Murphy Bed vs. Murphy’s Law

"Build a king-sized Murphy bed," they said. "It will be easy," they said.

Insert nervous laugh here.

This was the first time we built a Murphy bed this large. So, extra preparation was necessary. Remember last month when we highlighted critical thinking as an essential carpentry skill? It came in handy! That, and we kept Murphy’s Law in mind, too.

Murphy’s Law – the infamous adage that states if anything can go wrong, it will (and usually at the worst possible moment). Instead of letting that scare us, we used it to our advantage. So, if you’re thinking about tackling your own Murphy bed, here’s what you need to know before you find yourself questioning your life choices.

Size Matters You’re building a space-saving bed, but ironically, the first thing to check is... do you even have the space? Measure your room (twice). Consider what else will live there. Will it double as an office? A gym? A cat sanctuary? Also, think about clearance – nothing like pulling down a bed and realizing it slams into your bookshelf.

Material Guy (or Girl) Wood is heavy. MDF is heavy. Plywood? You guessed it—heavy. We love Tru-Pan Ultralight MDF for paint-grade projects, but since this is a bed (as in, it holds humans), make sure your materials are strong and practical. We used birch plywood for the bed cabinet and bed box, and hardwood poplar for cross supports.

The Right Stuff (a.k.a. The Hardware)

Not all Murphy bed kits are created equal. We went with Wilding Wallbeds (found it on Amazon), which allows the bed to be inset for a sleek look. Pro tip: Six springs per side work perfectly if you’re using plywood and hardwood. Once the mattress is in, the tension is just right – Goldilocks would approve.

Measure Twice, Panic Never Murphy bed instructions only come with specs for building the bed and not any custom features. For example, with the Wilding Wallbeds kit, we had only 1/16” of wiggle room on each side of the bed, 1” at the top, and ½” on the sides of the jam. Why does this matter? Because we were adding built-in cabinets and crown molding – precision is the difference between a chef’s kiss and DIY disaster.

Fit for a King-ish Buying the correct mattress size seems obvious, right? But here’s the deal: your mattress can only be as thick as the interior box of the Murphy bed. Not the entire structure. And don’t forget the bedding – unless you want to wrestle with sheets every time you close the bed. Measure twice. Shop once.

Trusty Transport If you build in a shop and transport, invest in a trailer that won’t make you hate your life. We swear by The SmartFold Trailer by Carry-On. It folds down on all four sides, making loading/unloading a breeze. Trust us, your back will thank you.

Installation (a.k.a. The Home Stretch) No matter how much prep you do, you’ll need a solid on-site toolkit. Be prepared for last-minute tweaks. Here are some of our favorite hardware, screws and nails and finishes, fillers and adhesives. Speaking of adhesives, if you haven’t tried Instantbond Adhesive, do it. It cures in 3-5 minutes solo or 3-5 seconds with the accelerator. Game changer. Especially for crown molding.

Final Thoughts?

Murphy’s Law may be undefeated, but with a little planning, a solid toolkit, and some strategic cursing, you can build a king-sized Murphy bed without losing your sanity. Probably.

Happy building!

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