I’m contemplating the DreamFoam Mattress Ultimate Dreams Latex Mattress. It seems like a good match for my 170 lb self as a side sleeper that sometimes ends up on my back. It’s probably a better option than IKEA’s 5.5 inch ELSFJORD, which I tried on my back in store for a few minutes and it seems really comfortable with their LAXEBY slats.
Would curved slats help with with support or with the spring-ness of the mattress? I’m most likely going with a cheap Ikea HEMNES bed that requires slats. The LUROY seems reasonable, though LAXEBY obviously seems the nicest.
Is there any benefit to going with curved slats, or is the 10 inch UD Latex too thick for it to make a difference? In terms of support, and perhaps springy-ness.
The only way to know if curved slats keep you in better alignment (which is the “goal” of support) would be to try them in person with your specific mattress. In some cases it could detract from your alignment and in some cases improve it. It would probably add some springiness to the mattress. In most cases the best (or safest) choice for a foundation would be a firm non flexing foundation which is what most all foam mattresses are designed for unless you have tested a specific mattress with a flexible foundation and it was an improvement over a firm non flexing foundation in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preference. A flexible foundation would compress more than a firm non flexing foundation so by this definition it would be less supportive (it would compress more under weight). It may however keep you in better alignment in some cases and for some body types or sleeping styles even though it’s less supportive. There is no “theory” that can answer these questions because it always depends on your specific body type, sleeping style, physiology and many other factors along with the specifics of the flexible slat system and your mattress and how everything interacts.
In most cases if I was to use a flexible slat system at all I would lean towards one that was zoned and could be adjusted in certain areas (such as under the shoulders) because as long as the mattress wasn’t too thick to mask the effect of the tension adjustments it can be used to some degree to fine tune a mattress that may need it.
A big reason why I was considering Ikea’s curved slats was the online comments about how they don’t hold up. Perhaps I should stop my fixation on Ikea beds and look at my other options.
My ideal base would be a little taller, at about 20 inchs. This would allow the mattress would be around 30 inches high. One big attraction about Ikea’s design is that I could have found longer lengths of wood and swap out their shorter leg for a longer one. Ikea is also comparatively cheap for a solid wood frame that I won’t necessarily want to take with me when moving after some years.
A sturdy frame, or something that can be made sturdy, is a plus too.
This thread about bases has been useful, though I didn’t see anything that matches my needs.
In the meantime, from reading the threads, a clean flat wooden floor probably suffices for the very short term.
I’m not sure which bedframe you are looking at to go with the slatted base but there are also options that you can use to raise the height of most beds or foundations. Some examples are here.