Queen Size Headboard/Footboard to King Size?

[Richard Amabile]

My son and his wife have a queen sized bed that is part of a set they purchased about 10 years ago. They want to move up to a king sized bed but the manufacturer no longer makes this set. Can I enlarge the headboard/footboard/sideboards to make it into a king? I think it means adding about 6 inches to each side of the headboard and footboard. I have attached a few pictures he sent me of the joints for the headboard and footboard for reference.
If anyone has done this or has ideas on how to do it I would appreciate the input. It looks like it would be quite difficult.

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[Jamie Buxton]

You need one of those famous board stretchers.

In theory what you suggest might be possible, but it will be quite challenging. Let's assume that the bed is well built. That is, the joints are glued together well with modern glue. You won't be able to take them apart without destroying something. So your expansion job includes the job of repairing or reproducing whatever you destroyed to get the joints apart. Even if you could get the joints apart without breaking anything, what are you going to fill the one-foot gap with? It'd have to match the existing furniture, in style, in color, and even in finish sheen. All in all, you'd be better off building a new headboard and footboard from scratch, or just buying a new bed.

[Jamie Buxton]

Well, here is a different approach, which might be possible depending on the bed style. You cut both the footboard and the headboard in the middle. The parting line is vertical, right at the center of each one. You devise something to fill the gap. Maybe it is a panel of wood that's a foot wide and a little taller than the existing piece. Maybe it is carved or decorated or something. Maybe it is a contrasting wood; you'd save yourself a lot of "matching" headaches that way. You devise some way to join the existing pieces to the filler piece -- maybe loose tenons. You glue the whole thing back together and varnish the filler piece.

[Rusty Eads]

That would be my idea, rather than change the existing joints add a decorative middle to the headboard and footboard

[scott vroom]

You didn't include any pictures of the entire foot board/head board so it's difficult to say whether cutting down the middle and inserting a filler would look good or is even feasible. You'd have the problem of matching the wood/stain/finish, although with patience you could probably come close. I guess if the alternative is buying a new bed frame then you have nothing to lose in trying this method.

[Richard Amabile]

Scott:

I emailed my son to send me some pictures of the entire headboard and footboard. I will post them here when they arrive. Thanks for the initial thoughts. Matching the stain and finish will be a real issue for me since I have tried to do this on other pieces of furniture and it is an art that I have not mastered.

Scott/Group:

Here are some pictures of the headboard and foot board. Looking at them it seems like it might be difficult to insert that one foot section in the middle of each. I might be able to do it. But, I am not quite sure how to make it look right. My son seems to think that the fan on the headboard is screwed on by screws from the back. But, I would still worry that it is also glued.
Any thoughts on how to make this into a king sized bed would help. I like the idea of inserting a panel and so does he. But, seeing the unit makes me wonder exactly how it can be done and still look good. I know that finishing will still be an issue. But, it should be a lot less expensive and less time consuming than building/buying another bed or refinishing the entire thing.

[Jon Toebbe]

Rather than trying to match the existing finish, you may do better to match grain/wood species as best you can, strip the old finish off and completely refinish the bed.

[Richard Amabile]

Bump to get new input with additional pictures.