History of Double Headboards

Today you will hardly ever see a queen or king sized mattress with box springs set up as an antique bed. Almost everyone wants the standard setting which can be double size with double headboards.

Back in the day about a hundred or so years ago, before the invention of fitted sheets, the bed and mattress’s exact size wasn’t so important. In fact, average height was significantly much lower, and beds could exist in any size with home-made mattresses or feather beds.

By the 1890′s, man-made bedding was created, making the standard double with double headboards or full size about 72″ x 52.” The smaller older beds are called “three-quarter” by antique dealers, even though they can vary from size to size. Even more complicating are European beds, which are made using completely different measurements.

The main problem now is how to increase the size of an antique bed so that it is a modern size desirable enough without changing the dimensions and look of the original.

More Information on Double Headboards

For many years cabinetmakers have done size conversions. Brown steel rails of standard size are used for either double/full or king/queen length. Then these rails are attached to the double headboards using bolts that reach securely and tightly through the headboard. At times a sturdy wood piece has to be added to provide a secure place for bolting the rails. For the footboard, a steel plate is attached, fitted with bolts that are welded-on. This addition is completed on the inside so that nothing shows on the very outside of the footboard. This also enables steel rails to stay attached on the inside without showing on the very outside as well. This makes it so that the bed can be set up or taken down over and over by unscrewing the bolts on each corner.

If you ever decide that you want to return your “converted” beds back to their original dimensions with their original rails, it is possible to remove the steel fittings without leaving behind visible damage.

Another factor to consider when deciding to use antique bed frames with modern standard bedding size is the thickness in the springs and mattresses. Many bedding stores like to sell “pillow-top” or thick mattresses that sometimes can cover too much of the double headboards and be too tall. If you want more of your double headboards to show, thinner mattresses as well as springs can be ordered from those same bedding stores. You want to measure the distance from the bed’s steel rails all the way up to the very top of the right size mattress to figure out what thickness is ideal before you order a new mattress. You want the final result to be just as planned, not different from what you expected.