I am planning on visiting Dixie Foam to check out their Cloudrest mattress (latex comfort layer over HR polyfoam core). It would be for my 10-year-old daughter. I’ve read what you’ve written about children needing a relatively firm mattress but since guests might sometimes sleep on this bed too, I don’t want to go too firm. (But tell me if you think this would be a big mistake.)
My question is really about a slatted foundation. I know that high-quality foam mattresses can be heavy. I’ve read what you’ve written about foundations, but I’m still worried about putting a mattress like this on top of a slatted base like this: Products - IKEA
Do you think that could be OK? My concern is a) Would the foam sink through the slats? b) Will the slats alter the feeling of the mattress from what it would be if it were on either a box foundation or a piece of plywood on top of the slats, and would one of the latter options be preferable? I know you believe in letting a foam mattress “breathe,” and so do I, but I care even more about getting the feel of it right. I certainly don’t want anyone sleeping on this mattress it to feel the slats.
I already bought the IKEA bed, btw, so a different bed isn’t an option.
For a 10 year old, and especially a girl, something in the range of “medium” would be fine. I’d just avoid the “ultra plush” or very soft type mattresses.
These are slats that are meant to go on top of a base or a bed frame (which I believe you have). There’s an article about the three models here. The curved style is very strong and is more popular in Europe where they tend to have thinner mattresses and this more flexible slatted base would provide a more resilient layer under a firmer thinner mattress like an active box spring does for an innerspring mattress.Thicker mattresses wouldn’t need these or they could be used for fine tuning (especially the tension adjustable laxeby).
Yes they would certainly alter the feel and performance of the mattress (which is their design) especially with a thinner mattress. For a child this extra resilience wouldn’t generally be needed and the solid firmer slats would be fine. For an adult it would depend on the body type and sleeping style of the person and the design of the mattress/foundation combination. For most people, a firmer non flexing foundation is the “norm” but they could be useful for a thinner mattress that may otherwise be too firm and needs some extra “give”. They will make the mattress more “giving” in the heavier areas of the body than a firmer non flex base.
These slats are very strong, provide good ventilation, but the slats are also very close together and the support of the mattress is “even” on this type of base. If you tested your mattress on a firm non flex foundation then you can expect these to provide some extra give in the heavier areas of the body (like having the mattress on an innerspring). The weight of the mattress will compress the slats to a flatter position. To get a similar feel to a non flex foundation and if you wanted it to feel the same as you tested it (assuming it was on a rigid foundation) then you would use these slats instead of the more flexible ones. With 15 slats, the spacing between the rigid slats would also be fine.
Thanks so much for your helpful advice. Over the weekend, I visited Dixie Foam and purchased their Cloudrest mattress. Although I did not ask for the ILD, I would describe it as medium firm. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the owner seemed like a very nice guy and answered all my questions. When I told him that I had learned about Dixie Foam from your website, he told me that I was the second person that week to tell him that, and also that he had spoken to you at some length and that you were very knowledgeable. I thought you would be pleased to hear that he told me he was thinking of becoming a member of your website.
I think you did especially well because you made sure your mattress has high quality materials in terms of “quality specs” (the polyfoam and the latex) but you listened to your body for the “comfort specs” (the ILD). The ILD is always the least important part when you are testing or choosing a mattress in person (even though people sometimes put a lot of focus on it) because a body will tell you much more about pressure relief and alignment than a number.
I hope your daughter and your guests enjoy your new mattress. You made a good choice IMO!
Thanks for the feedback and hopefully you will have a chance to let us know how your daughter is enjoying her new mattress as well. She’s a lucky girl
