Bed sizes

[michael gates]

Anyone know the proper dimensions for beds? Is there standard sizes for mattresses?

[Andrew Gibson]

http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltsettings/a/mattress_sizes.htm

I did a bit of searching as I am working on a bedroom set and am making a bed frame for a queen matress. I found several different sites that disclose matress sizes and found that all the sites agreed on size.

if you want piece of mind you can always go into a matress store and measure a few... it might be easier to measure the box spring.

[scott vroom]

Google "standard bed sizes". There's a wealth of info on the subject.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yes, there are standard sizes for mattresses. There are two more-interesting issues. One is the bed height. There are no standards, so you get to pick your own. Some folks like 'em tall, and some folks like 'em short. The other interesting issue is what supports the mattress. You can support it with a box spring, which I think is a more-common approach in the US. Or you can support it with wood -- slats or a sheet of plywood. I think this is a more-common approach in Europe. As far as I've ever been able to tell, the choice is just a question of which you prefer. Me, I like the wood approach.

[Dan Rude]

We just purchased a California King, using a box spring with the pillow top and 7.5" standard frame it is at table height or 30" total. I plan on making a bed frame for it and lowering it about 3".
The best advice would be to decide on the type of mattress and the box spring option you plan on using. Good Luck.
Dan

[Paul Girouard]

Good advice , buy the mattress and box spring first , height is what can change dramatically , width and lenght is standard for the different sizes , King , Ca. King , Queen , standard , twin etc, but with the "new" pillow top mattresses height can vary quite a bit.

So I'd agree with decide or purchase the set first, then build.

[Charles Wiggins]

Michael,

Worked in a bedroom furniture store for 2 1/2 years. If we're talking traditional beds, most mattress brands are slightly undersized, but not all are, so if you're designing a bed frame for the common market I would use the standard as an absolute MINIMUM clearance. If you are going to do a custom bed I would get the mattress set first, BUT bear in mind that set will need to be replaced at some point. With water beds the sizes are usually dead on the standard.

Another important tip: Queens and kings need some sort of support underneath the center of the bed. A lot of king bed designs have a center rail that runs head to foot and if it is beefy enough that may be sufficient. However, with a queen size it is common to have an adjustable leg the center of the middle slat. Me, personally, I put a leg in the center of three of the slats at the head, middle, and foot.

The "standard" sizes are as follows:
Twin (called 3-3) - 39" x 75"
Full (called 4-6) - 54" x 75"
Queen (called 5-0) - 60" x 80"
King (called 6-6) - 78" x 80" (In my experience most brands are actually ~76". Also note the kings come with two foundations that are 38"-39" wide)

Common odd sizes:
Twin XL - 39" x 80"
3/4 bed - 48" x 75" (these vary even more than the standard sizes)
California King - 72" x 84"

Standard water bed sizes:
Super single - 48" x 80"
Queen - 60" x 80"
King - 72" x 80"

[Jamie Buxton]

Jeff Miller wrote a good book about making beds. It is called Beds, from Taunton Press. $16 on Amazon. He provides a lot of background information about beds and woodworking (including mattress sizes), and then goes into making specific beds. He has nine different beds, with drawings and construction details. Some of them are complex, and some are more simple. Even if you design your own, it is a good read, with lots of ideas to lift.

[Greg Cuetara]

One thing to keep in mind is that the old 'Box Springs' are really no longer. Typically now they have 'foundations' which has taken the place of the old box spring and more so takes a frame and makes it a solid surface. You will have to look at the specific mattress but if it is a king or queen then you really need a flat solid surface. Mattresses are also mostly one sided now so no need to flip them.

I just made a bed frame and I did use fir and plywood to make the frame so no expensive hardwood but the cost in materials was actually much less than the cost of the 'foundation' so I ended up saving money. But my point is that you can save money and not buy the foundation and build a nice bed frame with a plywood surface.

I ended up building the bed frame kinda like a deck, used 2x8's for the rails and 2x4's for the 'joists', also i put a double 2x4 down the middle because i have a king bed and didn't really want it to move around at all. All in all I am very happy with the frame.
Good luck,
Greg