Ottoman Beds Are Different From Standard Bed Frames
An ottoman bed lifts at the base to reveal a large storage compartment underneath. The lifting mechanism uses two or four gas struts — the same kind of pressurised piston used on car boot lids — to take the weight of the mattress and hold the base open. This makes ottoman beds convenient for storage but significantly more involved to move than a standard slatted bed frame when furniture assembly and disassembly is required. The base cannot simply be unbolted and carried out in pieces without first disengaging the gas struts, and getting this wrong can cause the struts to release under pressure, which is both dangerous and usually ruins the struts in the process.
If you are planning on moving bulky items of furniture, read the section on gas struts below before doing anything else. The rest of the dismantling process is relatively straightforward once the struts are safely disengaged.
Before You Start: Tools and Preparation
You will need the following:
- Cross-head and flat-head screwdrivers
- Allen keys (hex keys) — almost always required for ottoman beds, which are typically flat-pack
- A cordless drill with screwdriver bits — speeds the process up considerably
- Two people — one to hold the lifting base, one to work on fixings. This is not a one-person job.
- Zip-lock bags and masking tape for screws and fittings
- A marker pen for labelling panels
Remove all bedding and the mattress from the bed first. If the ottoman has storage contents, empty them completely — leaving anything in the storage compartment during dismantling is a reliable way to trap or crush items under the lifting mechanism.
The Gas Struts: Disengage Before Anything Else
Gas struts hold the lifting base open under significant pressure — typically 300–800 Newtons each, depending on the size and weight rating of the bed. Attempting to remove the lifting base while the struts are still connected will almost always cause the struts to extend suddenly and forcefully, which can injure the person working on the bed and damage the strut fittings permanently.
The correct sequence is to disengage the struts before separating any other part of the bed:
- Lift the base to its fully open position — the struts should be fully extended and holding the base up under their own pressure
- Locate the connection points at each end of each strut. These are usually ball-socket fittings or pin clips that attach the strut to a bracket on the base frame and the lifting frame.
- With one person holding the lifting base firmly in its raised position, the second person releases the strut from its bracket by pressing the release clip (on pin-clip fittings) or prying the ball socket off the ball stud (on ball-socket fittings). The struts are usually designed to unclip without tools.
- With one strut disconnected, the second person takes over holding the base while the first disconnects the remaining struts.
- Once all struts are disconnected at one end, the lifting base can be lowered manually and safely. Do not release the base while any strut is still engaged — this puts uneven load on the remaining struts and can damage the brackets.
If you cannot identify the release mechanism on your struts, check the manufacturer’s instructions or the model number on the strut itself. Some ottoman beds use non-standard mounts that require a specific tool — this is worth knowing before moving day rather than discovering mid-dismantle.
Removing the Lifting Base
With the struts disconnected, the lifting base (the top section that the mattress sits on) can be removed. It is typically held to the hinge mechanism at the head end of the bed by two or four bolts. Undo these bolts and lift the base free. The base itself is a single flat panel — bulky but not heavy — that can be carried out of the room in one piece.
Label the hinge fittings and bolts immediately. Ottoman bed fittings are often specific to the model and difficult to source as spares, so losing any of them during a move can be a genuine problem.
Dismantling the Main Frame
Once the lifting base is off, the rest of the bed dismantles much like a standard bed frame:
- Remove the headboard — usually bolted to the back of the bed frame with two to four bolts
- Separate the side rails from the head and foot boards — typically connected with cam-lock fittings or metal brackets
- Remove the storage base panel at the bottom of the bed, which forms the floor of the storage compartment
- Separate any cross-supports that run across the frame
Label each panel clearly — “Left rail”, “Right rail”, “Headboard”, “Footboard”, “Storage base”, “Lifting base” — with masking tape. Put all screws, bolts, cam locks, and gas strut fittings into a single labelled zip-lock bag and tape it to the largest panel.
Packing the Gas Struts Separately
The gas struts themselves should be packed separately and handled with care. Wrap them individually in bubble wrap or a folded towel and keep them away from anything that could puncture the strut body. A damaged gas strut cannot be repaired — it must be replaced, and replacements are model-specific and often only available through the original retailer.
Do not expose gas struts to extreme temperatures (leaving them in a cold van overnight is fine; leaving them in direct sunlight for a full day is not) and do not attempt to compress or extend them manually when disconnected. They are charged with pressurised gas and are designed to be used in one specific direction of motion.
What Size Van Do You Need?
An ottoman bed dismantles into panels that are similar in dimension to a standard bed frame, plus the additional lifting base. TVMC’s three van sizes handle ottoman beds as follows:
- Medium van (6m³ — 2.5m load length) — fits a double ottoman bed’s panels with room for the mattress alongside, but leaves limited space for other bedroom items
- Large van (10m³ — 3.4m load length) — fits a king ottoman bed, mattress, and the rest of a typical bedroom comfortably
- Extra-Large Luton (18m³ — 4.0m load length) — fits a super king ottoman bed plus multiple pieces of bedroom furniture, and is the right choice if the ottoman is part of a larger house move
Moving an ottoman bed as part of a larger house move? Our man and van service is here to get you a quote and get you sorted.
Loading the Van
Ottoman bed panels load the same way as any flat-packed furniture — stacked flat against one side of the van with moving blankets between each panel to prevent scratching. The lifting base is the largest single panel and should go in first, flat against the van wall, with the other panels stacked on top.
Gas struts should travel in the cab or somewhere they will not be crushed under other items — not loose in the main van load. The storage base panel and mattress can fill the space alongside the stacked frame panels.
Reassembly: Gas Struts Come Last
When reassembling at the new property, build the main frame first before attempting to reconnect the gas struts. The order is the reverse of dismantling:
- Assemble the main frame (headboard, footboard, side rails) in the final position
- Fit the storage base panel at the bottom
- Attach the lifting base to the hinge mechanism at the head end
- Reconnect the gas struts last, with one person holding the lifting base in the raised position while the other clips the struts back into their brackets
Check that both (or all four) struts are fully clipped in before releasing the base. A strut that is not fully seated will pop off under load and drop the base suddenly — which is both alarming and potentially damaging to the mechanism.
When It Is Worth Paying for a Pre-Move Service
For complex or high-value ottoman beds — particularly larger king and super king models, or brands with non-standard strut mechanisms — it is sometimes worth booking a handyperson or the original retailer to disassemble the bed before move day and reassemble it at the other end. The cost is usually modest relative to the risk of damaging the gas struts or the frame by doing it unfamiliar with the mechanism. This is especially worth considering for ottoman beds purchased from specialist retailers where replacement parts are difficult or impossible to source.
