Box springs vs. platform

Thrilled to find this website. I have read the tutorial and checked the first few pages of index but don’t see this question, so sorry if it’s a repeat.
We are going to buy a new king-sized mattress but first we are shopping for a new frame/headboard/footboard. I am sick of bed-skirts so I am looking at platform beds and wonder if the mattress will be just as comfortable without a standard “box spring” foundation? I was looking at the mattresses on Charles P Rogers and they tell me they do not need box springs. However, after discovering your website I have decided against purchasing online–I am lucky that one of your member shops is very close to my home so I plan to go there. We are two slender people around 60 years old and I need a firm mattress for my back issues but also need soft enough top layers–I have a low BMI and get pressure points and numbness if bed is too firm. Not sure if the foundation will affect this but want to be sure since I am replacing everything. I do not like memory foam beds so plan to buy a mattress with innersprings combined with latex.
I did see a couple wood frames at the store that have the side rails and foot board so you don’t need a bed-skirt but they are not platforms–you put the box springs inside the side rails. I am OK with that as long as it doesn’t make it too hard to tuck in the sheets.
Basically, I need to know how the foundation, be it platform or traditional box spring, will affect the feel of the mattress, if at all.
Thanks!

I forgot to add that I am using the term “box springs” loosely. From what I’ve read recently, the foundations that are sold most everywhere now don’t actually have springs even though most people still call them “box springs.”

Hi mbf,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!

As you pointed out in your follow-up post, a box spring is not the same as a foundation. A box spring would have coils on the inside and generally is not recommended for most modern mattresses. A foundation is rigid, and in effect a glorified riser. As such it imparts no comfort to the mattress but only serves to elevate it.

There is more complete information about foundation that address your question in more detail in the foundation thread post #1 here. Of course, you’ll always want to check with the manufacturer of any mattress you’re considering to make sure that any platform bed or foundation you’re choosing meets with their guidelines for support, and also to maintain your mattress warranty.

Phoenix