Foam Chair Bed - All You Need To Know About Foam Chair Beds

A foam chair bedis pretty self explanatory. It is a piece of furniture that can serve as either a chair or a bed, and it is made of foam. These pieces are flexible and can be used in a variety of rooms for several different purposes. There are several places to buy the chair beds. Your family and your guests can benefit from one of these pieces of furniture, and you can make the people in your life more comfortable.

Where and how to use a foam chair bed

You can use a foam chair bed in any room in the house. Following are several ideas for incorporating one (or more!) into your home.

• Living room—In the main living room, where your family watches television and spends family time together, is an excellent place to keep one of the chair beds. You can leave it in the chair form most of the time. Then, if you have guests, you have a piece of furniture that can fold out to make a comfortable bed.

• Spare bedroom—If you have a guest room that you cannot or do not want to fully furnish, you can put one or two chair beds in the room. Then, the room can serve as an area with additional seating or an area with additional beds.

• Child or teen's bedroom—The foam chair bed is perfect for an extra piece in bedrooms of young people. It gives them a chair to sit in during the day, while reading, doing homework, or playing video games. Then, at night, either the child or a friend can sleep on the fold out bed.

• Office or study—If you have a room that services as a workspace, you can add one of these simple chairs into the room to give it additional seating. Then, if you need an extra place for someone to sleep, you can fold the chair out into a bed. It will also serve as a great place for a quick afternoon nap or a place to take a relaxing break in the middle of work.

Types of foam chair beds

There are several different foam chair beds. They come in styles like the tri-fold, where the bed is jointed in two separate places, making three sections of bed. Then, when you want to transform the chair into a bed, you simply fold the parts on top of each other, and you have a comfortable chair. There is also a chair that pulls out flat, much like a futon bed on a smaller scale. The base of the chair may be made of wood, metal, or some other sturdy material. The main sitting and laying part of the chair and bed is made of foam. You can also find a nesting version of the foam chair bed. Instead of being jointed, this piece is actually made up of individual pieces. The pieces fit inside each other, and to form a bed, they are put end to end.

Where to buy a foam chair bed

As with most merchandise these days, you can easily find these products both in brick and mortar stores and in online stores.

• Target has many different pieces of furniture for both teens and adults. One of their most popular chair beds is the Teen Chair in Denim. This chair has a high back, and it follows the tri fold style. It sells for about $170 through Target's website.

• CSN Stores online have another variation on the trifold chair. With this one, the back stays in place, but the seat rests on top of a metal frame. When you go to turn the chair into a bed, you can unfold the seat to lay it out flat, then pull the frame out to provide a solid foundation for the foot of your bed. This chair costs just under $500.

• The previously described nesting foam chair bed is an item that can be found at warehouse stores like Sams Club or BJ's. When the pieces are all nestled together, you have a chair, but then when you align all the pieces beside each other, you have a bed. This is definitely a statement piece, and it will cost about $300.

• DCG Stores sell a Children's Foam Chair Bed in royal blue. This is a simple piece that has three separate joints, making four distinct sections. First, you have the rounded back rest that doubles as a head rest. The second part, when the piece is in the chair form, is the second largest piece. It provides the seating area. The third piece is the largest piece, and it rests between the ground and the seating area, providing height and support to the chair. The fourth piece is a very small piece that fits right under the rounded back rest area. This is the perfect chair for video gaming, watching movies, and then at night, folding out flat for sleeping. DCG's chair bed sells for $115.

• Totally Furniture sells a Jr. Twin Size Black Studio Chair Sleeper that is designed much like DCG's product. It sells for just under $175, and there are additional rebates and coupons available on the Totally Furniture website.

Hidden costs

Sometimes there are hidden costs you much watch out for when looking into buying a foam chair bed.

• Shipping—If you buy your chair online, you are probably going to have to pay shipping charges. Be sure to take this into account when you are looking at the price of the chair bed.

• Taxes—Taxes can add an unexpected cost onto your final purchase price. For example, if you buy a $500 chair, you can expect to pay nearly $50 in taxes. There are some places online where you are not charged tax until the very end, which can be deceptive.

• Extra parts—Be careful that you know exactly what you are buying. Some places will separate the frame and the foam seat/mattress part. So, you could think you are getting a great deal on a $50 foam chair bed, but when you open it up, you realize you have just bought a $50 frame, and now you are going to have to buy a $100 mattress. Luckily, most places will tell you up front exactly what you are getting, but sometimes it is a little more tricky.

• Covers—Some of the chair beds come already made with a soft, comfortable exterior. However, some of the chair beds do not have this. A really inexpensive piece may be just a large piece of foam that is jointed for easy folding. You would not want a big yellow piece of foam sitting in your living room. You would want to buy a cover to put over it. There are some covers that are simple, like the canvas or terrycloth covers. Other covers are more luxurious, like a fur cover or one made of velour. This will make your foam chair bedextra comfortable, but it will also cushion the price, sometimes increasing that by up to $200.

You can expect to pay between $35 and $300 depending on which type of foam chair bedyou decide to buy as well as where you buy it. One that is geared toward children, like the jointed all foam type, is going to cost much less than one that is an upscale piece aimed at an adult. Keep in mind that, while you may find a cheaper chair bed online, there may be hidden costs that could make it cost more in the long run. In addition, you want to consider who will be using the chair bed. If it is for a child or teen, he will probably use it a lot, and he will be more prone to spilling things on it. So, you may want to lean towards one of the less expensive chair beds. On the other hand, if you are using the chair bed in a guest room, you might consider going for one of the fancier pieces to provide comfort for your guests and to be a nice addition to your home.