A little preventative maintenance of your futon frame can greatly increase how long it lasts. We recommend checking the bolts on your futon frame every month or two, depending on how often it’s used. If they are loose, gently tighten them, but be careful not to over tighten them. If you have a wooden frame, you can rub a bar of Ivory soap in the arm tracks every now and then, to keep things operating smoothly.
Most of the damage that we see is from forcing the frame to operate, when it’s stuck. If you are converting your frame from a bed to a sofa, or from a sofa to a bed, and it doesn’t easily convert, stop what you are doing, and remove the mattress, and carefully examine why it’s not moving easily. Usually if you try to convert the frame and you pull on one side more than the other, something will jam, and if forced, you may break something.
Normally a guest will try to make their bed in the morning, and not knowing how to do it, they may break your frame. We suggest telling your guests to leave the futon as a bed, and you’ll take care of changing it from a bed to a sofa for them.
Some parts wear out, and some of the plastic parts can dry out over the years. If the bolts are not tightened, a part can move around in a way that it’s not supposed to, and that can cause it to break. People ask us why they don’t make some of the parts in futon frames out of metal so they’d never break. The reason is, if they were metal, and something jammed up, and was forced, the seat, or back, or an arm would crack, and that would be a more costly repair.
Here’s a list of some of the more common futon frame hardware and parts. This is by no means a complete listing of all the parts, but it includes most of the common parts. Some items are called more than one name, so we list them twice. Futon store that have been around a long time, might even have obsolete parts that you might need.
If you need a part that you can’t find anywhere, consult a good futon store who’s willing to help you, and give them a description and a couple of pictures showing what you need and see if they are willing to help you. They may need to know the name of the manufacturer of the frame because there are many frames that look the same, but the size of the bolts or seat decks and other items will all be slightly different.
Futon Bolts
Standard Futon Hinges
Click Click Hinges
Triple Click Hinges
Futon Mattress Storage Bags
Oblong Rollers
Carriage Blocks
Round Futon Rollers
Double Futon Rollers
Nylon Roller Inserts
Futon Barrel Nuts, Nuts, and Cross Dowels
Larger Futon Barrel Nuts
Futon Seat Stoppers
Futon Storage Bags
Allen Wrenches
Larger Allen Wrenches
Plastic Leg Caps
1/2″ Futon Hardware Sets
5/8″ Futon Hardware Sets
Angle Support Brackets
Decorative Bolt Covers or Plugs
Clevis Pins and Assemblies
Various Plastic Rollers, Glides and Carriage Blocks
Stretcher Support Rails
Futon Seat Decks
Futon Back Decks
Futon Arms
Cotter Pins
Washers and Clips
Futon Slats and Supports