How to Make a Cabinet Bed: DIY Steps, Real Sizes and When to Buy

Last updated October 2026 by the Forward Furniture team

A cabinet bed is a low chest that opens into a real bed. Closed, it looks like a sideboard or a dresser. Open, a platform folds out over the floor and a folding mattress lies on top. Nothing is bolted to the wall.

Most build guides online are really for wall beds, which tip down from a tall cabinet fixed to the studs. A cabinet bed is a different build. This guide covers the parts, the steps, the sizes of real cabinet beds we sell, and the honest case for buying one instead, like the freestanding Olivia.

In this guide

• What are the parts of a cabinet bed?
• What size should a cabinet bed be?
• Tools and materials
• How to make a cabinet bed, step by step
• How much weight does it need to hold?
• Is it cheaper to make one?
• Make or buy: which is right for you?
• Questions

What Are the Parts of a Cabinet Bed?

Every cabinet bed we sell has the same four parts. Get each one right and the rest is careful woodworking.

1. The cabinet box. A low, deep chest that holds the folded mattress and the platform. Its top often doubles as a shelf for a lamp.
2. The folding mattress. A tri-fold foam mattress, usually 5 to 6 inches thick, that folds into three panels.
3. The platform. Two or three hinged sections that fold out over the floor and support the mattress.
4. The legs. Fold-down legs under the platform, so the floor carries the sleeper, not the hinges.

To watch these parts move on a finished bed, see how a cabinet bed works, with a short video.

What Size Should a Cabinet Bed Be?

Size the cabinet around the mattress, never the other way round. A standard queen mattress is 60 by 80 inches and a double (full) is 54 by 75, as our cabinet bed space guide shows. Folded in thirds, a queen becomes a stack about 60 inches wide and roughly 27 inches deep.

Here is what that looks like on real cabinet beds. These are the maker's numbers from each product page, so you can copy proven sizes instead of guessing.

Sizes, mattress and load ratings are the maker's specs on each product page. Olivia double height and width from its dimension drawing. Prices are the lowest current price in our catalogue, read October 13, 2026.

Three patterns stand out, and they make good starting targets for a home build.

• Width: the closed cabinet runs from about the mattress width to 4 inches wider.
• Depth: 24 to 26.4 inches closed, which is about one folded mattress panel.
• Open length: from the mattress length to about 5 inches past it, because the cabinet itself forms the head of the bed.
• Height: 36 to 42.5 inches, low enough to sit under a window.

Leave floor space too. The Nebula's maker asks for 30 to 36 inches of clearance around the open bed. Check your room with the open length plus that walkway before you cut anything.

What Tools and Materials Do You Need?

Tools

• Circular saw or table saw with a straight guide
• Drill and driver
• Clamps and a large square
• Tape measure and pencil
• Sander
• A second person for lifting and fitting

Materials

• Hardwood or good plywood for the box and platform. The Stow uses acacia wood and plywood.
• Heavy duty hinges for each fold in the platform
• Fold-down legs or leg brackets
• Wood glue, screws, and bolts at the hinge points
• A tri-fold foam mattress, 5 to 6 inches thick
• Handles, paint or stain, and a clear finish

Do not plan on a regular mattress. It will not fold into the box. Our guide to whether Murphy beds need a special mattress explains why folding foam is the standard.

How to Make a Cabinet Bed, Step by Step

This is the order of work, not a cut list. Every build is different, so draw your own plan around your mattress and room.

1. Buy the mattress first. Measure it flat and folded. Every other number comes from it.
2. Draw the box. Inside width a little wider than the mattress, inside depth a little deeper than one folded panel, height to fit the folded stack plus the platform.
3. Build the box square. Glue and screw the sides, base, back and top. A box that is out of square makes the platform bind.
4. Build the platform sections. Make them match the mattress panels, with a solid deck or close slats so the foam does not sag.
5. Hinge the sections. Join them so they fold back into the box and lie flat when open. Bolt through the wood where you can.
6. Add the legs. Put legs under each section so the floor carries the weight. The hinges should only guide the fold.
7. Dry fit, then test. Open and close it many times, then load it in stages before anyone sleeps on it.
8. Finish it. Sand, stain or paint, add handles, and let the finish cure before the mattress goes in.

The Stow shows the finished idea well. Its frame folds out of the cabinet and rests on its own legs, and the mattress top sits 18 inches off the floor, about the height of a normal bed.

How Much Weight Does a Cabinet Bed Need to Hold?

Two adults plus a mattress, with room to spare. The makers of the beds we sell rate them at 660 lb for the Stow and 750 lb for the Olivia and the Nebula, spread evenly. A home build has no rating until you test it.

• Weak hinges are the usual failure. They bend when someone sits on the edge of the open bed.
• Missing legs leave the whole load hanging off the cabinet.
• Pinch points at each fold can catch fingers, so keep children away while it moves.
• Weight adds up. The Stow Queen's cabinet box alone weighs about 152 lb, so a solid wood build is a two person lift.

We do not publish build plans, because a bed that fails under a sleeper can hurt someone. If you are not sure your design will hold, choose one that is already rated.

Is It Cheaper to Make a Cabinet Bed?

Sometimes, if you already own the tools and have the time. Price your own list before you decide, because these lines add up fast.

• Sheet goods or hardwood for the box and platform
• Hinges, legs, bolts and handles
• A folding foam mattress, often the biggest single item
• Stain, paint and finish
• Any tools you need to buy or rent
• Your weekends

Then compare it with a finished bed. The Stow Full is $2,294.99 and the Nebula Full is $2,611.99, both with the mattress included. The Olivia's current price is always on the Olivia product page. A bought bed is rated, comes with a warranty, and assembles in an afternoon: the Olivia takes about an hour with the included hardware.

A cabinet bed also lasts longer than most people expect when it is built well. See how long Murphy beds last for what wears out first.

Make or Buy: Which Is Right for You?

• Make one if you have built furniture before, own the tools, and want a custom size or finish.
• Buy one if you need it soon, want a rated load and a warranty, or do not have a shop space.
• Buy a wall bed instead if you want the slimmest closed depth and can bolt into studs. Compare the two in cabinet bed vs Murphy bed or browse Murphy beds.

Planning your own build? Measure a real one first. We keep the Olivia on our Kelowna and Calgary showroom floors, so bring a tape measure, open it, and see how the parts fit. Find your nearest store.

Ready Made Cabinet Beds to Compare

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

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

Hardwood, freestanding, queen or double, mattress included.

Stow Queen Cabinet Bed
$2,417.99

Acacia and plywood, 6 inch gel memory foam mattress included.

Stow Full Cabinet Bed
$2,294.99

The same build in a full size, 24 inches deep closed.

Nebula Full Cabinet Bed
$2,611.99

Looks like a sideboard, metal frame, mattress included.

Making a Cabinet Bed: Common Questions

What do you call a bed that folds into a cabinet?

A cabinet bed. Some people call it a chest bed or a Murphy cabinet bed. Unlike a wall bed, it stands on its own and is not bolted to the wall.

Is it hard to build your own cabinet bed?

It is a mid level woodworking project. The box is simple, but the folding platform, hinges and legs must line up and carry two adults. If you have not built furniture before, start with a smaller project.

Can you use a regular mattress in a cabinet bed?

No. A regular mattress will not fold into the cabinet. Cabinet beds use a tri-fold foam mattress, usually 5 to 6 inches thick.

How deep is a cabinet bed when it is closed?

The beds we sell are 24 to 26.4 inches deep closed, about the depth of one folded mattress panel. The Olivia queen is 24 inches deep, 62.5 wide and 40 tall.

Is it cheaper to build a cabinet bed than to buy one?

Sometimes, if you own the tools. Price the folding mattress first, since it is often the biggest single cost, then compare your total with a finished bed that is rated and under warranty.

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