How to assemble an ottoman storage bed

• Allen key (supplied)
• Spanner or socket set
• Cross-head screwdriver
• Tape measure

Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.

• Base box panels: head, foot and sides
• Storage base boards
• Lifting platform with slats
• Two gas struts and hinge brackets
• Bolts, barrel nuts and clips

1. 1

   Step 1: Build the storage box first: join the sides to the head and foot panels and lay the base boards inside, as the manual shows.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check the box is square by measuring the diagonals, then tighten all bolts.

3. 3

   Step 3: Fit the hinge brackets to the box and the platform exactly where the manual shows; left and right are usually different.

4. 4

   Step 4: With your helper, lay the platform on the box and bolt it to the hinge brackets.

5. 5

   Step 5: Hold the platform open (your helper keeps it up) and clip the gas struts onto their ball joints, the right way up as marked.

6. 6

   Step 6: Lower the platform slowly and put the mattress on. Gas struts are sized for the weight of a mattress and may be too strong without one.

7. 7

   Step 7: Test the lift a few times with the handle or strap, keeping hands clear of the hinge area.

• Fitting the gas struts before the mattress is available, so the empty platform springs up hard.
• Fitting the struts upside down, which shortens their life.
• Mixing up the left and right hinge brackets.