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Six Tips for Making a Futon More Comfortable

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Futons are handy pieces of furniture for either people who have limited living space or people who might need an occasional spare bed for company.

The problem is that because they are filling the roles of both beds and couches, they aren’t always the most comfortable to sit on. If you own a futon that gets heavy use as a couch, you might wonder how you can make it more comfortable.

We put together this short guide on how you can make your futon more comfortable. We hope you find it helpful.

How to Make a Futon More Comfortable to Sit on

Different tips to make a futon more comfortable for sitting

Making a futon more comfortable for sitting is pretty straightforward. It’s all about additional padding.

Traditional futon mattresses aren’t really all that comfortable and sit on top of a frame of wood. Unlike beds and couches, there is no intermediate support for sitting or sleeping. But, you can add a few things to make a futon more comfortable.

1. Keep the Cushion in Place

Futon with cushion being held in place

Futon pads have a bad habit of sliding around. No matter how thick they are, you can’t get comfortable on something that’s moving around.

Fix that with no-slip grips. They are usually attached to the futon’s frame and create friction with the mattress that helps keep it from moving around.

Make sure you balance the strips with one at the bottom and one at the top. If you’re using additional padding on the bottom, the one on the top becomes even more important.

2. Get the Right Materials

latex foam mattress material being held

When buying, look for one with a mattress made of foam or polyester. These mattresses tend to retain a little bit of their form when you sit or lay on them and will bounce back.

It’s important to remember that comfortable sitting is a matter of give-and-take. You want furniture that will give way when you sit on it. But, you want some substance when you do, and you want it to return to its original shape when you get up.

3. Add a Topping

Mattress topping being put on top of futon

The simplest way to make a futon more comfortable for sitting is to add padding on top of the mattress. This has a few advantages, including that you can remove it if you need to use the futon as a bed and your guest prefers harder mattresses. Additional padding on top also doesn’t interfere with no-slip grips.

There are a couple of options here. The first is getting a dedicated mattress topper. These are available commercially and you’ll want to consult your owner’s manual to get the right size.

Another option is using an old featherbed. One advantage to this is that it’s just as comfortable to lay on top of as it is to sit on. So, it still has use when you fold your futon out into a bed.

4. Additional Bottom Support

Futon with additional bottom support on mattress

If you want to make something more comfortable to sit on, the simplest solution is to add additional support to the part used for sitting. This probably means purchasing a second mattress or a pad the right size for the bottom part of the couch side.

An alternative is to double up the mattress and drape a comforter over the top part of the couch frame so that you have some cushioning available for your back. You can also leave it bare if you don’t recline all the way when sitting on a couch.

5. A Thick Comforter Over The Mattress

thick comforter being placed on top of futon

If your futon gets used for guests sleeping over, you’ll already need bedding for it. A nice thick comforter is always a welcome thing for visiting friends. When you buy one, make sure it is durable and comfortable for sitting.

It might not sound like much, but you’re probably going to use one of two more of our tips. Two or three little things can add up to big success.

6. Additional Frame Support

Wood planks being used to support futon

Futons are largely just padding placed over a frame of either metal or wood. Futon frames often have gaps between either the bars into which the pad can sag. Padding that is uneven as a result is much less comfortable than padding that is consistent.

Check your futon frame for any large gaps into which the padding can sink. Address those. A solution might be as simple as a thin sheet of cardboard across the entire frame.

Can you Make a Futon Feel Like a Couch?

If we’re talking about a high-dollar power recliner couch designed to be as giving as soft butter, the answer is no. Futons are primarily designed for function. With the above tips, you can make it more comfortable but it won’t be as comfortable as the real deal.

You can make it feel more like a couch, however, by dressing it up and arranging your room so that it mimics the feel that a couch has on a room.

Place some throw pillows on a futon being used as a couch, and place some end tables on either side of it. A coffee table in front of it will go a long way to making your futon feel more like a couch.

Take stock of the room’s general feel. Couches are major components of any room they’re in. Adjust lighting and rugs and even the placement of entertainment pieces like televisions to help the futon project the feel of a couch.

Conclusion

Because your futon is largely just a frame with a pad, it probably won’t ever be your most comfortable piece of furniture. But that doesn’t mean you have to accept that it can’t be close.

We hope you found this set of tips on how to make your futon more comfortable to sit on helpful. If you feel inclined, leave us a comment below or even share this on your social media networks. If you’re wondering how to make a futon more comfortable, you can be others do, too.

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