What mattress works in a Murphy bed?
The short answer
Any standard mattress in the bed’s size, up to 12″ thick including any pillow top. No box spring: the bed has its own solid deck.
- Any standard mattress up to 12″ thick, including any pillow top.
- No box spring. The mattress lies on a solid plywood deck.
- A mattress isn’t included. Buy the standard size for the bed.
- The lift is set for the mattress on it. A much heavier or lighter one may need the balance adjusted.
The size: a standard mattress
A Murphy bed takes an ordinary mattress in its size. There’s nothing special to buy: the same Twin, Full, Queen or King you’d put on any bed.
| Bed | Mattress |
|---|---|
| Twin | 39″ × 75″ |
| Full | 54″ × 75″ |
| Queen | 60″ × 80″ |
| King | 76″ × 80″ |
A standard mattress in each size, the same in a vertical or a horizontal bed.
How thick: up to 12″
The bed takes a mattress up to 12″ thick, including any pillow top. Measure the whole thing, top to bottom, before you buy; a mattress sold as one thickness can be thicker with its top on.
Stay within it. The bed is built to close into its cabinet with a mattress up to that thickness on it.
No box spring, and no slats
Leave the box spring out. The mattress lies on the bed’s own solid deck of 1/4″ plywood: one panel on a Twin, two side by side on the larger sizes. There are no slats to rattle or work loose, and nothing between the mattress and the deck.
Which kind of mattress
Any standard mattress works, as long as it’s the bed’s size and within the thickness. Pick it the way you would for any bed: for whoever sleeps on it. A Murphy bed used every night deserves the mattress you’d want every night; see Can you sleep on a Murphy bed every night?
A mattress isn’t included with the bed, so you can choose your own or bring the one you have, if it’s the right size and thickness.
Weight and the balance
The bed is counterbalanced, so it lifts and lowers easily with one hand and stays put open or closed. That balance is set for the mattress it carries, so a mattress much heavier or lighter than you started with can change how the bed feels.
- Hard to pull down, or it wants to go back up: there’s too much lift for your mattress.
- It drops too fast, or it’s heavy to lift: there’s too little.
Both are adjusted on the bed itself, as the balance step of your bed’s assembly guide shows. Small turns make big differences: change a little at a time, keep both sides equal, and try the bed between each turn.
Try it with the mattress on
Once the mattress is on, open and close the bed three or four times. It should run smoothly and stop flush every time, with an even gap round the face when it’s shut. If the gap is wider on one side, push the bottom of the cabinet on the side with the narrowest gap until they match.
Anything else, or a bed that still won’t settle after a turn or two of the balance, call us at (423) 373-5566 before you change anything more.
Questions we get
Does a Murphy bed come with a mattress?
No. A mattress isn’t included. Buy a standard mattress in the bed’s size, or use the one you have if it fits.
Do I need a box spring?
No. The mattress lies on the bed’s own solid deck of 1/4″ plywood. There are no slats and no box spring.
Can I use a pillow-top mattress?
Yes, as long as the whole mattress, pillow top included, is no more than 12″ thick.
My new mattress makes the bed hard to pull down. What do I do?
The balance is set for the mattress it carries. Adjust it as the balance step in your bed’s assembly guide shows, a little at a time and both sides equal, or call us at (423) 373-5566.
Ready to plan yours?
Every bed is priced live on its page, built to the measurements you give us.
