Hey guys!
Whats the best deal going on a wood slat foundation for a latex mattress? I have a bed frame, but want to lift my mattress up ~*8. The VersiFlex one seems to be the best one I’ve found online (Around $250), but it gets so-so reviews. Anyone got a cheaper and/or better option?
Thanks!
Mike
Hi Mike,
I’ve noticed the same thing with the various types of KD (knock down) wood foundations like this or this that are sold under various names. The quality seems to be spotty sometimes and they almost seem to have two versions based on the feedback I’ve seen. One seems to be up to spec and the other “version” seems to use inferior materials. They are inexpensive though.
There’s also the cheaper wire grid type which are also sold under many names but are all similar like this or this. I’m a little suspicious of using thin wires that have that much space in between them but they are certainly strong and they seem to work well. They’re more of a frame foundation combination though rather than just a foundation.
One of the most reasonable of the higher quality wooden foundations I’ve seen is the Natura universal foundation. Natura dealers may have this for even less.
One of the higher quality wire foundations is the Power Stack like this.
Overall … the best source of a lower cost foundation is usually from the outlet you bought the mattress from. They are usually well experienced in which foundations work well with their mattresses and most of them are very conscious of the need to offer a good foundation with good value.
Local outlets are also good sources as long as the specs are suitable for a latex mattress.
Other foundation options are in the foundation post here … but most of them are more expensive.
If anyone knows of other options for high quality foundations that are good value feel free to post a link here 
Phoenix
Thanks as always, Phoenix!
I think I found my answer. There’s a local place here in Los Angeles called PJ’s Sleep. They carry their own organic Latex mattresses as well as OMI and some other organic beds. I called them and they make an all wood foundation covered in cotton for $110. They said it has 20 slats, which sounds like plenty and they know latex mattresses well since they make their own. It can be had in a 2", 4", or 7" configuration all for the same price. Delivery is $50 in LA (my area code, anyways. I’m probably 10 miles from them). They also make an organic one, but that isn’t important for me, so I didn’t ask about the cost. I’m not going to beat $160+tax…even the ikea is $150+delivery.
I’ll snap some pics once it shows up.
Thanks!
Mike
Hi Mike,
Wow … what a great find! I see they have them on their website and it would be interesting to see if they would ship them outside of LA and what it would cost.
Thanks for sharing your discovery.
Phoenix
I believe those are a little more money since they’re the organic ones.
FYI, PJs is a really nice place with mellow salespeople and nice stuff. They sell some maintstream stuff, but they cater to the SoCal organic lover for sure. They also had good prices from what I could tell. The sticker on their OMI Lago was like $800 cheaper than the HD Buttercup store a few miles away. I believe they practice a ‘no haggle’ approach as well.
Hi Mike,
I am interested in your question regarding cost effective and/or various foundations for a latex mattress. I too am in the process of purchasing a latex mattress. In order to save a little money, I am considering putting a piece of plywood on top of my existing foundation. Perhaps, at a later date I would invest in a different box spring. I am just not ready to purchase a $600.00 foundation if I don’t have to…:blink:
Like you, I am interested in a best deal on the foundation for a latex mattress.
Thanks,
Notsmom
Hi notsmom,
There are many differing opinions about the suitabililty of using a sheet of plywood under a latex or foam mattress but IMO it is not a good idea. Without some airflow under the mattress there is a risk of condensation and moisture developing under your mattress which of course can lead to mold. To a lesser degree it can also hamper the general airflow through the mattress and the sleeping microclimate. If I was to go in this direction of a sheet of plywood or MDF I would at the very least cut or drill many large holes in it to make it more breathable but slats or a metal grid foundation would be a much better choice.
In the links in the previous post there are quite a few options for getting a foundation for under $300 or even $200 which would all be better IMO than a sheet of plywood. Like Mike as well, you may also find a low cost option at a local outlet. Temporarily you would probably be OK but personally I sure wouldn’t go in this direction for the long term.
Phoenix
Well, as is usually the case the PJs deal was too good to be true. They delivered me a foundation with about 5 slats and a thick sheet of cardboard on top. When I asked about construction they told me it had 20 slats. I called and got a ton of attitude from the salesman who swore he’d never said that. He said it was their ‘organic’ box that has 20 slats and I can swap it out for another $170. At this point that is probably my only option since I’ve already paid for the delivery. $280+$50 total is not a very good deal in my opinion and I probably would have been better off buying the foundation Mattresses.net sells.
Hi MikeS,
Ouch!! That hurts 
While your new “all in” price is higher than you expected … I agree that it’s probably your best option at this point unfortunately.
I sure don’t like to hear these type of stories. Even if the salesman hadn’t told you about the number of slats as he claims … I’m pretty certain that you would likely have mentioned (and he should have asked) that you had a latex mattress and that by itself should have triggered him into telling you that a 5 slat foundation wouldn’t be suitable.
I appreciate that you let us know so that at least someone else doesn’t make the same mistake.
Phoenix
Yeah, I was SUPER clear when ordering. Obviously I’ve spent a lot of time researching all facets of latex mattresses as well as the prices of products. I definitely made it clear I was buying a latex mattress and specifically asked about slats for this purpose. The guy at PJs was very rude to me today and I don’t want to give them any more money, so I think what I’m going to do is put slats on top of this box. I’m thinking these:
The foundation from PJs is a wood frame with a center beam running lengthwise on the bottom with 6 slats across the top(plus the frame of the edges on each end). There are little blocks of wood connecting the lengthwise beam to each slate. It seams pretty sturdy for what it is, but I know I need more support than 6 slats and some thick cardboard plus I need some ventilation. The Pjs guy told me 95% of people have no problems with this box…good for them. :-p
What do you think of putting slots on top of this box?
Thanks!
Hi Mike S,
From your description it seems that the center beam is only on the bottom and that if you put extra slats on they would have to span the entire width of the bed without any center support like the KD foundations. Is this correct?
It would be a lot better if all the slats were supported to the floor in the middle or if they all at least had their own block of wood under them because otherwise they might be prone to sagging. With good center support the Ikea pine slats would be fine and they are certainly a good price.
Phoenix
It looks like the bottom center beam has blocks of wood that connect to each of the slats. It is hard to say if there’s a beam on the top side or not as it is hard to see through the fabric. I may try to find my stud finder and see if it can reveal anything else about the construction of the box. The middle of the slats should be pretty solid, but this probably only helps if the new slats make contact with the slats in the foundation. The stiff cardboard would spread out some of the weight to these slats, so between the blocks below the foundation slats, the cardboard layer, and the new slats it might be fine. Hard to say for sure but I don’t reality want to give PJ any more of my money.
Further inspection reveals a slightly different picture. It looks like the beam on the bottom has wood blocks (4 inches by maybe 2 inches) in 3 places connecting to another full beam on the top side of the foundation. Combined with the main frame the two beams are connected in 5 places. The 6 slats are on top of that beam and the cardboard sheet is on top of that. The slats are staggered a bit from the block holding the two beams together so weight distribution is probably pretty good. I don’t have a lot of experience with the weight of latex mattresses, but it seems to me the center of the box foundation is probably pretty good. I think further weight distribution with another set of slats should provide a pretty stable base and the required ventilation.
What do you think? I know I’m kinda selling myself on this solution, but it does seem pretty solid.
Hi Mike S,
That’s what I was hoping for. It sounds similar to the middle support in the KD foundation here.
I’d probably remove the cardboard and if the Ikea slats are the same thickness as the ones that are already on it and it looks feasible to place them in between then that would probably work. Another option if the spacing wouldn’t work that way is to take the current ones off and completely replace them with the Ikea.
I’d also probably pre-drill some holes and then screw the new slats into place or at least do this in several places on both sides and in the middle. Without the pre-drilling the slats may split. Screwing them all will make it stronger.
Once this was done I’d probably put some fabric or even a blanket on top to replace the cardboard to make it more breathable and so the mattress isn’t on the bare wood. If you can I would try for about 2" spacing.
Phoenix
The middle support is similar, though the beams/slats are like 3 inches wide and the blocks between the beams are about 4x3x2, so it looks pretty strong.
The cardboard is under a bunch of fabric so I’d have to pretty much tear this thing apart to do that much construction. It’d probably end up being really messy if I did it. Do you think its necessary for me to do all that to make it work? I could probably screw the slats into the top of the foundation so they don’t slide around, but with the weight of the mattress it seems like it would all be held together just with friction, no?
Hi Mike,
The slats need good center support so I’m not sure how you could place them so they would be resting on the side ledges and center support beam in between your current slats without taking off the cardboard. If you just lay them on top somehow then I don’t see how they would be supported without pushing down the cardboard and fabric so they were in contact with the frame sides and the center beam and flush with your current slats. If you could do that it would still mutilate the top anyway (pushing in the cardboard so the new slats could contact the center beam). It’s important that the mattress isn’t laying on a surface which which has unsupported gaps that are more than 3" at the most and preferably less.
Maybe I’m missing something. What would the slats be sitting on and how would they be supported in the middle without sagging?
Phoenix
Hmmm…perhaps I’m stuck.
Theoretically some of the slats would line up with each other and provide some support down the middle, but it sounds like it needs a LOT of center support. I’m not familiar with these mattresses, so I’m not sure how the weight distributes. It seems like such a large mattress would spread out the downward pressure a fair amount and that the combination of slats, cardboard, frame, center beams, etc. might spread out the pressure enough, but it sounds like that may not be the case.
Perhaps I’m back to square one and need to return my foundation and get the other one. After the experience with the rude and unhelpful salesman the other day I’m not sure he’d even honor his ‘maybe’ offer to swap them out without charging me another delivery charge.
Obviously I’m finding this quite frustrating. One should lose sleep over buying a bed! Haha.
Thanks so much for your expertise.
Talked to PJs today. Spoke with a MUCH nicer salesperson. It is always amazing to me how easy customer service really is. We had an almost identical conversation to the one I had with the other guy, but this guy was like “oh, I’m sorry about that. We’ll take care of it.” I’m still paying the extra money for the nicer foundation, but I’m not super pissed off about it, haha.
The new one is the one they have online. 20 slats, all organic, cotton and wool covering for $280. I imagine it is a nicer box than the knockdown ones sold online, so I guess it all works out in the end, haha.
Hi Mike,
I’m glad that this seems to be resolved. The foundation that you ended up with seems to be typical of foundations that typically sell in the range of $500 and up (with more slats with closer spacing and wool quilting on top) so it seems to me that you did well in the end and you have a great foundation that is far more suitable for a latex mattress without having to re-build it
Thanks for sharing the outcome of your story … I like happy endings.
Phoenix
I received the new foundation today. It is MUCH nicer than the first one. 3 beams lengthwise instead of one. 20 slats leaving about an inch between each slat. It is covered in very nice and thick cotton and wool (and no cardboard!). Supposedly all organic as well. I spent about $350 on this one, but it isn’t just the same as the cheaper one with more slats. I haven’t seen the knockdown ones that ship from online retailers, but I can’t imagine them being as solidly built as this box and the cover is certainly a lot nicer too.