What wall does a Murphy bed need?
The short answer
A Murphy bed needs solid framing behind it: wood studs, metal studs or a masonry wall, each with the right fasteners. Drywall or plaster alone will never hold one, whatever anchor you use.
- When the bed comes down it pulls the cabinet toward you. Only the screws into the framing hold it back.
- Wood studs take our wall screws, two to a stud, one high and one low.
- Metal studs take toggle bolts, and concrete, block or brick take masonry screws.
- Drywall or plaster alone will not hold a Murphy bed. No framing where the cabinet stands means stop and call us.
- Never open the bed until the cabinet is screwed to the wall.
Why the wall matters
A Murphy bed is a cabinet with a bed hinged inside it. When the bed comes down, it pulls the cabinet toward you. The only thing holding the cabinet back is the screws through its top rail into the framing of your wall. That is why the wall matters more than anything else about where the bed goes.
Before you order, find out what is behind the drywall where the cabinet will stand. A stud finder will tell you in a few minutes.
Wood studs (most homes)
Most homes are framed with wood studs, usually 16″ apart. They are what our wall screws are made for. In the assembly guide’s wall step you:
- find the center of each stud behind the cabinet and mark it on the rail;
- drill a pilot hole through the rail into each stud, two to a stud, one high and one low;
- drive our wall screws until they pull the rail tight to the wall.
Never fewer than two screws in each stud the cabinet crosses. A side cabinet is fixed the same way, through its hang rail at the top back.
Metal studs
Some walls are framed with steel studs instead of wood. Our wall screws are for wood, so in steel studs you use toggle bolts from any hardware store instead. The bolt goes through the rail, its wings go through the stud and spring open behind it, and tightening pulls the rail against the wall. The guide gives the bolt size and the hole to drill.
Concrete, block or brick
A concrete, block or brick wall takes masonry screws: you drill through the rail, then into the wall with a masonry bit, and drive the screws. Again, the guide gives the sizes.
Drywall and plaster alone
The same goes for a side cabinet. A tall cabinet full of books with a drawer open can tip, so it is screwed to the wall before it is used.
Plumb, level and the baseboard
Before the screws go in, the cabinet is pushed back against the wall, top and bottom touching, and checked with a level against a cabinet side. If the top leans away from the wall, the floor or the baseboard is in the way. Sort that out first, not after the screws are in.
Baseboard is the usual culprit. Usually it comes off where the cabinet stands and goes back up to the outside of each cabinet side afterwards. If yours can’t come off, tell us before you order and we’ll go through it with you.
Once it is screwed in, pull hard on the top of the cabinet. It should not move at all.
Tell us before you order
If your wall is plaster, masonry, or has wiring or pipes where the cabinet will hang, tell us before you order. If we are installing it, our crew needs to know before install day, and we won’t install where we can’t find solid framing to anchor to. Our delivery and installation policy sets that out.
If you are putting it together yourself, the assembly guide for your bed or cabinet has the wall step in full, with drawings.
Questions we get
Can a Murphy bed go on a drywall-only wall?
No. Drywall or plaster alone will not hold a Murphy bed, whatever anchor you use. The cabinet has to be screwed into the wall’s framing.
Can I put a Murphy bed on a brick or concrete wall?
Yes. Concrete, block and brick take masonry screws through the cabinet’s rail. The assembly guide gives the sizes and the drill bit.
My home has metal studs. Will it work?
Yes, with toggle bolts from any hardware store instead of our wall screws, which are made for wood. The assembly guide shows how.
Do I really need to fix it to the wall before I try the bed?
Yes, every time. An unanchored cabinet tips forward when the bed comes down. Screw it to the studs before the bed is ever opened.
Ready to plan yours?
Every bed is priced live on its page, built to the measurements you give us.
