Trundle Beds

What a trundle bed is

A trundle is a second bed stored under the first, pulled out only when it is needed.

• Two beds, one footprint : the spare sleeps under the main bed the rest of the time.

• On castors : it rolls out rather than being lifted.

• Usually a single : sized to match the bed it sits beneath.

• Low to the floor : the guest bed sits lower than the main one.

• No assembly each time : unlike a folding bed, it stays made up underneath.

Where it earns its place

A trundle solves a specific problem: occasional guests in a room that has no space for two beds.

• Sleepovers : a second bed appears without rearranging the room.

• A small guest room : the room stays usable when nobody is staying.

• Shared children's rooms : two sleep, one bed's worth of floor is used.

• Instead of a sofa bed : a proper mattress rather than a folded one.

What to check

Trundles are sized to a host bed, so the two have to be considered together.

• Clearance underneath : measure the gap between the floor and the main bed's base.

• Pull-out space : you need roughly a bed's width of clear floor beside it.

• Castor quality : the wheels do the work every time it comes out.

• Mattress depth : a thick mattress may not clear the frame above it.

Mattresses and bedding

The spare bed is easy to forget about until someone is standing in the hall with a bag.

• Keep it made up : the point of a trundle is that it is ready.

• A thinner mattress : depth is limited by the clearance under the host bed.

• Air it occasionally : a mattress stored under a bed benefits from being pulled out.

• Bedding nearby : a drawer or box in the same room saves a trip to the airing cupboard.

For a spare bed you can leave set up, our single beds include cabin and sofa models. If it is storage rather than a second bed you are after, see our bed drawers.