Sleeper Sofa, Pull-Out Couch or Futon: Which Sofa Bed Is Actually Comfortable?

Searches for "sleeper sofa", "pull out couch" and "sofa bed" all spike in Cincinnati in the fall, right before the holidays, when people realize the guest room is also the office. A sleeper has to be a good couch 360 nights a year and a decent bed the other five. Most are good at one of those. Here is how to get both.

The four kinds of sofa beds

• •Pull-out sleeper sofa: the classic. A folding steel mechanism with a real (thin) mattress hides under the cushions and unfolds toward the room. Best couch comfort; bed comfort depends on the mattress.
• •Sofa bed futon: the back folds flat and the seat cushion becomes the mattress. Cheapest and simplest; the seat is the bed, so a soft couch makes a soft bed.
• •Click-clack sofa bed: a futon with a ratcheting back that lays flat or sits at a couple of angles. Slim and modern; usually a firm, thin sleep surface.
• •Sleeper sectional: a sectional where one section hides a pull-out, or where the chaise and ottoman push together into a bed. The most couch for the money, and the only one that sleeps two comfortably in a living-room layout.

Real mattress sizes, which are not what you expect

A "queen sleeper sofa" is queen-width, 60 inches, but almost never queen-length. Most queen pull-out mattresses are 60 by 72 inches, eight inches shorter than a real queen. A full sleeper is usually 54 by 72, a twin sleeper 38 by 72. That is fine for most adults under about 6 feet; tall guests will hang off the end. The mattress is also thin, 4 to 5 inches, because it has to fold in thirds. Which is why the next section matters most.

What makes a sleeper comfortable to sleep on

• •The mattress: memory foam or a gel-foam sleeper mattress beats the old innerspring that let you feel every bar. Upgrading the mattress is the single biggest comfort improvement on a pull-out.
• •The deck: better mechanisms have a tight fabric deck or a solid platform under the mattress so the bars never touch your back.
• •Cushion density on a futon: since the seat is the bed, a high-density foam seat sleeps far better than a soft fiber one.
• •Frame: kiln-dried hardwood or steel. A sleeper mechanism adds 80 to 120 pounds and it torques the frame every time it opens.
• •Open it in the store. Lie on it for two minutes. It is the only test that counts.

How much floor a pull-out needs

A queen pull-out sofa is about 36 to 40 inches deep closed and 85 to 90 inches deep open, measured from the wall. Add 24 inches to walk around the foot of it. So a queen sleeper needs roughly 9 feet of clear depth from the wall to work as a bed. Most living rooms have it; a lot of home offices and dens do not. A sleeper sectional where the chaise becomes the bed sideways can solve a room that is wide but not deep. Browse sleeper sofas.

Sleeper sectional: the best of both for most families

If the room can take a sectional at all, a sleeper sectional is usually the right buy. You get a full-size couch, a chaise, often storage under the chaise for the bedding, and a bed that does not take over the room because part of it is already there. It is also the one that sleeps two without anyone's feet on the floor. See sectionals with sleepers.

Our Cincinnati store keeps sleeper sofas, sleeper sectionals and futon-style sofa beds on the floor, opened and ready to lie on. In-stock pieces go home with same day delivery and $11 down financing, which is handy when the guests arrive Friday.