Thanks, Fun.

Flexibility really is the key here. Since it is the second guest room, I'd like the bed to have a small footprint when not in use.

But I want guests to be comfortable...

A friend has a twin daybed/trundle at her vacation home. The beds are comfortable, but getting the trundle out from under the top bed can be hazardous to your hands. You just have to be prepared and watch how you do it -- and warn your guests.

I think its a great option for occassional use. It is a pain to set pop up the trundle. They do sell a center piece to put between the two mattresses to minimize the effect of the center split if you have the beds placed together for the king size bed.

After my renovations are done, I plan to put move my daughter into our guest room and get a trundle in case we have an occassional guest. I used to have a pull out sofa in my LR, but pull out sofas are not as comfortable as regular sofas (for sitting) and its our primary sofa, so comfort was #1 priority.

I had the same dilemma in my own guest room. I bought a good oak trundle for my Western guest room and made sure that both beds had very good quality mattresses. This makes it a little hard to pull out the trundle, as the mattress is a thick one. But, both beds are now extremely comfortable for guests.

I do like the smaller footprint that the trundle gives me, although I don't care for it all that much as a sofa. It's too high to be used like that all the time, if it were me using the room a lot. But, the room is used mainly by our 17 y/o DD and her friends to watch movies and play Wii and they'll sit anywhere (LOL).
As for how it works with both beds strapped together to use as one bed, I don't care for it that way. To tell you the truth, I just figure that if an adult couple wants to use our guest room, they're adult enough to be able to sleep in two single beds for a few days and survive(LOL!).

I agree with Dilly on the sofa beds. DH and I were looking to buy one late last year and checked out quite a few of them. I was very disappointed in every one we looked at . . . including the very pricy versions by American Leather. Their beds/mattresses were the most comfortable, but the sofa itself was not that comfy at all. For $4000, you'd think they could come up with a better sofa bed! So, I'll be sticking with the trundle until a miracle occurs and someone invents a sofa bed that's comfortable as both a sofa and a bed.
Lynn

I have a question for those of you who use the two twin beds together to use as a pseudo king size bed. Do you set it up so that each person is pretty much on one bed, with the seam running between them, or is the seam halfway down the bed. If it is done the first way, do people find the bed a bit short, since a twin bed is 5 inches shorter than a king?

For reference a twin bed is 39" wide by 75" long, forming a 78" x 75" rectangle when put together. A king bed is 76" wide x 80" long.

I've always had a trundle bed in my DD's room. Worked great when she had friends sleep over but most of the time it was a twin bed so left floor space for her to play.

She is now 25 and living on her own, and her room has been turned into a guest room. The bed is still there. It works great as a guest room too. When DD would come home with a girlfriend from college, it was 2 twin beds. When a couple is staying over, I just position the beds together, but still use twin fitted sheets. I can then give them option of separate twin comforters/blankets, or king comforter/blanket. It may not be as good as a king (or queen) for a couple, but for the day or two they are staying over, nobody has ever complained.

I have 2 trundles, one in the play room/ old guest room (with a futon) and one in my DD's bedroom. I also have a queen bed in the new guest room. We may get 2 - 3 families staying here at once for days/weeks at a time. Trundles are great because of their small footprint but it's important to get a good mattress. The lower one needs a thin one though to fit underneath. You could also put a foam pad on top when making it if the mattress isn't adequate. [I use a foam pad on top of my guest older queen bed and guests are constantly asking what mattress I have because it's so comfortable.]

I never combine the trundles as a king. I agree with Lynn, "...if an adult couple wants to use our guest room, they're adult enough to be able to sleep in two single beds for a few days and survive." No one's ever complained. The most frequent comment is how quiet the playroom/old guestroom is and they never slept so well.

I also have a beanbag chair that converts into a double bed (not comfortable but for kids) plus a few air mattresses. Long term plans calls for a Murphy bed on the 1st floor for those older adults that can't do the stairs.

I much prefer a twin bed with a pop-up trundle than a daybed with a trundle. A couple can sleep with the twin and trundle pushed together without the associated problems of a daybed, since it's very difficult to get in and out of a daybed with a trundle pushed up right next to it.

It's also much easier to make a twin bed than a daybed, and you have numerous more options for nice bedding.

Here's a photo for reference. Wesley Allen has several "Complete twin beds." LOVE THEM! I have the Drexel, and intend to buy two more WA complete beds for the other rooms.

Here is a link that might be useful: twin bed with trundle

Thanks so much. Gardenweb rocks.

I had supected the quality of the mattresses was key, so that is comfirmed. As is the finger pinch risk. But no fears voiced here yet that the scissors pop up could collapse and sever a child or pet? - I read that fear somewhere, but it sounded extreme...

Sitting comfort when a daybed is irrelevent. It won't be used as a sofa.

Interesting that some of you don't bother with the king option. At least one couple who will visit I know prefers a king to a queen, so they might chose that over the queen in the other guest room.

As for couples making do with twins... I dunno. This is a vacation scenario, week long stays, rather than a two-day holiday houseful. DH and I prefer not to sleep in seperated twins after decades in the same bed, though twins pushed together is fine. I just want everyone as comfortable as possible.

terreks, the daybeds have the popup mattress form the foot end of a king. It ends up an inch narrower and 2 inches shorter lengthwise - pretty close to a king - though another couple inches narrower still at the foot half (the trundle matress is standard/shorter to fit under the XL twin top frame legs. Usually. So I've read. Making the shape a bit wonky.)

bird lover, are you meaning a twin with trundle is different because it doesn't have the 'sofa arms' of a daybed? Duh. I have been looking for a daybed without arms since I wasn't keen on the arms when used as a king - like your head and shoulders are caged, lol. (Is that what you mean by very difficult to get in an out of a daybed with a trundle pushed up right next to it.)

This is helping... thanks!

I think I've got it.

What might work best for me is one of those 'twins with a pop-up trundle', but no headboard or footboard. I would attach an upholstered king headboard to the wall and shove the bed lengthwise up to that. Table with lamp on each end. Small chair across room. TV on small bookcase between entry and closet.

That works for:

1. guestless: it is just there, an armless sofa-like thing with an upholstered back, and we have floorspace for yoga or whatever.

2. guest single: good to go.

3. guest couple: pop up the trundle, strap em together, add a pad, make the bed up as a king, and ignore that the foot half of the bed is a couple inches narrower.

3. pair o singles: Swap the small chair for table+lamp. Roll the trundle across the room, pop it up, and make up that bed as a second single. Two beds, each with bedside table+lamp.

I think that'll work. Am I missing anything - other than the hassle of double linen?

Wonder if I can find one where the bed itself has lockable casters. Might be more comfortable for a single to swing it out away from the wall. And then I could do the simpler two-twins-pushed-together for a couple...

Sounds like a very good plan to me!

I stumbled across this and had to comment since I spent hours researching this last year. The solution for us was to get a twin xl wood frame, a twin xl metal frame and 2 twin xl mattresses. The xl size is much more comfortable for adults and 2 twin xl = a king. The extra mattress slides under the wood frame and the metal frame stores in the closet. We use a daybed cover with bolster pillows when we don't have guests. When we do we can set up 1 or 2 twin xl beds or a king.

These are the 2 frames. They are almost exactly the same height.
http://www.decorandmoredirect.com/noplbedunha.html
http://www.amazon.com/Structures-HIGHRISE-Folding-Bi-Fold-Platform/dp/B000ZQ6I96/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

We got twin XL mattresses at a local store for about $200 each. They're about 7 inches high - ok quality.

This is the daybed cover we got (it was difficult to find one in the xl size) http://www.touchofclass.com/camden-hollywood-daybed-cover/p/Z086-005/

We got xl sheets from JC Penny the duvets/covers we have are at Linens n Things. http://www.lnt.com/product/comforters/474948-1984/space-living-twin-xl-egyptian-cotton-stripe-3-piece-comforter-set.html King bedding is easy to find and we use this doubler. http://www.comforthouse.com/beddoubler1.html

Hope that helps!

I forgot that we also got a king size mattress pad to smooth out the transition between mattresses. And we did get separate king sheets and a duvet and blanket. When it's set up as a king or as 2 twins all the extra bedding stores underneath in ziploc flexible totes.

That's odd. Both my post and the possible spam post are gone from this now.

I asked celticmom how the king size headboard and putting the trundle sideways worked.

I can't remember what else I said, a couple of paragraphs, but that was my main question.

When setting up as a king, which is a better way to sleep - with heads on daybed and feet on trundle, or one person on daybed and the other on trundle?

Also, which is more comfortable or natural - one person on each twin mattress, or sleeping across mattresses so that both heads are on common mattress as our feet?

I will have the strap tight around the mattress however we do it with the bridge down the middle., covered with a King-sized mattress topper (~3" memory foam) and a nice mattress pad (king sized). I will get a thin bridge and soft, but not plush or pillow-top, mattresses so as to not create a hump where they meet.

Also, if the daybed cannot accommodate Twin XL mattresses, will the King Sheet Set fit okay? Or will it be loose? Assume 2 x 39 x 75 = 78 x 75 (vs standard 78 x 80). It is too long a sheet by 5". or we rotate it or the mattresses so that it is a 75 x 78 bed, making the sheet 2" too wide and 3" too long.

Finally, what do you do for a bedskirt for the trundle when it is popped up?