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Step-by-step instructions for assembling a Floating Bed, including hanging instructions, untangling twisted cascade lines, height adjustment, knot tying procedures, and user instructions. Safety information and recommended mattress sizes are also included.
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This document is Section I only. It contains: Pre-Installation Preparation Installer Guidelines; Installing a Ceiling Mount / Hanging Ring
Section II (assembly, hanging and usage instructions, etc) is not in this document; refer to the Complete Manual.
TM
Vers. 0607
Pat. Pend.
The Floating Bed Co. 52 N. Third Street Fairfield, IA. 52556
john@floatingbed.com (641) 472- www.floatingbed.com FAX 472 8120
TM
TM
Floating Bed General Information
Thank you for your purchase of a Floating Bed. We believe that this is the most sophisticated sleeping and relaxation device ever created. The warning and disclamer notwithstanding, we have done everything we could to make it as safe as possible. We recommend that you read the entire manual carefully, and follow the guidelines.
Since it is a new product, with new benefits, The Floating Bed does require some education, and lifestyle or use of space changes. We believe that you will find that it is well worth taking the time now, in order to discover and create for yourself a new way of relaxation, sleep, and hanging out with your friends. This manual is thorough, and it contains many things you will want to know to properly use and get the most out of your new bed, sofa, toy, and health device.
Some other general information: Some sections refer to specific situations that may not apply to you. You may have your bed indoors, and don’t care about outdoor use. (However, once you purchase a bed, it is possible to unhook it from an indoor mounting ring and simply carry it to an outdoor hanging location; simply adjust the length of the Cascade Lines if the hanging height is much different.) You may or may not get a mattress, etc. Call us if you have any questions.
Recommended Sheets for your Floating Bed (use normal, rectangular K & Q sheets), With our Round Memory Foam Mattress -
Bed Model Bottom Fitted Top (flat) Small Youth Floating Bed (6’) Queen Twin or Double Large Youth Floating Bed (6’6”) Eastern King any depth pocket Double or Queen Queen Floating Bed (7’4”) Eastern King 12” or more pocket Queen or King King Floating Bed (8’) Eastern King 15” -18” pocket King
If you use sheets, but do not have our round memory foam mattress, and wish to use the Hoop/Cascade Line “tuck-in feature” to hold the sheets in place,
Floating Bed Queen size: use King flat for bottom, Queen Flat for top sheet (or use King flat, although it’s a little bit extra wide)
Floating Bed King size: use King flat sheet for bottom, King flat for top sheet.
Preface
Nut # Nut #3, lock washer, thick washer Top Beam or Plate Nut #2, washer eye bolt lateral blocking brace
Ceiling Trim Ring Nut #1, ideally, between eye and trim eye bolt /Hanging Ring
OR (3 alternate Hanging Ring methods): Under Ceiling Mounting Plate, custom, with Hanging Ring, bolt or welded
OR Angle Iron or plate, bolt to side of joist
OR wall-to-wall exposed Add-a-Beam
Carabiner 32 Cascade lines (standard, other options)
hoop (4 options: 6’, 6’6”, 7’ 4”, or 8’ dia.) 4 or 6 tube sections, stainless steel Two hinge ends, 2 or 4 insert joint ends 8 or 12 net attachment tabs
Two hinge collars Four hinge pin bolts & nuts Four locking bolts & nuts Four hinge stiffening inserts (internal) 4-6 insert joint locking bolts & nuts
(optional) Fabric hoop cover, with Hoop foam (bump absorber foam)
net net knot row (where ends tie together)
2 - 8 Weights (optional) under the net Net attachment rope (spiral wrap) Cascade Line attachment rope net weave stay 1/8” (anti-unravel cords) 16 cord locks Net safety rope (“X” ropes under net) Tether option; rope + elastic shock cord Tether floor attachment (Pad Eye)
Top Plate, perpendicular to joists
Not to scale
Typical ceiling, cross-section / side view
Typical ceiling, cross-section / side view
Preface
pat. pend.
Angle Iron in attic: 2 sections overlap, above joists
Add-a-Beam: Below the ceiling mounting method.
4” square steel tube, attached to side walls. OK, the blue is a bit extreme; you could paint it brown and it looks much like a wood beam.
Installing the Hanging Ring Chapter 1.
Installing the Hanging Ring
Homeowner and installer: please read this document entirely and carefully.
To the homeowner: We require that this installation is done by a professional carpenter, familar and experienced in home building and remodeling. Although installing the Floating Bed is not rocket science, you must get a carpenter who you can trust. We are available to give as much advice as he will take, but since we are not at the site, the actual installation is your responsibility, and a matter between you and your installer. If possible get these instructions to the installer beforehand, so he can come to the site better prepared. Spend some time discussing the installation and your preferences with him. Expect him to spend some time thinking and planning, and making 2- trips to the hardware store. An installer on the site looking everything over is your best prepa- ration for a good installation. If the two of you wish, we can supply additional hardware, even fabricated or welded brackets if necessary, but we will need to have an idea of what you need. You may want to make drawings or photos of the room, and sketches and dimensions of pro- posed hardware, especially if you want our help with that. Two more points: Landlords, don’t worry. After the installation, the ceiling will be stronger than it was before. If your tenant moves, the hardware can be removed with minor effort to restore the ceiling to the way it looked originally.
To the installer: This document is a brief set of guidelines that may help you, a construction professional, save time in deciding how to create a secure attachment point for the Top Ring of the Floating Bed. It assumes that you are installing the bed in a structurally sound building, deck, etc. We will not be at the installation site, and ultimately the safety of the installation is your responsibility. Remember that the safety of all future occupants of the Floating Bed will depend on your installation, so do it right. We recommend that you call us (at 888 528 6031 x103, central time zone) before starting, for more detail. Also, we would appreciate a call after you finish, to tell us how your installation went, how these instructions could be improved, and what else you encountered or used that we can tell future installers about. We check our voice mail outside work hours when possible, so call at any time and leave a message with callback #. If you give us your contact information (phone # and/or email) we can update you on future information, and put you in our files as an experienced installer for your area for future customers.
Installation Materials & Tools. Because your approach to mounting the Floating Bed’s Hanging Ring or Eye Bolt will depend on the room, we do not supply hardware for this purpose unless you special order it from us. You will need some type of mounting ring, typically a long 3/4” Eye Bolt. It must be a forged eye, ideally threaded all the way, and long enough to span the ceiling sheet rock, joists, top & bottom plates, & nuts. This usually takes an eye bolt that is 12 - 18” , so measure first. Our optional ceiling trim kit contains an 18” all-thread eye bolt, a stiff Ceiling Trim Ring, nuts & washers. It may save you some trouble finding this hardware. You may need other bolts, nuts, washers, lock nuts, plates, lumber, wood screws, etc. You will need a ladder and tools such as a drill, saw, level, hand tools, wrenches, etc. You may have cus- tom metal plates or other hardware welded or fabricated, locally or by us. Call for details.
Chapter 1.
Though we don’t emphasize it, some owners have been happy with Floating Beds installed in rooms which were only 2’ wider than the bed (9’ 6” wide wall separation) in one direction. (They orient the doors to enter so the bed swings in the long room direction.) So there is no cut- and-dried answer to required space. It is normal to have questions about room size and swing distance. Do yourself a favor; feel free to call us for advice. Our Pre-Installation Guide has more advice on this topic.
Floating Bed Entry Doors - Opening Orientation The ceiling eye bolt you install must be oriented so the Floating Bed doors open in the desired direction. The bed’s 2 door openings will be in the same direction as the hole in the eye bolt. (If you are looking thru the bolt’s eye, you will be looking thru the 2 bed doors.) Most users locate the bed’s door openings on the right & left side (3 & 9 o’clock), thus the head & foot are on the top & bottom (i.e. 12 and 6 o’clock). However, some users prefer the main door opening at the foot of the bed. Think about this, and call us for advice if you are unsure.
The ceiling area that you attach to (spread the load over) must be capable of supporting 2000 lbs continuously, without sagging, or cracking sheet rock. This is not as hard to achieve as many homeowners think. The best installations require big wood members, or steel if you want to go for it. (Steel is great but will require precise cutting and drilling, so plan ahead.)
Read all 4 methods; you may find advice in one that applies to another that you choose.
If there is access to the attic, or an unused area or room above the Floating Bed room, then put a beam of wood or steel on top of the ceiling joists, to attach the Top Ring/Eye Bolt to.
Wood: Depending on the joists, a “top plate” or beam of 6” x 6” or 4” x 12” wood or similar, can be attached on top of the joists, and perdendicular to them. Thicker is better (if joists are springy, etc). It should be very stiff, because if it bends, the bed will actually be supported mainly by the 2 joists in the middle. Of course you must make sure that the ceiling joists are structurally capable of supporting the weight of the bed & occupants, without cracking the rock. Then it’s a simple matter of spreading the weight over enough area to support the load.
Steel: This makes for the best installation, but it may take more effort (to drill). Steel is not essential, unless the distances are long or there are other problems. 4” x 1/4” angle iron (or thicker) is ideal. It can be cut (for easy handling & attic insertion) and bolted together with 2’ - 3’ overlap in the critical, weaker center area. 1/4” x 3” square steel tube or larger also works.
Across the Joists: If possible, the top plate should span (and rest on) the two opposing load- bearing walls, or come close. Then you don’t have to worry about ceiling strength. If this is not possible, but the ceiling joists are 2” x 6” built to code, on 16” centers, and they are solid, with-
Installing the Hanging Ring
out any significant bounce or “give,” then your top plate should span at least 6 joists (or ideally more). If you find weaker joists, or have any doubt about the strength of the ceiling to support 2000 lbs, without sagging, then span more joists, or tie in to additional structural members.
Parallel to the Joists: You can also add a joist, or else reinforce an existing joist, to span between the opposing side walls. Size it according to span tables to hold 2000 lbs with 1/4” flex maximum. 4” x 3/8” (or thicker) angle iron is best, or 4” x .25” wall square steel tube or chan- nel is usually enough. Place it adjacent to an existing joist, and bolt them together with several 1/2” bolts & washers. Steel 3/8” flat strip is usually ok too, but you must create a way (weld- ed thick flange, etc) to attach the 3/4” eye bolt to it. The steel should be long enough to reach the supporting walls, or come within 6”, on both ends.
Plan to insert a 3/4” eye bolt, from below, up through the ceiling. It must be long enough to pass through the bottom Trim Ring, ceiling sheet rock, the ceiling joists, and through your top plate / angle iron / etc, and still allows for 2 nuts and a large washer on top of the top plate. Also put a nut on the eye bolt below the top plate, so you can cinch the bolt tightly, so it can’t wobble, and so it will not rotate freely. Use washers and lock washers liberally. Make sure the two top nuts are cinched down to each other very firmly, and lock washers are below the two top nuts and the washer above the top plate. This eye bolt needs to be at least 12” long, and often even longer, in order to span the distance. An 18” bolt will work in nearly any ceiling.
To prevent bolt wobble, noise, & other problems, you should mount a stiff Ceiling Trim Ring/plate below the ceiling. Ideally this Trim Ring should be 6”x 6” or so, round or square, with a 3/4” hole in the center (the diameter of your eye bolt shaft). The Trim Ring can be made of 1/8” steel, 1/4” Aluminum, 1/2” Masonite, 3/4” hardwood, or other material. It should look good (rounded edges, painted white or to match the ceiling, etc.). Also, install a lateral blocking brace between the 2 ceiling joists as shown in the drawing.
Our Ceiling Trim kit : For simplicity buy it to save you some trouble, unless you have a better plan. It has a 3/4” x 18” all-threaded Eye Bolt, 6” round Ceiling Trim Ring, nuts & washers.
The correct tightening order for the nuts (see drawing pg #5 for detail):
a. Tighten the the lower nut above the top plate (Nut #3) in the attic first, to pull the Hanging Ring and Trim Ring up to 1/8” - 1/4” below the ceiling sheet rock. You must have someone watching below, to be sure you do not pull it up too far, and risk cracking the ceiling.
b. Tighten the topmost nut (Nut #4) down to Nut #3, very tightly to lock Nuts #4 & 3 together.
c. Tighten the Nut #2 below the top plate, very tightly so the eye bolt cannot rotate at all, ever. During this step, you must orient the eye ring opening so the Floating Bed’s doors open in the desired direction (as explained earlier).
d. Last, tighten (elevate) the bottom Nut #1 to hold the Ceiling Trim Ring up against the ceiling. It should be in contact, but not so tight as to risk cracking the sheet rock. This will clamp the Trim Ring up against the ceiling sheet rock. This will keep the eye bolt immovable and quiet, because the ceiling and joists will be “sandwiched” between the Top Plate / beam & the Ceiling Trim Ring; the eye bolt clamps it all together.
Installing the Hanging Ring
Steel Bottom Plate: Use a thick steel plate for strength and the best looking results. Weld a ring to it, or drill for an Eye Bolt. Span 6 or more joists, or better yet go from wall to wall. For examples, consider 3/4” x 6” strip , or 3/8” x 12” plate (both are 15 lb/ft). You can surface mount the bottom plate, or remove some ceiling sheet rock to flush mount it; then it can be painted and feathered in to match the ceiling. (We can fabricate this steel bottom plate if you want.) Flat stock will bend if it is long, so the thicker it is the better. Much better: if 4” angle iron, channel, or other steel “shape” is acceptable, the vertical leg(s) will minimize sagging, and you get far more strength with lighter material.
Wood Bottom Plate: Otherwise, if you have ceiling joists of 2”x 6” on 16” centers and they are very sound, then a 2” thick very high grade plywood bottom plate, 88” + long (to span at least 6 ceiling joists) and 24” or more wide, may be sufficient. Drill it for a 1/2” or 3/4” Eye Bolt, 4” - 6” long, near the center or correct location. Place a large thin metal plate and a washer above the wood, & a washer below the wood, to reinforce the hole for the Eye Bolt. However, since wood will bend more and is less certain than steel, you must verify that it will support the weight, that your attachment means are sound, and you have covered enough area. If in doubt, make it bigger, thicker, etc.
For Steel or Wood Bottom Plates: You should first roughly locate the joists with a good studfinder or other means. After that, make small exploratory holes on each side of each ceiling joist so you know absolutely exactly where the centers are. Then drill small pilot holes into each joist, checking to be sure that they are strong. (In fact, since you will be covering the ceiling with the plate anyway, we recommend that you open up some sheet rock and carefully inspect the condition of the joists.) Once the joist locations are exactly measured, then drill through your bottom plate to match the joist locations & pilot holes absolute dead center, and use sufficient quality, size & head size, and number of structural wood screws (i.e., Ziptips) to attach your bottom plate to the ceiling joists.
Some rooms may have a beam or other large framing member which is exposed and in an ideal location. Metalwork can bolt or lag screw directly to (or between) such beams. A properly designed thick plate, angle iron, or structural shape, correctly bolted to an existing beam, can look nice and actually strengthen the beam, which is the goal. It should have a welded Top Ring, or flange for it, for hanging the bed. Since there are many variations on this method, call for advice. We can design it for your local welder, or we can make it. (Also, see photos page #6.) You may install an eye bolt through a large beam as well, but this is not recommended; consid- er carefully whether the eye bolt hole could weaken the beam.
A fourth method, an indoor stand for rooms with ceilings less than 10’, is under development and almost ready. Call if you are interested. Otherwise, our outdoor stand may work indoors for you, if you have a large room, and if the ceiling is 10’ or higher.
Installing the Hanging Ring
Call for details on the hoist. We always discuss that first on the phone.
Adding the tether can absolutely limit the swinging of the bed. Adding weight with the weight kit, will reduce both the swinging and tilt behavior somewhat. In scientific language, we say the damping (tether) and inertia (weight) are fully adjustable. Practically speaking, that means you can adjust the way the bed feels and moves to your taste. So allow as much swing space as possible, and simply add the tether or weight if desired.
Tethering the Bed With the tether, you can absolutely limit the swing distance to any practical size you want. Tethering will take some ingenuity and experimenting to limit the motion just the right way for your space. Experiment with the tether as follows. Fashion one end of it from strong rope, and tie the end of that to a shorter piece (4” - 6” or so, plus the knots) of large size shock cord. This will allow the bed to swing completely free, until the short shock cord engages and stops it.
Tie the rope end to the center of the rope safety “x” brace under the bed, where the ropes cross and tie together. Attach the other (shock cord) end to a pad eye, on the floor below the bed. If the pad eye is centered under the bed, the swinging will be equally limited in all directions. If the pad eye is located off center, it will limit swing in the opposite direction, and the bed will swing more freely toward the pad. (See dwg pg #5: with pad eye to the left, the bed swings far left, not so far to the right.)
Some people may object to attaching the tether’s pad eye to the floor, even though it is under the bed. In that case, a very heavy weight, like 2 - 4 sand bags, with a non-sliding bottom surface or mat may be used instead of a permanent floor attachment. However, be aware that this weight may slide if too much swinging force occurs. You can use this for testing tether locations temporarily too.
A more complex tether can be made which will limit swinging in one direction while allowing somewhat more swinging at right angles to the swing-limited direction. This is done by anchoring a rope, cable, or small diameter pipe to the floor, oriented so it is running lengthwise in the direction that you want to have greater swing distance. Attach the top of the tether to the “X” rope below the bed as above. Attach the bottom end of the elastic tether to a round cylindrical object that surrounds the floor-anchored line or pipe, and is capable of sliding on it without binding or appreciable friction. However, this can get a bit “tweaky” if not done just right. Or, a tether can be attached to the hoop itself, which will allow the bed to swing toward the tether, but not as far away from it, or in the opposite direction. It will also prevent the bed from rotating.
Installing the Hanging Ring
do not provide nearly as much swing space (between the legs).
The 4-pod is easy to build, and relatively inexpensive. We sell a welded steel Top Connector Bracket, with four open sockets. You simply buy four desired lengths of 4”x4” lumber locally (we often recommend 16’ long legs, but any length between 14’ - 20’ is great). They will cost you about $80-$100 per length in Grade A wood. Finish them as desired, insert them into the sockets, screw in 4 keeper screws, and you have your 4-legged stand. It is quick to set up, but it’s best to have 2 people when you put it up. (The separate stand manual describes the stand and set up.) With our standard 45° top angles, the “ground footprint” will be a square, the same size as the length of the legs (14’ - 20’ square) but we can custom make other top angles. You can calculate the size yourself, or call us for a discussion about which angle and leg length best suits your available yard space, your intended hanging height, and swing distance.
We also have Aluminum Stands if you want that look, or absolute long life / no maintenance. Our lightweight portable Aluminum stand legs collapse to 8’ sections for those who want portability. It weighs about 150 lbs, and can be set up in less than an hour (after you do it once to learn how). We have a heavier non-telescoping Aluminum Stand for permanent or commercial use.
We also have open weave shade sails, and rainproof Top Caps & Side Sunshades which attach to the 4-pod legs to make the bed more comfortable in direct sunlight or rain. (These options are easier to implement on the stand than in a tree.)
We also have other options now available (such as the tent), or soon to be available. Call for details or with your suggestions.
Contact Us We want to hear back from you, so we can provide the best product and service. We also offer a $100 cash rebate for new customer referrals (if they purchase a bed directly from us), after you install the unit. We also offer up to $50. if you submit ideas, uses, or improve- ments we accept and use, or photos we use. This applies to installers, as well as users. To qualify, please call for complete details on both of these offers.
Thanks, John Huff or Jerrie Noyes 641 472 6651
Installing the Hanging Ring:
