i’m a programmer so I know how it is to stay on top of ever changing links that are out of your control. The platform beds in the link I left seem ok but I have no idea what the spacing is between slats. i’ll find out tomorrow
So far for a frame and platform i’m looking at
Platform - Amazon.com?
or
King Wood Foundation, Wood Foundations
I’m not sure if I should get wood or metal in the platform.
Frame - Latex Mattresses On Sale - Latex Mattress Toppers - Phoenix, AZ
Let me know your thoughts on these. I have no idea what I need so I’m doing the best I can
Out of the three choices you presented I personally would lean toward the wood foundation.
Hi ronfla,
The first two are foundations that would require a steel or wooden bedframe as well while the third one is a combination foundation and bedframe.
The wooden slat foundation would provide the most even support and there would be less risk of the mattress sagging into any gaps in the support surface because it has the largest load bearing surface area. The Simple Life foundation with a steel bedframe would probably be stronger and more supportive than the last one you linked (you can see some comments about these type of platform foundation/bedframes in post #10 here).
The “bottom line” though is that while any of them would be a suitable choice for your mattress … the risk in the longer term would be inversely proportional to the cost in the three options you linked.
Phoenix
PS: I can see that Jeff’s post was written while I was writing this one and that his thoughts are similar to mine :).
Ah now you see my confusion. i thought the third link was a frame only. From looking at the wood foundations i have to agree with you guys. If i go with a wood foundation what frame would i use? The second link is the wooden foundation. do i use a normal frame to put it on? i would think i would need a frame with support in the middle such as a bar and legs.
I’m still confused the more i look into this which is why i haven’t had the mattress shipped. If i get a bed with slats do i need a foundation?
BTW my wife went to an Ashley store and they showed her ‘Platform beds’ with slats. The guy at the store told her the platform goes on top of the slats then the mattress. Is this what i’m looking for?
Hi ronfla,
There is more about choosing a bedframe in post #10 here. The Simple Life foundation or the wood slat foundation would both need a suitable steel or wooden bedframe to raise it up off the floor. If you are buying a wooden bedframe instead of a steel bedframe then I would make sure that it has at least 5 hardwood cross slats with a center support beam with good center support to the floor so it would be suitable for supporting a foundation.
If you are buying a platform bed that has a support surface (similar to a foundation) with enough slats to support the mattress and the distance between the slats are less than about 5" apart (4" or less would be better) so that the mattress doesn’t sag into any gaps in between the slats and it also has a center support beam with good support to the floor then it would be suitable for your mattress and wouldn’t need a separate foundation.
Basically any combination of components that provides a suitable support surface under your mattress that has minimal to no flex, has good center support to the floor to prevent sagging in the middle, has a support surface area that provides enough support under the mattress to minimize the risk of the mattress sagging into any gaps in the support surface over time, that allows some airflow under the mattress, and that raises the sleeping surface of your mattress to a height that would be suitable for you for getting in and out of bed and/or sitting on the edge of your mattress will be fine.
The most common choices would be a steel or wooden bedframe (with or without a headboard that can be attached to the bedframe which is only for “looks”) in combination with a foundation or a platform bed which combines the function of the bedframe and the foundation.
Phoenix
Here’s a similar bed that my wife is looking at up at the Ashley store
this looks like it has a foundation and mattress and the guy at Ashley told my wife that they put foundations on the beds.
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Let me say that this has been one of the best sites i’ve found because you’ve help clear up a ton of confusion. Coming from a box spring and mattress that now looks like a lower case ‘W’ to this is mind boggling because i’m learning a new language or almost. One other thing that confused me is the term Platform Bed. here’s i’m thinking it’s a flat board that the mattress goes on but that’s not the case at all. Very confusing. the wooden platforms BTW look like sod pallets!
Hi ronfla,
[quote]Here’s a similar bed that my wife is looking at up at the Ashley store flatfair.com/carta-contemporary-dark...Prn8cCFUeRHwodPPAIgA
this looks like it has a foundation and mattress and the guy at Ashley told my wife that they put foundations on the beds.[/quote]
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I can’t see the support surface in the picture but I “think” I can see a leg in the middle near the foot so it probably has a center beam with at least two support legs underneath it which would be fine. The description says “slat kit included” so if there are enough slats to prevent the mattress from sagging into the gaps between them then you could use the mattress directly on the slats or if you have a thinner mattress and need some additional height for your sleeping surface then you could also use a foundation on top of the slats as well. Foundations come in different heights that range from low profile which are in the range of 5" or so to a regular foundation which are in the range of about 9" or so and there are even bunkie boards which are about 2" thick but they all perform the same function.
If there are only 5 wooden cross slats then the gaps between them would be too wide to put the mattress directly on the slats and you would “need” a foundation to provide suitable support under your mattress (regular or low profile or a bunkie board) rather than the foundation being optional or you could also add more slats if you didn’t want the additional height.
I’m glad the site was helpful 
Phoenix
The link I showed you is for reference only since it’s similar to what my wife looked at. we’ll most likely go to the store this weekend and i’ll look at what they have. now that i’m armed with facts they could be in for a well armed consumer.
Update - I spoke with someone at HeyNeedle and he said that most of those Platform Beds are slatted with about a 2 inch spacing. Most of the Kings have the center support also. This would help since i don’t see a need for a foundation unless we want to give the setup some lift. My only concern then would be that they would have a better slatted foundation and we’d put a lesser one on top. I doubt that would happen but there’s always a chance.
Your thoughts on this bed? I know it’ll need a foundation. my concern is that it has no center support but there are 3 beams going from side to side:
ashleyfurniturehomestore.com/p/nashburg-king-metal-headboardfootboard-with-rails/b280-382/
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I just ordered a mattress from Brooklyn Bedding. I research everything and have found latex is really the best material for bedding. I found a local shop that wanted $2,600 for a similar construction latex mattress. After speaking with Brooklyn Bedding customer support professionals, I found that they are very much the same. They have been great to deal with and I look forward to receiving our latex mattress.
Hi jervis64,
Congratulations on your new mattress as well
Like the other members here that purchased it I think you also made a great choice and I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback when you’ve received it and have had the chance to try it out.
Phoenix
I’m thinking of buying this mattress as well but can’t find confirmtion of their Oeko-Tex certification. They told me on the phone that their Talalay latex was made by Talalay Global/Latex International. Latex International is listed on the Oeko-Tex website. They told me their talalay is 40% natural and 60% synthetic.
Their Dunlop latex is 100% synthetic and made by a company called Mountain top Foam. Spoke to someone there today who said they are Oeko-Tex certified class one for infants but I can’t find verification of this at the Oeko-Tex website.
Also find nothing on Brooklyn bedding at Oeko-Tex website.
Oddly, on the Brooklyn bedding website, they list the Talalay as Oeko-Tex certified but don’t explicitly list the Dunlop as certified. But if you talk to them on the phone they say all their latex is certified.
Is there a better list of Oeko-Tex certified companies. Am I right to be suspicious? Want to verify this before I order. My wife is going crazy that I"m researching the mattress for so long. Need ot get something ordered. It’s for our 4 year old son.
Also spoke to someone at Jones Fiber, who makes their Fire Retardant material which is “cotton, inherent fR rayon, and low melt polyester.” even though Brooklyn Bedding talks about being made in the USA, Jones Fiber told me they get the materials for this fabric “from wherever is the cheapest” not necessarily the USA.
Heard that the production of rayon includes some pretty nasty chemicals. Any thoughts on that re: this FR fabric?
Hi Phi8lOster,
I think you may be going somewhat overboard and entering a “rabbit hole” of never ending and more and more detailed information in your “safety research” … especially considering that the mattress you are considering makes no claims about using either natural or organic materials. This is the type of research that you generally won’t find answers to the degree of specificity that you may be looking for or that may be completely satisfying to you unless you raise your budget considerably and look for mattresses that only contain natural or organic materials.
There is more information in post #2 here and the more detailed posts and information it links to about safe, natural, organic, “chemical free”, and “green” mattresses and mattress materials that can help you sort through some of the marketing information and terminology that you will encounter in the industry and can help you differentiate between them and answer “how safe is safe enough for me” or “how natural is natural enough for me” so you can decide on the types of materials you are most comfortable having in your mattress or on the certifications that may be important to you. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.
The only official list of Oeko-Tex certified materials is the Oeko-Tex site.
All the latex you are likely to encounter (Dunlop or Talalay made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will have been certified by either Oeko-Tex or Eco-Institut for harmful substances and VOC’s (see post #2 here) and in general I would consider any type or blend of latex to be a “safe” material.
Latex International is now called Talalay Global but you can see their Oeko-Tex certification here.
Mountaintop Faom announced that their latex was Oeko-Tex certified on their facebook page here but I don’t see the listing in their name on the Oeko-Tex site so you may want to email Mountaintop to find out the certificate number since it may be listed under another name. ADDED: You can see the certificate number here
[quote]Also spoke to someone at Jones Fiber, who makes their Fire Retardant material which is “cotton, inherent fR rayon, and low melt polyester.” even though Brooklyn Bedding talks about being made in the USA, Jones Fiber told me they get the materials for this fabric “from wherever is the cheapest” not necessarily the USA.
Heard that the production of rayon includes some pretty nasty chemicals. Any thoughts on that re: this FR fabric? [/quote]
You can read more about their Jones fire barrier in this topic. Again … if it was me I would have no concerns with the “safety” of their fire barrier however you may have criteria that are much more stringent than most people in which case it may be worthwhile looking at mattresses that only contain natural or organic materials and components,
Phoenix
Thanks for the info Phoenix. The Oeko TEx website is a bit hard to use. I’ve tried every possible combo and can’t find mountain top. If I can verify that I’ll probably get it.
But while I was browsing your site, I found “my green mattress” which I can try before I buy if I’m willing ot drive for two hours. Unfortunately, can’t spend for the high end full organics, trying to find the next best thing.
Hi PhilOoster,
I didn’t see it listed on their site either although with a mattress that contains polyfoam the “safety” of any type or blend of latex wouldn’t be an issue for me.
Like Brooklyn Bedding … My Green Mattress and their sister company Quality Sleep are members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and I believe that they both compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. If you are in reasonable driving distance they would certainly be well worth a visit.
Phoenix
Thanks again, how does mygreenmattress compare to naturepedic? I tried Naturepedic’s 7" Organic Cotton Deluxe mattress this past weekend and thought it was horrible. I could feel the springs through the topper and the whole mattress shook. If I sat on the edge, the top of the mattress leaned out way over the bottom of the mattress.
I’m hoping mygreenmattress is better than that. If anyone knows differently, please let me know and save me a long drive to check it out.
Hi PhilOoster,
I switched your post to a new topic of its own since it’s about mattresses that aren’t related to the topic you posted in.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
In terms of “comfort” and PPP … this is something that I can’t help with because you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and the only way to know whether any mattress is a good “match” for you is based on your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience. Both My Green Mattress and Naturepedic make a range of mattresses that would all be very different from each other so it would be normal that some of them would work well for you and some of them wouldn’t because each person can have very different needs and preferences in a mattress.
Outside of PPP … the most important part of the value of a mattress is it’s durability and a mattress is only as good as its construction and the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label. If you can find out the information listed here about any mattress you are considering and post it on the forum then I’d certainly be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials and the mattress as a whole and help you identify any potential weak links in the mattress that could have an effect on durability and the useful life of the mattress. Without this information it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of any mattress.
Finally the last part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is how a mattress compares to the other options you are considering based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
If the Naturepedic mattress you tested was this one then it’s a firm mattress that is made for children so it’s not surprising that it would be too firm and wouldn’t be comfortable for an adult. Some of the other Naturepedic mattresses would be much more suitable for adults although they are also more costly.
Phoenix
Yeah, that’s the one I was testing. I was testing it to see if it would be good for my 4 year old son. Don’t think it would have been good for an adult or child.
This is the one I was considering going to check out.
Pure Echo
It looks like it has more coils, individually wrapped as opposed to the intertwined ones in the naturepedic and more cotton. It looks like it might be a much better mattress for about $200 less.
Pure Eco Organic Kids Mattress
Hi PhilOoster,
Post #2 here and the topics it links to have more information about mattresses and children and “safe” materials including a link to some general guidelines for children in post #2 here. It also includes a number of links to the better forum posts and topics about mattress and children as well which have more information about many good options for children which may also be worth considering.
There are some comments about the Naturepedic Organic Cotton Deluxe in post #2 here. It uses good quality, durable, and mostly natural materials that would be a suitable choice for a child … but of course not so much for an adult.
As you mentioned the Pure Echo uses a pocket coil and it would probably make a more suitable choice for most adults and it also uses high quality materials that don’t have any weak links in the design but of course the only way to know whether it would be suitable for any specific person would be based on your own personal testing.
It also uses a wool quilted cotton cover and wool is a great temperature regulator and since it’s also in a medium firm range it would also be a suitable choice for a child.
Phoenix