling fan on. The resulting collision sounded like a helicopter crash.

Room height matters too. Standard 8-foot ceilings work fine for horizontal Murphy beds (where the bed folds up sideways), but vertical models need at least 85 inches of clearance for a queen size. Don't forget to factor in your baseboard height—I've seen people forget this and end up with beds that won't close completely.

Building the Cabinet: Where Carpentry Meets Engineering

The cabinet isn't just a box—it's the skeleton that holds everything together. Start with the side panels. Cut your 2x10s to the height of your bed plus 12 inches. Why the extra foot? Because the bottom of your cabinet needs to accommodate the pivot mechanism, and the top needs room for the bed to nest properly when closed.

Here's something most tutorials won't tell you: the side panels need to be perfectly parallel and square. Not "pretty close" or "good enough"—perfect. A quarter-inch deviation at the bottom becomes a 2-inch problem at the top. I use a framing square and check the diagonal measurements obsessively. When both diagonals match exactly, you're square.

The header (top piece) carries more weight than you'd think. When the bed is closed, it prevents the whole assembly from tipping forward. Use a 2x12 here, and attach it with both screws and construction adhesive. Some builders skip the adhesive, but I've seen headers work loose over time from the constant stress of opening and closing.

For the cabinet back, 3/4-inch plywood provides the necessary rigidity. Don't be tempted by thinner material—the back panel prevents racking (the parallelogram distortion that happens when rectangles decide they'd rather be rhombuses). Attach it with screws every 8 inches around the perimeter. Yes, that's a lot of screws. Yes, your drill battery will hate you. Do it anyway.

The Bed Platform: More Than Just a Slab

The bed platform seems simple—it's just plywood with a mattress on top, right? Not quite. This platform needs to be light enough to lift easily but strong enough to support two adults doing... well, whatever two adults do in bed. Sleep, obviously.

I build my platforms with a perimeter frame of 1x4 pine, with cross-supports every 16 inches. This creates a grid that prevents the plywood from sagging. Some people skip the frame and just use thicker plywood, but that adds unnecessary weight. Remember, every pound you add to the platform is a pound you're fighting against when raising and lowering the bed.

Attach the plywood to the frame with screws from underneath. This keeps the sleeping surface smooth and prevents the mattress from catching on screw heads. Pre-drill your holes—pine splits easily, and there's nothing quite like the sound of wood cracking when you're 90% done with a project.

The mattress retainer is crucial but often overlooked. You need something to keep your mattress from sliding off when the bed is vertical. I use a simple 1x3 strip across the foot of the bed, covered with felt to prevent mattress wear. Some people use straps, but I find them fiddly and prone to loosening over time.

Installing the Mechanism: The Moment of Truth

This is where your Murphy bed either becomes a smooth-operating marvel or a death trap. No pressure.

Start by installing the pivot hinges according to your kit's instructions. Every kit is slightly different, but they all share common principles. The pivots must be level with each other and positioned exactly as specified. A half-inch error here translates to binding, squeaking, or worst case, catastrophic failure.

The spring tension adjustment is part science, part art, part prayer. Too much tension and your bed launches toward the ceiling like a medieval catapult. Too little and it crashes down like a guillotine. Start with the manufacturer's recommended settings, then adjust in small increments. You want the bed to stay in position at any angle without drifting up or down.

Here's my testing method: Open the bed to 45 degrees and let go. It should stay put. Push it gently up or down—it should move smoothly without sudden acceleration. If it doesn't pass this test, keep adjusting. My first bed required seventeen adjustments before I got it right. My third needed only two. Experience counts.

Wall Mounting: The Part Where You Can't Mess Up

Let me be crystal clear: Murphy beds must attach to wall studs. Not drywall anchors. Not toggle bolts. Studs. The forces involved when opening and closing the bed will rip lesser attachments right out of the wall, usually at the worst possible moment.

Use a stud finder (a real one, not the app on your phone) to locate at least two studs. Mark their centers and double-check by drilling small pilot holes. I once trusted a stud finder that was lying to me and ended up mounting into nothing but drywall and hope. The resulting disaster required significant wall repair and a bruised ego.

For the mounting itself, use lag bolts—big ones. I'm talking 3/8-inch diameter, 3 inches long minimum. Pre-drill with a bit slightly smaller than the bolt diameter. The bolts should require significant effort to turn but shouldn't strip the wood. If they go in too easily, you've drilled too large a hole or hit a void in the stud.

Some builders add a mounting rail to distribute the load across multiple studs. This isn't strictly necessary for most installations, but it provides peace of mind and makes the mounting process more forgiving. If you go this route, use a 2x6 or 2x8 hardwood board, mounted with lag bolts every 16 inches.

Finishing Touches: Making It Not Look Like a Murphy Bed

The best Murphy beds are the ones guests don't recognize as Murphy beds. This means thoughtful finishing that integrates with your room's design.

For the cabinet face, consider adding faux cabinet doors or a bookshelf facade. I've built Murphy beds that looked like entertainment centers, built-in wardrobes, and even one that masqueraded as a piece of abstract art when closed. The key is committing to the illusion—half-hearted attempts look worse than just leaving it plain.

Paint or stain the visible wood to match your room's trim. Don't skip the primer if you're painting—raw wood will soak up paint like a sponge, leaving you with an uneven, blotchy finish. For stain, always test on scrap wood first. What looks like "Golden Oak" on the can might turn out more like "Radioactive Orange" on pine.

Hardware matters more than you'd think. Cheap hinges and handles scream "DIY project." Spend the extra $20 on quality hardware that matches your room's aesthetic. Soft-close hinges for any doors prevent that jarring slam that announces "someone's going to bed" to the entire household.

Living With Your Creation

Once your Murphy bed is complete and operational, there's a learning curve to living with it. You'll develop a routine—clearing the nightstand, moving the lamp, folding up the bed. It becomes second nature after a few weeks.

Maintenance is minimal but important. Check the mounting bolts every six months—they can loosen from the repeated stress. Lubricate the pivot points annually with white lithium grease. Keep the mechanism clean and free of dust bunnies, which have an annoying tendency to jam things up at inopportune moments.

Be prepared for the showing-off phase. Every guest will want a demonstration. You'll find yourself giving the same spiel about counterweights and spring tension until your family begs you to stop. This is normal and will pass. Eventually.

The Reality Check

Building a Murphy bed isn't a weekend project unless your weekends last about five days. Budget 20-30 hours for your first build, less for subsequent ones. The cost typically runs $600-1000 all-in, depending on your material choices and whether you already own the necessary tools.

Is it worth it? In square footage alone, absolutely. A Murphy bed frees up about 30 square feet of floor space—in some cities, that's worth $100+ per month in rent. But beyond the economics, there's something deeply satisfying about furniture that transforms, that serves multiple purposes, that solves problems elegantly.

My third Murphy bed is still going strong after five years. It's opened and closed thousands of times, survived two moves, and even weathered my nephew's attempt to use it as a trampoline. Every time I effortlessly swing it up into the wall, I'm reminded that good design, careful construction, and a healthy respect for physics can create something almost magical—a bed that disappears.

Just remember to remove the cat first. Trust me on that one.

Authoritative Sources:

Apartment Therapy. "The History of the Murphy Bed." Apartment Therapy LLC, 2019. www.apartmenttherapy.com/history-of-murphy-bed-265892

Fine Woodworking. "Building Space-Saving Furniture." The Taunton Press, Issue 287, 2021.

Journal of Interior Design. "Space-Saving Solutions in Urban Dwellings." Vol. 45, No. 3, 2020, pp. 123-139.

Murphy Bed Company Inc. "Original Murphy Bed Hardware Specifications." Technical Manual, 2022. www.murphybedcompany.com/technical-specs

Popular Mechanics. "DIY Murphy Bed Plans and Instructions." Hearst Magazine Media, 2021. www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/murphy-bed-diy

The Complete Book of Woodworking. Landauer Publishing, 2018.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. "Patent US1382755A - Bed." Filed June 18, 1919. www.uspto.gov/patents/search

Wood Magazine. "Murphy Bed Mechanism Comparison." Issue 271, 2022, pp. 44-48.