The process of assembling or repairing a bed, particularly when it involves affixing bed rails with hooks, can be one of the most straightforward tasks related to home furniture. However, difficulties may arise when introducing an antique bed to your bedroom, as you may not always have the original side rails on hand. Furthermore, during the dismantling process for moving, bed rails can often be lost or damaged and therefore require special care. In this discussion, we’ll delve deeper into understanding how to fabricate bed rails with hooks that can improve the security of your bed. Let’s dive in!
How To Make Bed Rails With Hooks
Typically bed rails are used as support to keep the bed frame strong and rigid while preventing the mattress from slipping off your bed. Usually, the rails are part of the design of the bed and are understated or exaggerated depending on your taste. Let’s get started and look at the basic steps you need to follow when you want to make bed rails with hooks to hold head and foot boards.
Step 1: Measure the Rail’s Box Frame
The very first step will be to measure the dimensions of your current rail frame if you want to replace damaged rails. Usually, it would be best to use a measuring tape (or an online ruler) starting from one side rails. The length of a rail is measured from the top edge of the rail to the bottom edge of the rail. On the other hand, the width is measured from the left edge to the far right edge of the rail. So you will need to know the width, length, and thickness of the side bed rails.
In addition to measuring the rail box frame, you will also need to measure your mattress length. For instance, a twin mattress is usually 39 inches wide by 75 inches long, a California king is 84 inches long, and a queen- or king-size mattress is 80 inches long. Therefore, the wooden side rails, commonly referred to as bed rails, need to be two to three inches longer than the mattress. This way, you will have extra space whenever you make the bed.
Step 2: Get a New Bed Rail that Matches the current rail.
With the dimensions of the current rail, you will need to purchase new rails that is made with durable materials to hold the mattress without a box spring and your weight. Here, you will pick the rail depending on what you are looking for; basically, a rail matching your bed would be ideal. Remember to check if the rails you go for have fasteners; if not, you could purchase them separately.
Step 3: Attach The Ends of Each Rail
The third set will safely use screws to secure the rails on the bedposts. This way, the side rails will remain attached to the footboard and headboard of your bed. The amazing thing is that most bed rails come with built-in hooks, so you need to make sure they match the size of your bed.
Step 4: Attach Center Supports
The last step would be to ensure that you attach the center support. You will find that some bed frames have side rails that are connected to the middle board rail to prevent the mattress from sagging. So the center supports will add extra mattress comfort and support while at the same time prolonging the warranty of the mattress.
Nevertheless, before getting the center support, you need to measure the width of the inner bed frame from side to side and the length of the center beam. The amazing bit is that most center support comes with a lifetime service policy, hook plates, and long warranty periods.
Types of Bed Rails
When replacing the rails of a bed, you will need to know the different options you can choose from. There are usually 3 main types; Bolt-on Sleigh Bed Rails, Bed Rails with Hooks, and Antique Wooden Bed Rails.
1. Bed Rails with Hooks
A bed with hooks usually comes with fasteners on the end of the rail. The fasteners usually slide into the headboard and footboard after securely locking the bed rails in place. Mostly these types of rails work best on wood beds. Purchasing rails that already have hoks will simplify your work, but you could also purchase the hooks separately.
2. Bolt-on Sleigh Bed Rails
The bolt-on sleigh bed rails usually connect to the head and footboard to form a sturdy frame for the bed. Typically the rails give support using bolt-on connection brackets, which enables them to accommodate most bolt-on headboards and footboards.
Bolt-on Sleigh Bed Rails are slightly different from the hook-on bed rails since they are a bit hard to install. Nevertheless, they provide more stability and are more durable.
3. Antique Wooden Bed Rails
The antique or vintage wooden bed rails are the most expensive and rare type compared to the Bolt-on Sleigh Bed Rails and Bed Rails with Hooks. in most cases, you will need to purchase these rails from the manufacturers directly.
The advantage is that most of them are durable and quite heavy, meaning they can accommodate heavy people. However, due to the build of these rails, you may need a couple of people to replace the rails or even move the bed around without damaging them.
When Should I Replace the Bed Rails?
If your bed rails are too old, broken, or damaged and can no longer hold weight, it should be time to replace them. Squeaks or creaks are usually the first signs that your bed rails need replacing. The amazing thing is that changing the rails will save you a lot of time, but you would also save money that you could use to replace the whole bed frame.
Again if you see cracks or irregularities in your rails, it means that the rails need replacing and are no longer safe to use. In these cases, you will need to replace the bed rails as soon as possible to prevent the bed from collapsing.
Additionally, if you want your bed rail to match your decor, you could also replace them. The good is that most rails are fairly prized and pretty easy to fix, so you can replace them whenever you want them to match your decor.
Tips And Warning on Making Bed Rails With Hooks
- Ensure that you measure and examine the rail properly to determine how the rails were attached to the bed. Again on the same, remember that not all vintage beds have bed rail hooks.
- Instead of changing the bed rails each time to match your decor, you could paint or stain them to match the headboard or footboard. Painting the rails would work best if you do it before assembling.
- Wear safety glasses and gloves when you are drilling or cutting wood.
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