Sofa bed- any tips and where to find affordable one

[RememberBeKindWithKaren]

Hope I'm posting in the correct place.

I think we should get a sofa bed, before Christmas. It would need to be big enough for 2 people to sleep in. Happy to get it second hand if necessary. ( Might not be keeping it for too long). Needs to be pretty comfy as a sofa. Will keep the current sofa & armchairs if we have enough room for a smallish sofabed as well.

Do you have any tips on how to tell whether it would be comfortable? Any other really important features?

Where could I look? We don't have access to a van for pickup so needs to be delivered.
Many thanks

Look for the one with the thickest mattress. Many sofabed mattresses are 10 or 11cm thick which is not very comfy.

Think these are supposed to be good and have an 18cm mattress which is very good! But definitely not the cheapest. Some do pop up second hand, but you’d need to sort delivery.

Look at click clack or flic flac sofa beds ok for couple nights eg Buy Argos Home Duo Fabric 2 Seater Clic Clac Sofa Bed - Charcoal | Sofa beds | Argos https://share.google/WFgoLVzVmGX1dXXlH

For comfort for your guests get something like this
Innovation Living Cubed 160 Sofa Bed, Twist Granite 565 https://share.google/wd1mvZ460qIWJHIKy

Just thinking, if it is likely to be temporary then why not an airbed or similar?

Yeh like this
Bestway Fortech Air Bed | Dreams share.google/YZcGPzV9vlu1AejFL

@minipie hi, yes it is generally just for temporary use and we have got an airbed that should be comfy - it's quite deep and a double. I just never get a good nights sleep on them . It would be needed by either my son plus girlfriend or my daughter plus boyfriend and they have always been ok if they've needed to sleep on an Airbed it's just I feel that's a bit miserable over Christmas..

Not 100% sure how I'd convince my husband so far mind you.

@cestlavielife cheers, yes we do have one like that already and nobody has complained..I just know that I've never found it that comfy..

i would look at FB marketplace. We got a double fold up bed for free this summer and with a mattress topper as well it was really comfortable. If you are going to have it for short stays second hand would be a good choice.

DD has this one and it's very comfortable, you can get a topper to go with it too. The mechanism is very clever, it just pulls out easily and is sturdy and comfy, not rickety like some

FRIHETEN / KLAGSHAMN corner sofa-bed with storage, Faringe brown-orange - IKEA UK

Ooh, thanks for those . They look really promising 👍

The problem with sofa beds is that cheap and comfortable don’t go together.

Also you won’t get small and comfortable for 2 adults either. Small ones are usually comparable to a 4ft bed. Large ones that equate to a proper double or bigger have a larger footprint.

You probably are better off with a really good full height air bed rather than a cheap sofa bed. Or you have to expect to
spend £1400+ on a good one which is only worth it if it gets plenty of use.

Relative of mine has a lovely one, but it was £1800 which is just too rich for me.

You could look on gumtree or freegle/freecycle, you might get a decent one. Personally I have ikea ones that say suitable for regular use, or occasional use if you’re going for lower spec. They are fairly easy to transport (check dimensions of packages) and take apart, always seem to be popular on gumtree eBay so can be resold. Good selection of different types.

One thing that helped us filter quickly was ignoring most of them and just looking at mattress depth.
A lot sit around the 10–11cm mark which is fine for the odd night, but not great beyond that.
The ones that felt more like an actual bed tended to be noticeably thicker 18cm and just more solid overall.

This from IKEA is an excellent sofabed in that is a proper double bed that is suitable for more than occasional use. It’s also compact when not in use though it’s not that comfortable as a sofa. You can usually find them on Marketplace or eBay and you can also buy covers to match your decor:

Hej,
Check out this LYCKSELE LÖVÅS from IKEA.
https://applink.ikea.com/tY8M9r9M4w--19387006--gb--en

An alternative solution is a daybed which again is as comfortable as a real bed and can be dressed as a sofa when not in use.

Hej,
Check out this HEMNES from IKEA.
applink.ikea.com/tY8M9r9M4w--49521503--gb--en