Bed Frame/Support options for small space

We’re looking to buy a new mattress because our 10 year old spring fella has deep body impressions. We’re thinking of going with Ikea’s Sultan Edsele and buying a foam topper if necessary.

Right now our King Size spring mattress sits on box springs on the floor. The main reason for this is our space is extremely limited. We need a King Size bed but the space we have for it in our bedroom is just 75" (between wall and HVAC vent) x 83" (between wall and closet). Right now our bed hangs just a bit over the vent and we have a vent redirector to keep the air flowing away from the mattress.

My hubby would very much like a bed frame but most (all?), obviously, won’t fit in our limited space (shoot, the mattress barely does). And, clearly a headboard is out of the question. Any ideas for what we can do?

We were looking at this guy: http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-c19177/dream-therapy-steel-bed-foundation-system.jsp, which seems like it would eliminate the need for box springs too. We’d love a bed like this (http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1277025/south-shore-fullqueen-bed-frame.jsp) but finding one in King size that we can afford, much less that doesn’t add width to the bed seems pretty much impossible.

Lastly, as I understand it, memory foam mattresses require platform beds, as opposed to box springs. Are there any other such rules for a “Sultan Edsele”-type bed?

Hi rktrump,

I think the only way I know to make sure a foundation fits would be to measure it or have the retailer measure it for you before you buy it to make sure it fits the space. Most king size mattresses and foundations are 76" wide but the one you have now seems to fit so there may be others that fit as well. There is more information about foundations and a number of the wire grid type foundations similar to the one you linked listed in the foundation thread here but as far as I know they are all 76" wide (at least in their widest part) in king size.

The Sultan Edsele is a latex mattress not a memory foam mattress (they are very different) but all foam mattresses generally do best with a strong, non flexing, firm and even support system underneath them (not a box spring which flexes). Slats with gaps 3" or less are ideal for a mattress that has latex in the bottom layer. One of the wire grid types will usually work well also although I would read post #10 here before buying one.

Right, I realize that the Edsele is different than foam, so are the ‘rules’ you describe applicable to the Sultan Edsele? Is it ‘foam’ in some way or can it go on anything, like wire grid, box springs, etc?

Hi rktrump,

Any “all foam” mattress (and latex, polyfoam, and memory foam are the different types of foam) generally do best on a firm non flexible and rigid foundation (not a box spring which flexes) although there are a few exceptions that are discussed in the links in the foundation post (in the second paragraph). The only different criteria for latex foam vs other types of foam is because it is more flexible and elastic than other types of foam so I would make sure that the slats in your foundation were no more than 3" apart as a maximum (and less is better) to prevent the latex from sinking into the gaps over time.

The link in my previous reply (the one that says post #10) shared my concerns with using a latex mattress on a wire grid type of foundation and what I would tend to do out of “an abundance of caution”.

Phoenix

This is all so helpful - thanks! I’ve been reading a lot of the posts on here related to this.

I now wonder what you think of Ikea’s slatted bases: Bed Slats - Slatted Bed Bases - IKEA

Based on the need for reasonable ventilation, I don’t suppose we can plop one of these down on the floor and put the mattress on it, but if we are able to find a frame that will fit our space, thus raising the mattress off the ground, would these be good to put the mattress straight on top of?

Hi rktrump,

The Lade would make a good choice (but of course it needs a platform to go on) and would provide rigid firm support with gaps that were less than 3".

The Laxeby and Luroy are both flexible slat foundations and they would change the feel of the mattress but the Laxeby would also provide a chance to do some fine tuning (they are discussed in the foundation thread) so choosing these would be dependent on whether you wanted to change the feel and performance of your mattress compared to what you tested it on. They would also need something to sit on (such as an Ikea bed or other platform bed or foundation where they would fit).

Yes … as long as they fit well on the platform or foundation (including on the center beam). This would be much better than using them on the floor (at least on a permanent basis) where your mattress would be subject to dust etc.

Phoenix