Futon questions

[hedgehog]

So, I'm thinking of replacing the couches with futons so i can wash the covers every week and sweep under them to get rid of all the dog hair. My daughter gave us a futon frame she salvaged from the dump heap after all the students left the university last summer. I'd swear that the futons I saw in the store had a good 1' clearance beneath them and more or less a flat seat with a perpendicular back. The seat on the salvaged futon frame drops from the front to the back so that your knees are higher than your butt. Accordingly, the frame only has about a 2" floor clearance at the back. Is this typical or was this the reason the frame was discarded?

[Warpy]

1. It's a typical design. Most of them didn't have much clearance

and the butt lower than the knees is much more comfortable than a flat seat would be.

I've used futons for both beds and sofas for years. My lack of backaches in the morning have made me a total convert.

[displacedtexan]

2. Futon mattresses are extremely heavy and difficult to deal with.

I learned this the hard way. I'll never own another one.

Almost all of my furniture has legs now (Queen Anne or Chippendale): easy to clean under, and
easily slipcovered.