Ottoman Storage Beds
What is an Ottoman
Basically an Ottoman is a bed where the slats pivot near the head board, so you can lift up the slatted base to access a storage area, as shown in the image below. Since the mattress alone is heavy, lifting a base like this with the mattress on and various duvets or blankets would be extremely difficult. In order to ease this, compressed gas struts are used to allow you to lift it with one hand. These gas struts are finely balanced so that the bed will lie flat and with a little assistance will rise.
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Ottoman Assembly
Most assembly instructions advise that two people are required to build one of these beds. The basic premise is that the second person is required to hold the slatted bed base at the correct angle whilst the gas struts are fitted. There is nothing wrong with this in principle but working against gravity is the obvioous thing to do when working with gravity is so much easier. If you have difficult attaching the gas strut the happless “Second Pair of Hands” will be stood with aching limbs and being cursed by the person trying to fit the gas struts for not holding it still!
The way I get round this problem is fairly straight forward. Before doing so make sure the floor is spottless. If it is a wooden frame ensure cardboard is used to protect the bed from damage on a hard floor, like laminate flooring. All I do is build the bed slatted based if necessary and rest it vertically against a wall. Then build the main square bed frame. Once assembled simply lift the bed so it rests on one side. In most cases the bed frame will not be very stable whilst like this, so proceed with extreme care. Do not make sudden movements and watch things when you let go for a few moments to detect even the slightest bit of movement.
The next thing to do is take the slatted base and position it inside the bed frame in the correct orientation. In most cases this will be a fairly snug fit, and you should be able to position is at say 30 degrees and rest it comfortably, whilst you attach the bolts on which the slatted base will pivot.
Once you have done this gently adjust the angle of the slatted base to the correct angle so that the struts can be fixed in place. Once both struts have been fixed in place, simple return the bed to its natural upright position.
WARNING - Gas Struts
You will notice that the gas struts seem exceptionally strong and you seem to need to excert an unnecessary amount of pressure on the bed to drop it down.
STOP. If you are pushing the slated base down and see the slatted base twisting. STOP.
Most of the time the gas struts will be a little stiff and need a bit of extra force to initially compress them. Whatever you do do not hit them with a hammer! You may damage or break them.
The correct way to proceed is to put the mattress on. This serves two purposes, firstly it is the main weight the gas strutts are designed to counter, so will provide all the force necessary (again work with gravity not against it). Secondly, the mattress distributes its weight evenly over the frame and not just on one point where you can apply pressure with your hands. Once the mattress is in position, just press the mattress down you will find the struts initally jerk into movement. Start with a slight amount of pressure and gently increase it until they give. The mattress and base can then be lifted and lowered with ease.
Flat Pack Blog
Sunday, February 6th, 2011
Whether it is a bunk bed or loft bed, it is important to heed the warnings on the instructions. If you do not attach the slats properly to the upper bunk your child can suffer serious injury. The following two things have been identified:-
- The slats must all be fastened down on the top or raised bunk. On a normal bed the slats are often strung together and fastened down at six anchor point. If the slats fall through the bed you only have 12 inches to fall so no issue. If you are on the top bunk, such a fall could cause a serious injury, especially considering the way the slats might move and trap an unlucky child.
- Slat must be placed right up to the head and foot boards on the upper bunk. Again an unlucky child could slip and get trapped in a seriously uncomfortable or fatal position.
The chances of these two things happening are increased during play and therefore it is imperative that bunk beds and loft beds are assembled correctly.
