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Porch bed - Porchbeds Question Forum

We've had questions sent to us about creating fun porch beds.  Here we share our answers with you. This first person wanted to use an antique metal bed frame for a porch bed. A great idea! Many folks might like to put a fun old iron bed out on their porch. You can just set them up on your porch without the troublesome task of hanging them.

Many other folks may have the same problem this client was having... how to defeat the rain and moisture problem and still end up with a fun dry place to take a nap out on your porch!

Question #1:  I am in search for a mattress and box spring for an antique iron full size bed frame. I see your mattresses and covers and they look just like what I am looking for. But with the 9" height, I still need a boxspring to elevate it. Any suggestions? It is going on a screened in porch.

Question #1 - Answer Option #1 You could make a wood box-frame like a box spring.

The actual top would have 2x4s running crosswise of the bed, wide flat side facing up. Good for support of mattress and allow water drainage at same time.

The sides could be made from exterior grade plywood. Bottom edge of plywood sides would need to have a 1x2 bracing along the bottom of frame and across entire width and inside height for bracing. Corners would also need to be blocked. Best if a carpenter could do this for you, unless you are a pretty handy DIY.

It would be much easier on construction if the corners were square. You'd have to make sure your bed frame would allow the square corners! Check your bed frame first with a big carpenter's square.

I suggest putting a vinyl mesh on the bottom side of our mattress cover to allow water drainage and ventilation. Shown on page-link below.

It would look better if we also shipped you some padding-dacron that you could staple onto the wood sides of the box. Gives a more finished feel and look, not flat like a pancake.

Then we could make a 2nd cover for your custom wooden base out of  the matching Sunbrella fabric used on the upper mattress cover. You now have the desired height with a finished look, and water repellancy.

Would suggest using the vinyl mesh on bottom of mattress and both the top & bottom of box frame cover. Sunbrella fabrics shed most of the water. But even using Sunbrella fabrics some water in heavy rain seeps into the covers or mattresses via the seams where products are sewn together. The mesh allows this excess water to drain completely out through the bottom, allowing the mattress and cover to dry out.

Porches vary to the overhang... which directly relates to just how much water your porch might get in a rain accompained by wind. Allowing the mattress to breathe and drain - best!

Question #1 - Answer Option #2   With the white Jenny Len bed shown on the page below, the 9" mattress was sitting directly on the slats. Jenny Len Porchbed<LINK

So maybe you can totally eliminate the lower box spring. Depends on your bed frame. If you only need to go up a few more inches for the mattress height this might be another solution for you.

Our mattresses are custom cut for the client. Custom cut mattress width, length and height.

Because of the extra depth it will increase the cost of both mattress and mattress cover if this option would work for you. Would give a nice clean look! Our mattresses have nice support, a real cushy feel but yet retains enough firmness without the box spring to do this. Although would suggest with this option you use extra support slats underneath the mattress.

When we delivered this mattress locally near us... I noticed the mattress was cupping when we put it on the bed frame - look at photo above-link. I realized the slats on their bed were only a single one-by thickness of wood. Which did not bring the height of the wood slat up level with the actual side of the metal rail where the slats sit. That was causing the bowed or cupping effect shown in the photo. It was only a slight cupping effect, but would have gotten worse over time.

I had the client's carpenter's add another one-by on top of their slats bringing the height of the slat up to the height of the metal rail the slats sat on. So now the mattress lies on the slats evenly across the bed and does not cup as shown in the photo on the page above.

More tips: I would also want to clear coat the metal bedframe to help retard any problems with the metal rusting before the fact. Easier to address things like this going into a project, rather than later. Check with a Home Center or Paint Company for good clear coat.

Hope our new Question Forum helps you create fun outdoor projects in your world!   Geoff