How Long Do Murphy Beds Last? What Wears Out and When

Last updated October 2026 by the Forward Furniture team

A Murphy bed is a big purchase, so it is fair to ask how many years you will get from it. The honest answer is that there is no single number. The cabinet, the lift hardware and the mattress all age at different speeds.

This guide breaks the bed into its parts, shows which ones wear and when, and gives you real numbers from a gas spring maker and from our own product specs. Our wall beds start at $1,424.99 for the Heidi Twin, and you can compare every model in our Murphy bed collection.

In this guide

• How long does a Murphy bed last?
• Which parts wear out first?
• How long do the pistons last?
• Does cold affect a Murphy bed?
• Can you use one every day?
• Common Murphy bed problems
• How to make it last longer
• What warranty comes with it?
• Which models are built to last?
• Questions

How Long Does a Murphy Bed Last?

Think of a Murphy bed as three things bolted together: a cabinet, a lift system and a mattress. Each one has its own lifespan.

• The cabinet: lasts like a wardrobe or a dresser, as long as it stays dry, square and anchored.
• The steel frame: rarely wears out. Our vertical wall beds use a steel or reinforced frame rated to carry up to 1,000 lb including the mattress.
• The lift system: the gas pistons or springs. This is the part that slowly loses strength and is the usual reason a bed starts to feel heavy.
• The mattress: ages like any mattress, and it lives on a bed that tips up every day.

So the cabinet and frame can serve you for many years, while the pistons and the mattress are the parts you plan to replace along the way. A bed that is used for a few guests a year will wear far more slowly than one that is opened and closed every night.

Which Parts of a Murphy Bed Wear Out First?

Here is where the wear shows up, in rough order of what goes first, and what to do about it.

Our summary of the wear points on the wall beds we carry; read your own bed's manual for its parts.

Simplified diagram. Parts and their names vary by model; check the manual for your bed.

The good news is that the parts that wear are also the parts you can replace. A tired piston does not mean a new bed. That is very different from a sofa bed, where a worn mechanism is often the end of the piece. Our Murphy bed vs sofa bed guide compares the two.

How Long Do Murphy Bed Pistons Last?

Most of the wall beds we sell lift on a pair of gas pistons, one on each side. A gas piston is a sealed tube of pressurized gas that pushes the bed up so you only lift a small part of its weight.

One gas spring maker, SUSPA, publishes a general service life of 10,000 to 100,000 "double strokes" for its gas springs, depending on the type. One double stroke is one full push in and back out. Source: the SUSPA gas spring FAQ, read October 2026.

On a Murphy bed, one night of use (open, then close) is about one double stroke. Here is what that range works out to, as simple arithmetic.

Our arithmetic on the SUSPA service life range (10,000 to 100,000 double strokes). The pistons in your bed come from the bed's maker and may be rated differently, and time, heat and cold age the seals even when the bed is not used.

Read that table as a best case. The same maker explains that gas slowly escapes through the seals over time, and that springs cannot be opened and refilled, only replaced. In real life pistons tend to fade from age and conditions before they hit a stroke count, which is why a guest bed that is rarely used can still feel heavier after some years.

Mattress weight matters too. Pistons are sized for a weight range. Our vertical wall beds call for a mattress of 60 to 90 lb, and our horizontal Pur and Claremont beds call for 35 to 70 lb. A mattress outside that range makes the bed fight you, and it works the pistons harder.

Does Cold Affect a Murphy Bed in Canada?

Yes, a little. The SUSPA FAQ says gas spring force changes by about 3.5% for every 10 degrees Celsius, and lists an operating range of minus 30 to plus 80 degrees. In plain terms, a piston pushes less in a cold room.

• A room at 0 degrees instead of 20: about 7% less push, so the bed feels heavier to lift.
• An unheated cottage at minus 20: about 14% less push, and close to the bottom of the listed range.
• Next to a baseboard heater: more push, and steady heat ages the seals.

If your Murphy bed is going into a cottage, a basement suite or a garage loft, keep the room above freezing in winter if you can, and keep the cabinet away from heaters. These are the kinds of rooms where a horizontal bed with a lower closed height often fits best too.

Can You Use a Murphy Bed Every Day?

Yes. A quality wall bed is built for it. The Key West and the Pur both use flexible slats under your own mattress, and their product pages describe them as comfortable enough for every night. Daily use simply moves the pistons and the mattress closer to replacement sooner.

The bigger factor for nightly sleepers is the mattress. Pick one of the right thickness, so the bed still closes, and the right weight for the pistons. Our guide on whether Murphy beds need a special mattress lists sizes that fit.

What Are Common Murphy Bed Problems?

Most problems are simple to spot and most are fixable. These are the ones to know.

1. The bed drifts open or will not stay closed. The mattress may be too heavy or too thick, or a lock or catch is not engaged.
2. It is hard to pull down or slams down. The mattress weight is outside the range the pistons are sized for, or the pistons are tired.
3. Squeaks and creaks. Usually loose pivot bolts. Tighten them to the manual.
4. The cabinet moves. The wall anchor has loosened. Stop using the bed until it is fixed into studs again.
5. The mattress slides. The strap is loose or worn.

Safety comes first with the anchor. A vertical wall bed must be fixed to the wall, and our Heidi full and queen should go into at least two wood studs. Our guide to Murphy bed safety with toddlers covers which sizes to anchor and how to use one with kids in the house.

How Do You Make a Murphy Bed Last Longer?

A few habits add years to the hardware. None of them take more than a few minutes.

• Use a mattress inside the weight and thickness range on the product page.
• Open and close it with a steady hand. Do not let it drop or swing up on its own.
• Check the pivot bolts and the wall anchor once or twice a year.
• Keep the room dry and above freezing, and keep heaters away from the cabinet.
• Do not sit on the bed edge while it is half folded, and keep kids from swinging on it.
• Replace pistons in pairs, with parts that match your bed.

Installation matters as well. A bed that is hung square and anchored into studs on day one has less stress on every hinge for the rest of its life. If you are not sure about the wall, see our guide to Murphy bed installation costs in Canada.

What Warranty Comes With a Murphy Bed?

A warranty is a good clue to how long a maker expects a bed to hold up. Here is what applies to the beds we sell.

• Every wall bed: our store-wide 3-year warranty, as a minimum.
• The Olivia cabinet bed: a lifetime warranty on the cabinet, and the mattress comes with a manufacturer's warranty.
• Your own mattress: covered by its own maker's warranty, not the bed's.

The Olivia is a cabinet bed, not a wall bed: it has no wall anchor and it holds 750 lb. If a freestanding bed suits your room better, read how a cabinet bed works or our cabinet bed vs Murphy bed comparison.

Which Murphy Beds Are Built to Last?

Look at the frame, the weight rating and the mattress range. Here are the real numbers for the wall beds we carry.

Specs are the maker's spec on each product page; mattress range is weight and thickness (queen top end where sizes differ). Prices from our catalogue, read October 5, 2026.

Wall Beds and Cabinet Beds to Compare

Prices are read from our catalogue on the day this guide was updated.

Key West Murphy Wall Bed
From $2,328.99

Steel frame and flexible slats, built for nightly use.

Pur Murphy Wall Bed
From $2,328.99

Four finishes; mounts to both floor and wall.

Claremont Horizontal Wall Bed
From $2,119.99

Folds sideways for low or sloped ceilings.

Heidi Grey Horizontal Murphy Bed
From $1,424.99

Our lowest priced wall bed, in twin, full and queen.

Olivia Cabinet Bed
Preorder, charged in full at checkout: see the current price

Freestanding, holds 750 lb, lifetime warranty on the cabinet.

We keep the Olivia on our Kelowna and Calgary showroom floors, so you can open and close one yourself and feel how much effort the mechanism takes before you buy.

Murphy Bed Lifespan: Common Questions

Are Murphy beds durable?

A well built one is. The cabinet and steel frame can last many years; the parts that wear are the pistons, the hinge hardware and the mattress, and all of them can be replaced.

How do I know if my Murphy bed pistons are worn out?

The bed feels heavier to lift, it drops faster than it used to, or it will not stay up. Check the mattress weight first, then replace the pistons as a pair with parts that match your bed.

Can Murphy bed pistons be refilled?

Not usually. The SUSPA gas spring FAQ says its springs are sealed so they cannot be opened without destroying them, so a worn piston is replaced rather than refilled.

Is a Murphy bed a good choice for a cottage?

It can be. Gas pistons push less in the cold, so keep the room above freezing in winter if you can, and anchor the bed into studs.

What is the most common reason a Murphy bed fails early?

A mattress outside the weight or thickness range, and a loose wall anchor. Both are easy to avoid by following the product page and checking the anchor once or twice a year.

Find a Wall Bed Built to Last