Futon Questions

Recently I had came across a question on Yahoo asking about how to select specific futons. I figured a lot of people are wondering about the same issue, so I am merely re-posting the Q&A here.

Question:

I HAVE A FUTON QUESTION FOR FUTON OWNERS! 10 points easy!?

I'm trying to buy a futon for this room I want to make into a living room in my basement and I need a futon because a normal couch wouldn't be able to fit through the door way to the basement its probably 2 feet wide so yeah but everywhere i look you have to buy the frame and mattress seperate. Is that the way it is everywhere? Because if it is then that sucks. If anyone knows or could recommend a futon to me thanks and the store where you bought it from!

Answer:

I think what you mean is you have the option to buy them separately, correct? Thing with futon is that the frame and the mattress can be purchased separately so you are able to customize to your liking. That way, it prevents customers from purchasing a set with a particular design not to their liking thus shying away from the decision. Most futon stores will sell BOTH futon frames, and mattress, even if they do sell them separately. It just makes more sense to carry both. The thing is, the futon mattress of one store, may differ from the next.

If you are purchasing a futon you have to consider these things...
What is it mainly used for? Is it a guest room? Is it for yourself? Is it mainly used as a couch for you to sit on? A lounger for you to relax in and watch TV/read books? Or it is mainly used as a bed? Or all of the above?

For a guestroom, you'll want to get a Bi-Fold Design (tell the sales if you're going to a store, otherwise look up "Bi-Fold" to find images and you'll know what I mean). It's very easy to operate to switch from the couch position to a bed position. More than likely you'll want a futon mattress of 8" or more on a bi-fold. Due to that it's very easy to operate, if you want something that you'll sleep on and sit on on a daily basis, get the bi-fold.

For something you mainly want to lounge in, get a bi-fold with a pull-out option.

For something where you want the most amount of sleep space, yet small enough to not take much room as a couch, get a tri-fold design (again, look up for images). These are typically called the A-Frames since as an upright position, the side view draws the shape of a capitalized A. Usually available with 3 settings, the upright, lounge, and bed positions. Very versatile, yet a bit harder to operate. In addition, the size (thickness) of your futon is limited on a tri-fold. You have the option to either get a 2-piece futon (2 smaller sized futon compared to the standard) in order to operate all 3 functions of the frame, OR you can get a thinner futon. The usual standard size futon for the tri-fold is up to 6" thick.

You can find a lot of futon selections online, but if you would like to try-out the futons before your purchase, I'd suggest finding a store near you by google (just type in keyword futon store and your zip code). You can also visit my website and I can direct you to a retailer nearest you!

Good luck in your search!

Hope this helps!

I am sorry if there was any misspelling or grammatical errors.