Need help with King Size bed plans

[Bobby O'Neal]

In laying out the frame for a king size bed, I see the standard mattress size is 76x80. To double check, i tacked some 8' 2x2s together making a mock dimension of the box spring (box springs, as ours is two pieces) and I came out 1/2" proud in each adjacent side. That is to say, the width sides were 76.25" and 76.75" and the length sides were 79.75" and 79.25".

So I am wondering if there is a good standard frame size to build with and how much play room should I leave? Thanks

Bobby

[Brett Bobo]

Bobby,
I'm almost finished with building a double bed and have yet to purchase the mattress for it. Like you, I found standard dimensions as a go-by but pulled the true dimensions from the mattress and/or box spring itself. I'm not sure why you're coming up with a 1/2" difference but my rule of thumb was to add 3/4" per side for a total of 1 1/2" for the length and width. That yield a comfortable gap between the inside edge of the bed frame and outside of the bedding, which was approximated, but not enough to be an eye soar. You'll probably get varying opinions on this as it's more of a matter of preference or based on the final setup with bedding thickness accounted for.

Hope this helps,
Brett