Advice on trundle beds?

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1

With our adult son out on his own, we want to update our guest room situation without spending a fortune, since we'll probably be downsizing in 5 years or so.

We have a 4 bedroom home - all BRs on the 2nd floor
1 master BT
1 large BR that serves as my husband's office for several businesses (computer, fax, files, etc.) with 2 closets for biz supplies and off-season clothes, I don't want to mess with this.
1 good sized BR that was our son's, that currently has a good quality full size bed and my keyboard/music files (I sing in some choirs and need a place to practice)
1 smaller BR that currently has a twin bed, a dresser and a tall bookshelf

I'm thinking of moving my son's full bed into the smaller room, and getting a trundle bed for his room that can open up into a king bed for guests. Putting guests in the double bed just isn't feasible, and it's not all that feasible when our son comes home with his girlfriend. And we have guests expected in the summer. So a smaller bed would work for most of the time, with a king option for special occasions. Friends had trundles for their daughters which were easily popped up into kings when we visited or even when the kids had a sleepover, and they seemed to work well.

So, have you done this? I see prices all over the place, and I'm looking for an easy-to-pop-up bed to use maybe 6 times a year (not every weekend!). I'm willing to buy mattresses separately (I assume that's how it's done although I wonder if some of the expensive sets include mattresses). Some trundles are sold as day beds which function as a couch mos of the time, but when we had a day bed in the past, it was a huge pain to make and for guests to get into. That's why I wonder if a basic twin bed would make sense, with a trundle option.

I think storage underneath might be useful for the pillows and blankets, so I wonder if that's a good option. Anything I need to know? Have you bought on line, from a furniture store, or what?

ETA: I understand what a day bed is. I saw some with drawers underneath the trundle part, but that made me think there was no hardware to pop up the trundle to be regular height, just a flat surface with drawers beneath. So I thought that might be good for a kid's room where the 2nd child (like a sleepover friend) sleeps on a lower level, but I know it's not appropriate for an adult.

2

Trundles can work, but a frequent problem is that the mattresses can be flimsy. And sometimes, storing bed linens underneath can be tricky, due to the various springs and mechanisms underneath. Linens can catch on those and rip.

I’d visit a mattress store and ask what options are available that include a more substantial and comfortable mattress.

We purchased a sleep sofa recently that included (for an extra cost, but it was worth it) a really comfortable mattress, not the typical sleep sofa mattress. My son slept on it, and he’s 6’3" and 190 pounds, and he said he slept well, and couldn’t feel the bars underneath the mattress.

Trundle beds have come a long way and are better quality now. But I’d still suggest seeing them in person to make sure they’re easy to use and to pull out.

We keep our sofa bed linens in a clear storage bin so that they’re all kept together and easy to access, and not likely to get mixed up with the rest of the household sheets and blankets.

3

A trundle bed doesn’t offer good storage under neath because the second mattress is there. There are some with storage but you really need to look and measure.

MANY of the trundle beds do NOT “pop up” they are just a second bed so you need to make sure the bed you purchase has the pop up. You might be thinking of a “DAY BED” vs a “trundle bed”.

https://foter.com/daybed-with-pop-up-trundle-wood

https://sleepcompare.com/best-trundle-bed-daybed/

If you are worried about space and storage? I would go with the “day bed” that has a pop up secondary.

4

I’m glad you asked this question. I’m in the market for a trundle day bed. I’m wondering if they are large enough to sleep adults?
I’m going to use it for grandkids but don’t want the beds to be too small as they get bigger. I guess they are regular twin bed size.

5

I had a trundle bed.
We never used the bottom as a bed (we never put a mattress in the bottom)- it was like a large drawer for storage - and anything larger than a twin would have made the drawer too large/heavy to handle.
You certainly had to be sure you had room to slide it open - my bedroom was tiny.
I guess a pop up trundle would work for you.
But anything that has a bed under it will not be having any storage space.

I always think motels are perfect for visitors/visiting - it’s less furniture for you to worry about plus they have their own space/bathroom, can sometimes have a pool or exercise room for them to use and can have down time when ever they want.

6

We have a trundle (typical) with a second twin bed under it that you pull out on castors. It’s in our teen’s room that doubles as a guest room for us as it has an attached bath.

I personally hate it -

1 - no one likes sleeping on a bed that low to the ground (it’s on the floor) and it’s a pain to lean over and make
2 - it gets dirty with kid sleeping on it above with slats so has to be thoroughly cleaned before each visit
3 - you have to remove the nightstand and cords (lamps) etc because it pulls out next to the regular bed. This is a pain in a room without a whole lot of room and means rearranging furniture.

I would never buy one again.

What you are asking about (I just wrote that above, in case anyone is interested in those) - my sister has. She has a trundle or daybed (?) that you pull out two twins and it makes a king because they lay side by side. The whole thing converts (you pull it out somehow) and it’s very comfortable and you’re at bed level.

She loves it. You can buy whatever quality mattress you want as did not come with it and hers does not scream ‘bed’. It’s in their office. It looks kind of beach house. She has pillows on it to go with their decor so kind of looks like couch. It doesn’t have a high headboard in other words.

The bottom has drawers that have the bedding. I would do that. It functions mainly as a really comfy couch for them most of the time. They lay on it and read too and her hubby naps in there. They are probably yours and your hubby’s age (kids have left the nest).

They use it several times a year for visitors. They don’t have a nightstand right next to it as it’s an office so it works.

  • Because it’s in an office, and no closet in there, the storage underneath - very helpful.
7

We have a trundle bed. I hate them but it has served it’s purpose. Better for teens or kids…not really adults. It does not offer any storage space underneath as that’s where the other mattress is stored. They are regular mattresses. I would rather have a queen bed. You might even be able to do a Murphy Bed that folds up into an amoire (esp if you can get a queen mattress). I think in this case I would just do a queen bed.

8

I think the most important thing to remember in a consideration like this is: focus on solving the “certain issue”.

Right now, you have ONE certain issue. Summer is just about two months away and you are expecting summer guests. You need to arrange whatever you think is the best sleeping area for them.

Do not bother wasting too much mental energy on “uncertain issues”, because you know what happens with uncertain issues? “Next thing you know…” (We can play that fill-in-the-blank game all day: “next thing you know, your son is engaged”, “next thing you know, your son is having a child or dating someone with a child or”…the list goes on.)

When are your next sleepover guests after the summer guests, Thanksgiving? Think step by step and don’t break your back acquiring furniture that might or might not be a good fit for the future uncertainties.

9

I suggest it may be possible to put a trundle under a stand alone double bed by putting the double bed on risers to give more room under the bed. Buy the trundle alone. Just an idea that I haven’t thought threw.

Updated

I suggest it may be possible to put a trundle under a stand alone double bed by putting the double bed on risers to give more room under the bed. Buy the trundle alone. Just an idea that I haven’t thought threw.

11

Debra S. - yes, the ones I have slept on a couple of times at friends houses are regular twin beds with regular mattresses, perfect for adults. When the 2nd bed is pulled out and raised up, it makes a king bed. My friends made them up with twin bottom sheets and then a king top sheet and blanket.