As most of you know…the largest size iron bed being made back in the 1800’s, was a double size. So when someone wants a larger size, and still wants to use an antique iron beds, it becomes necessary to convert that original double size in one of a couple different ways.
When converting your bed to a Queen Size…….you actually have two options. The first and by far easiest and least costly is a side rail length conversion. Although the difference in size between the double and the modern queen is both in length and width……the width difference is so negligible that you can just have the side rail length done and let the slight width difference hang over on both sides. Once a dust ruffle and quilt are on the bed, the width difference is not noticeable. But because a queen mattress is 80″ long and a double size is 75″, 5″ have to be welded into the siderails to accommodate the length difference.
The second way to convert a double size to a modern queen is by cutting into the head and foot board and adding additional vertical rods and horizontal pieces to achieve the width difference, along with the length. This is a much more involved conversion and is done in the same manner a king conversion is done.
The photo I’ve included here is of the original double size and then the same bed after it was cut apart and the additional pieces have been curved and welded back together.
The second photo is after the bed was converted and sandblasted, ready for paint. The third photo is of the bed after the first few paint steps have been done. There are still two more steps that need to be done to give it an antique look. Those are burnt umber acrylic washes to give the new paint an aged look. There will also be a minor amount of subtle chipping done to give a natural aged look. Any bed that is still around after 150 to 200 years is going to have a normal amount of wear and tare that needs to be mimicked if the finish is going to look authentic. The thing that brings a bed conversion to life is an authentic looking finish.
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.
I also invite you to take a look at our company Face Book page for multiple photo albums on Custom Finishes, Canopy Conversions and a comprehensive “Before & After” King Conversions album.
Cathouse Antique Iron Be#B1BE56
