Checking my assumptions before purchase. TWIN Latex mattress, slat platform bed, and pad/cover

[phoenix]

Hi gnaw,

With a twin, do I really need the center joist? I’ve got it, but it seems a bit overkill to me.

You won’t need center support for a twin size because the span is narrow enough to prevent significant flexing. I would use center support for queen and king sizes and with full size for heavier weights or more flexible wood.

Is it okay to have 1x6 and 1x4 both? I had 5 of each 42" long left over from a previous project. If is is not ok, I can go to the lumber yard.

No … it will be fine. I would tend to use the 1x6’s in the center under the heavier part of your body.

I’m countersinking the screwheads and slightly rounded the edges of the slats. Is that enough to not damage the mattress cover?

I would think so yes.

Is there a functional use for side panels? I have some cedar logs that I could rip and attach. They’d look gorgeous, but that’s a fair bit of work when I’m not certain I even want them.

I’m understanding you correctly and you mean putting side panels on the vertical 2x4’s then they would only be cosmetic and since they would be under the mattress and the foundation would already be “stiff” and non flexing they wouldn’t have any effect on the edge support of your mattress.

[quote]Well, just got off the phone with Flexus. They told me to come here and ask your opinion.

He says that with my weight (220) I’m going to bottom out on the 9" and is telling me I need the 10".

They put their mattresses on sale about an hour ago, so the 9" is $850 and $950 for 10".[/quote]

I don’t think that he meant that you would bottom out on the whole mattress (it would be unlikely that 8" of latex would be close to its maximum compression with your weight) but that the 2" comfort layer may not be thick enough to isolate you from the firmness of the layers below it and may feel too firm for you and that you may need some additional thickness in the top layer … particularly for side sleeping.

In any case … they would know much more about their own mattresses than I do and which of their options would have the best chance of success for different body types and sleeping styles based on the “averages” of their customers and a more detailed conversation so if you can’t test a mattress in person I would tend to follow the guidance of the manufacturer themselves.

Thoughts?

Both mattresses are very similar and both use high quality materials so there would be no “weak links” in either of them in terms of durability. When you are down to finalists that fit all your criteria and are choices between “good and good”, you are confident that either one will be a good match for you in terms of PPP (or you are happy with the options you have to rearrange or exchange layers if they aren’t) and there are no clear winners between them, then a final choice will be a matter of “best judgement” based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (see post #2 here). I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase from either of them.

Phoenix