How to comfortably combine two twin beds?

August 11, 2007 9:28 AM

How can I connect two twin beds so that they become a comfortable king-size bed?

I'm looking for something that pads the somewhat stiff area at the inner edge of each mattress and either fills the gap or includes a strap to hold the two mattresses tightly together.

Two examples of what I'm looking for are the Create-a-King and the SNS International Mattress Mate. Reviews on Amazon of the Create-a-King say the device is cheaply constructed and that the center padding is inadequate, and I can't find any source in the US for the Mattress Mate.

Thanks for your help in giving us a good night's sleep!

posted by ManicExpressive to home & garden (6 answers total)

I had to figure the answer out real quickly when I went on my last trip to Newport Beach.

Originally we just pushed them together and used a king sheet and blanket. That didn't work so well as they come apart pretty easily when you lay anywhere near the middle.

The trick is, lay the spring boxes next to each other vertically.

Next, you will want to lay the two mattresses on the box springs the opposite direction, horizontally.

Then buy a nice king fitted pillow top mattress that you can put over the two twins like a big sheet.

Throw a fitted king sheet over that and then I think you can take it from there.

You shouldn't even really be able to notice that you are using two beds. If you get a nice skirt, you can cover the box springs too.
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 9:37 AM on August 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

..by "pillow top mattress," I meant mattress pad - like this This should compensate for any crack in the middle of the bed when you lay the two mattresses together.
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 9:45 AM on August 11, 2007

Ditch the top mattresses and put a king mattress on the two box springs. I am pretty sure it will be a perfect fit, but I would check the dimensions just to be sure.
posted by caddis at 10:30 AM on August 11, 2007

I did this for a couple of years. The king size mattress pad definitely helps. I recommend rolling up some pillow cases (or a sheet) tightly and stuffing them in the gap first.

King sheets fit fine, but it's hard to make your bed when it's in pieces like this, especially when it's up against a wall. Consider that when you're arranging things.
posted by almostmanda at 11:13 AM on August 11, 2007

I would use something to strap the mattresses together - luggage straps or truck tie-down belts or even something like the create-a-king, just for the stability. Then a thick mattress pad or mattress topper to better camouflage that dent where the two mattress edges meet.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:51 PM on August 11, 2007

We have a create-a-king for our guest bed, which is a twin trundle that we'll put together when we have guests that are couples. I'll agree with the amazon reviews that the center padding is inadequate, it's essentially a faux sheepskin strip of fabric. The only reason I'm going to recommend getting one anyway is to hold the two twin mattresses together - the straps are nice and keep them from shifting apart in the night.

I'll second putting the mattresses perpendicular to the springs, that makes a significant difference. But you are going to need a mattress pad (like the foam egg crate kind) or a feather bed of some sort to put on top, if this is going to be a nightly resting place for any significant period of time. Unless you don't mind sleeping apart on opposite sides of the bed...
posted by librarianamy at 12:58 PM on August 11, 2007