Can someone offer some suggestions for a strange request?

misty8723

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Trying to help my sister. She has a space that is approximately 39" L, 35-36" H, 12.5" deep that she wants to put something solid in like a cabinet of some sort. We have both been looking and not coming up with anything. It doesn't have to be a cabinet, what she needs is something by her bed that she can lean up against when she's sitting up in bed. There's no headboard and she doesn't want something she would have to assemble.

Like I said, strange request, but we've been wracking our brains and coming up with nothing.
 

Caspers Human

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What about a large block of foam rubber?

There are a couple of companies in the town where I live which sell foam in large blocks like the size of a mattress. For a price, they can sell you a block of foam that is whatever size you need. They also have different types of foam, ranging from soft and spongy to a harder, denser product that's almost like plastic. If you need to have compartments like shelves inside, they can fabricate what you need if you provide them with accurate drawings with dimensions.

Years ago, I used to work in a theater as a stage manager. We would occasionally build large props out of foam because it's light and easy to manage on stage when you have to be able to quickly change the scenery between acts. We would call a local company and order a large block of foam then cut it down to look like a large rock or boulder then paint it to make it look realistic.

It was funny when, during rehearsals, the stage hands would pick up these huge stage pieces and act like they were Superman, carrying a big, giant boulder! :D

Apply a little bit of "Google-Fu" and search for "Foam Fabricators" in your area. I already did a bit of searching, myself, and I think that there might be one or two places in your area that can supply what you need.
 

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Usually on a bedframe there are holes to attach a headboard, and you can get simple ones for $50-100 new . That is really the simplest and easiest way of getting something to sit up in bed and lean on. If you don’t mind thrift shopping or even shopping on Facebook marketplace you can pick a nice one up for $25 or so. Bolt it on to the frame and it’s done.
 

vansX2

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Trying to help my sister. She has a space that is approximately 39" L, 35-36" H, 12.5" deep that she wants to put something solid in like a cabinet of some sort. We have both been looking and not coming up with anything. It doesn't have to be a cabinet, what she needs is something by her bed that she can lean up against when she's sitting up in bed. There's no headboard and she doesn't want something she would have to assemble.

Like I said, strange request, but we've been wracking our brains and coming up with nothing.
Have you ever thought if a Murphy Table? This is a table that is attached to a wall that folds down. Beneath the wood top is a metal frame. They are available in many widths. There are several vendors in Etsy that carry them.
 

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Going off the deep end: secret bookcase, secret sliding panel, a vault, time capsule….
 

Caspers Human

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think it was house of fabrics or one of those fabric stores my mom loved going to for sewing stuff that sold big blocks of foam you could cut to size
Good idea! :)

I thought that she said that she didn't want to do any assembling so I suggested a place that could do it for you but, yes, if you don't mind a little DIY, you could get it from a fabric store. JoAnn Fabrics might have it. :)
 
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misty8723

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What about a large block of foam rubber?

There are a couple of companies in the town where I live which sell foam in large blocks like the size of a mattress. For a price, they can sell you a block of foam that is whatever size you need. They also have different types of foam, ranging from soft and spongy to a harder, denser product that's almost like plastic. If you need to have compartments like shelves inside, they can fabricate what you need if you provide them with accurate drawings with dimensions.

Years ago, I used to work in a theater as a stage manager. We would occasionally build large props out of foam because it's light and easy to manage on stage when you have to be able to quickly change the scenery between acts. We would call a local company and order a large block of foam then cut it down to look like a large rock or boulder then paint it to make it look realistic.

It was funny when, during rehearsals, the stage hands would pick up these huge stage pieces and act like they were Superman, carrying a big, giant boulder! :D

Apply a little bit of "Google-Fu" and search for "Foam Fabricators" in your area. I already did a bit of searching, myself, and I think that there might be one or two places in your area that can supply what you need.
We actually did think of foam but it has to be something that won't squish down if leaned on. I didn't realize you could get harder ones. I will definitely been checking google. Thanks for the suggestion!

I did find something called something like large leggo for adults that you could construct things with but I didn't see a place to buy any.
 
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misty8723

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Usually on a bedframe there are holes to attach a headboard, and you can get simple ones for $50-100 new . That is really the simplest and easiest way of getting something to sit up in bed and lean on. If you don’t mind thrift shopping or even shopping on Facebook marketplace you can pick a nice one up for $25 or so. Bolt it on to the frame and it’s done.
We could easily get a nice headboard for not much, but she doesn't think she could manage attaching it by herself. I should explain that she is caregiver for our 93 year old father and doesn't want to have people like contractors coming in if she can help it due to covid (and just plain colds and flu). The friends who would come in to help her have not been vaccinated, so she prefers they don't come in either. The partner of her landlord's daughter would do it, but he is so busy with his work he might not get to it for months. I would do it if I lived nearby or could get up there to visit, but sadly that's not happening any time soon. She had someone carry a bed downstairs for him because he has mobility issues and fell a couple times going up the stairs. But it's just a frame, box springs, and mattress. The guy who carried it down had some heart issues so he can't do stuff like that anymore. Our father likes to sit up in bed and play video games, and she will often sit and play them with him. However, right now he only has a chair to lean on and she has a box she stuck there that doesn't hold up for her. We'd like to find something more permanent. I have found some already assembled bookcases, but not quite the right dimensions.
 
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misty8723

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Have you ever thought if a Murphy Table? This is a table that is attached to a wall that folds down. Beneath the wood top is a metal frame. They are available in many widths. There are several vendors in Etsy that carry them.
Unfortunately, I doubt she would be able to attach something like that to a wall, and it actually has to be more solid than a table, but thank you. I'll look at what they are like.
 
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misty8723

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think it was house of fabrics or one of those fabric stores my mom loved going to for sewing stuff that sold big blocks of foam you could cut to size
Thanks. I'll check fabric stores. I've seen blocks of foam but I need something that won't squish down if leaned on.
 

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Check into sofa tables that sit behind a sofa. I have found a lot of skinny tall tables/chests at Amazon and other sites, but almost all require being put together. You could go to a furniture store, but the cost would be a lot more than ordering online and hiring someone to put it together for you. I hope you find something!
 

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I was going to suggest styrofoam. My husband is a stucco contractor and they come in many sizes. I’d pass on the company info he orders from but they only sell in bulk but I’m sure you can find a place online.
 

Caspers Human

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If your "headrest" only needs to be twelve inches thick, you could make it out of blue, foam insulation panels.
The stuff comes in sheets, 48" x 96" in thicknesses up to 2". You can cut it with a utility knife and it can be glued together with contact adhesive.

Cut several layers in the shapes you need then glue them together, face to face, using contact adhesive until you have a block of foam that is the size and shape you want. Next, get a sheet of soft foam and glue that on for the top layer. Cover that with a fabric of your choosing to make it look nice and easier to clean.

The only problem I see is time and expense. You can, certainly, go to Home Depot and get all the stuff needed to make my idea or whatever other idea you decide on but somebody is going to have to go to the store, buy the materials, haul them home and fabricate the thing. By the time you get done with all that, you probably could have paid somebody to do it for you or else you could have bought a ready-made solution.

If you are worried about contractors or handymen coming to your home, bringing COVID or some other illness, it is certainly within your rights to ask them to show you proof that they have all their immunization shots up to date. The place where I work requires all its workers to either show proof of immunization or to stay six feet back and wear a mask at all times. We also have to get temperature scans every time we come to work, each day, and to wear a special sticker on our employee badges.

There's no reason why you can't tell the person(s) you hire that there is an elderly resident at risk of being harmed by COVID, etc., and that you need anybody who comes into your house to be vaccinated and to show that they don't have any signs of illness.

If you talk to a contractor/handyman who balks at the idea, just tell them, "Sorry... Deal breaker!"

You probably don't want to do business with somebody like that, anyhow. If they aren't willing to show you a simple piece of paper to demonstrate that they have their shots, ask yourself what else they will or won't be willing to do.
 
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misty8723

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I was going to suggest styrofoam. My husband is a stucco contractor and they come in many sizes. I’d pass on the company info he orders from but they only sell in bulk but I’m sure you can find a place online.
Thanks! I'm going to discuss this option with her later. I already sent her a couple links
If your "headrest" only needs to be twelve inches thick, you could make it out of blue, foam insulation panels.
The stuff comes in sheets, 48" x 96" in thicknesses up to 2". You can cut it with a utility knife and it can be glued together with contact adhesive.

Cut several layers in the shapes you need then glue them together, face to face, using contact adhesive until you have a block of foam that is the size and shape you want. Next, get a sheet of soft foam and glue that on for the top layer. Cover that with a fabric of your choosing to make it look nice and easier to clean.

The only problem I see is time and expense. You can, certainly, go to Home Depot and get all the stuff needed to make my idea or whatever other idea you decide on but somebody is going to have to go to the store, buy the materials, haul them home and fabricate the thing. By the time you get done with all that, you probably could have paid somebody to do it for you or else you could have bought a ready-made solution.

If you are worried about contractors or handymen coming to your home, bringing COVID or some other illness, it is certainly within your rights to ask them to show you proof that they have all their immunization shots up to date. The place where I work requires all its workers to either show proof of immunization or to stay six feet back and wear a mask at all times. We also have to get temperature scans every time we come to work, each day, and to wear a special sticker on our employee badges.

There's no reason why you can't tell the person(s) you hire that there is an elderly resident at risk of being harmed by COVID, etc., and that you need anybody who comes into your house to be vaccinated and to show that they don't have any signs of illness.

If you talk to a contractor/handyman who balks at the idea, just tell them, "Sorry... Deal breaker!"

You probably don't want to do business with somebody like that, anyhow. If they aren't willing to show you a simple piece of paper to demonstrate that they have their shots, ask yourself what else they will or won't be willing to do.
Definitely way more than my sister is up to, and she told me yesterday she tried styrofoam and it didn't work. But I don't know how she did it. I told her to stack them together vertically and put something more solid in front of them, but I don't know if that would work either. If I could get up there, I would just buy a headboard and help her attach it. As for expense, that's what I'm here for -- definitely not rich, but she's doing all the work caring for him. Least I can do is provide some material support.

As for the covid thing, that's her concern and not just since covid. If anyone has a cold, or anything else, sinus infection, flu, whatever she tells them to stay away. I'm pretty sure she does have contractors who come in wear masks, but like I said, it's just her. I've offered to pay for people to come in and do this, that, or the next thing and it's always I don't want them coming in here - so, can't force her, even if it is like banging my head against a brick wall sometimes. One time I went to let the electrician in, looked out the window, and he was standing there with a mask in his hand. I motioned for him to put the mask on before I let him in, so I don't think it's an issue with most contractors.
 

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Cheap bookcase behind the head of the bed. Remember that a lot of it will be hidden by the height of the bed, so allow for enough of the bookcase to show above that.
 
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misty8723

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Cheap bookcase behind the head of the bed. Remember that a lot of it will be hidden by the height of the bed, so allow for enough of the bookcase to show above that.
I have been looking for a bookcase that fits those dimensions. I figured that would be a perfect solution if I can find one.
 
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