Should I use a footboard?
 

My pink bedroom is done, quilt made and on the bed. So I bought a nice cherry headboard. It came with the footboard but no bed rails. So the bed is on a frame and the headboard is just wedged there against the wall. If I want to use the footboard, I would have to have an Amishman make the rails. I think it would all look better with the footboard, but wanted to ask all of you if that would damage the quilt or cause any other problems. This is my first post with pictures. Thanks for any information in advance.[ATTACH=CONFIG]387171[/ATTACH]

I'm guessing you want all wood, including the bed rails. I suppose it depends upon how much money you want to spend. Amish make excellent wood but they are pricey. It looks fine as is.

The frame should already have pre-drilled holes on the ends. The headboard and footboard should have matching holes. Bolt them together - no need for wood rails.

If I were putting a footboard on, I would definitely want the side rails for stability. But whether you should add the footboard or not is really up to you. My deciding factor would be the size of the room (if it's on the small side, I'd leave the footboard off so the room doesn't feel too closed in, even visually), if large enough, then I'd be tempted to go for it. As for your lovely quilt, having a footboard shouldn't harm the quilt at all. I have a footboard on my bed and it's never been a problem with any of my quilts or comforters. :)

If it has the regular siderail style..where the rails "hook" into the slots on the posts on the head/foot boards, I'd go to any mattress place and just get the metal siderails. If you are going to put a bedskirt on it, that will cover the siderails anyway. It would be a whole lot more economical than having rails made.. a set is under $50. They may also have the bolt on style, but I don't know if I've ever seen a footboard that bolted on. The siderails should have come with the head and foot boards if they were sold together as an entire bedframe.

Your quilt fits your bed beautifully. I think you are asking if adding a footboard and to having to tuck the end of your quilt between the mattress and the footboard would be damaging? Shouldn't be, if you don't tug on it. However, I'd just leave the bed as it is. The quilt shows better without the footboard. (If you made a little bench and put a cushion on it matching your quilt, you could put the footboard behind it, as a backrest.)

Your quilt is really pretty on your bed. I think I would leave it just as it is. I actually took my footboard off. Quilt looks so much better without it. Also my room is small and it just looks better without.

I'm confused. How would adding a footboard damage the quilt?

Personally, I'd prefer a footboard over no footboard, but as others have said, it depends on the room.

If your quilt has a long drop on the bottom, you would have trouble with the fasteners of the footboard. Bedspreads used to come with split skirt on the end for this reason. If you quilt just covers the mattress, it would be OK.

Personally, I don't like footboards. I'm always banging some part of my leg or ankle on them....Call me clumsy!

I took my footboard off and visually it made the room look bigger...depends on the look you want.

I used only a blanket chest at the foot of my bed. That way I could fold down the quilt without it getting on the floor. I liked the look better than a footboard. The blanket chest was what I used for my laundry hamper.

I HATE footboards because I have to wrestle with them to tuck in the sheets, blankets, and comforter at the end of the bed. Recently, I changed my bed so that it would not include one.

I would have thought the headboard and the footboard would have come with rails to join them together!

Our bed has headboard and footboard which I quite like. As the others have mentioned it really depends on the size of the room and if you like footboards. I really like the idea of a blanket box....if you have the space for it. The headboard you have there is really lovely, it seems quite beautifully crafted. I would however work out some way of attaching the headboard to the bed...probably just me, but seems a bit dangerous having it just wedged behind the bed.

There are sources for the hardware to attach rails. I am surprised the headboard/footboard didn't come with all this if sold as a set. Check places like restorers catalogs, woodworking catalogs.

That's what I'm thinking too. I just hate to make beds where there is no room to wrestle the sheets, blankets and quilts. But I think I want to see how it looks. I got the head and foot boards on Craigslist and she told me she was keeping the rails. Thanks for your comments, I'm just now getting to them.

Marcia

I do not think you have anything to worry about.. as far as messing up your quilt!

I love the completed look a foot board has to finish the look as a whole.

Lovely quilt and bed you have.
peace