Futons are an amazing choice for a guest bed especially if you don’t have much space for a spare room. Using a futon for a spare bed not only gives you the option to comfortably house any guests, friends, or family but when you aren’t entertaining anyone you can use that room for another living room.
A futon is basically a couch that can fold out very simply and easily into a bed. When the futon is folded up it acts exactly as a couch, however, when the futon is folded down it becomes a mattress and acts as a sleeping space.
Similar to a mattress, the futon will come in all different types of thicknesses to allow personal preference, the futon also comes in all mattress sizes so you can choose how large you would like your futon to be.
Having a futon for a guest room is perfect, mainly because you do not have to have a specific room just to house a guest bed. You’re probably going to have more time in your home without guests staying over than you are with guests staying over, so it is important to have a room for yourself that guests could sleep in if needed.
With a futon in a guest room, the majority of the time the futon will be in its couch mode. This saves up a lot of space and the room could even be used as a second living room or a study. It is however important to get a futon that is comfortable as a couch.
Most futons come with a firmer mattress than sofa beds or regular beds because the same mattress that is used for a futon as a bed is also used for the futon as a couch.
A softer and squishier mattress would be difficult to sit on like a couch as you would just sink back into the futon. A softer mattress would also inhibit users as small children or the elderly wouldn’t be able to comfortably sit and stand on a futon.
Because of the way a futon folds, there is almost always an acute angle while the futon is in its couch mode, with the bottom of the couch angling upwards.
This shouldn’t be too noticeable or uncomfortable for the average user but this angle can sometimes mean that you’ll sink into the back of the futon.
This again would make it harder for people who find it difficult to stand up and sit down to use the futon. To make the futon a little more comfortable in its couch position, we recommend buying a few pillows that can line the back of the futon, this will push the person sitting toward the edge of the futon and help them to sit up and down as they won’t fall into the crevice of the futon.
Are Futons Good For Guest Beds?
Absolutely, as well as the obvious space-saving qualities that a futon has they can be very comfortable for guests as beds too. When a futon is in its bed mode there aren’t many differences between a futon and a normal bed with a mattress.
As mentioned previously, the futon does come in all mattress sizes and you can choose the thickness of the futon as you would be able to with a mattress. Much like a bed, however, the comfort of the futon does heavily rely on the quality of the futon, an unsupported futon can be quite uncomfortable to sleep on for long periods of time.
If you are having guests over very infrequently then you may think that this isn’t that important and go for a cheaper, lower quality futon, this could be a good idea if you aren’t going to use the futon as a couch often.
If you are going to use the futon as a couch often or you are planning on having guests stay over frequently then I do suggest you get a well-made high-quality futon.
For a high-quality futon, you will have to spend over $300, this is around the lowest price you would have to pay for a high-quality mattress also. It is important to know the structure of the futon and if it would be able to support and distribute weight properly.
For example, cheaper futons will use materials such as plywood and steel bars that allow the mattress to sink in-between them over time and become uncomfortable for the person sleeping on the futon.
More high-quality futons will use either a Flexi slat structure that allows the distribution of weight or having springs and coils much like a normal mattress that does the same.
If you are planning on buying a cheaper futon as you don’t have guests stay over too frequently and will not be using the futon as a couch day to day, then there are a few helpful tips to making your futon a little more comfortable to sleep on when you do have guests over.
The first is to use a mattress topper, futons can be quite firm as they need to be used as seats as well as beds, and only the high-end futons will come with a semi-soft or memory foam base as standard, so a mattress topper will provide a much softer surface for your guest to sleep on.
If you have a futon with a plywood base or any other type of wood derivative and your mattress starts to sink or the plywood starts to bend, then you can add larger pieces of plywood to the base of your mattress, supporting the weight a little better than the plywood slats.
Because of the dual nature of the futon, as a bed it can be very firm, so make sure to check with your guests’ whether they enjoy sleeping on firm surfaces and if they do not, it is always handy to keep some extra blankets and pillows around just in case.
