Edge support

Hello all,

   What a transformation has occurred as my thoughts gravitate from 'conveniently' buying a $100 mattress on Facebook to designing the perfect mattress!   My head is spinning, but excited for the possibilities.  Alas, my husband has a concern peculiar only to him...the edge support of the mattress.   He needs a firm edge to prevent slipping off to the floor.   Since we may gravitate toward an adjustable base in the future, that removes the innerspring option.  Is it true that the only other option for edge support is strategically placed foam?   
   Thank you for your advice.

Pegleg:

Enjoy the process of designing your own mattress. It can be a fun, but sometimes frustrating, experience. Be sure to manage your expectations as you go through different configurations.

Edge reinforcement designs are there to minimize product roll-off and to extend usable sleep surface, but in general not meant to be hard like a chair (which would be obtrusive in the sleeping environment).

That would be incorrect. There are many mattresses containing innerspring units that are adjustable bed friendly. These are mostly Marshall/pocketed innerspring units, but you can also find open-ended double offset, knotted double offset, and even Bonnell spring units contained in mattresses that are made to be adjustable bed friendly. And of course, there are mattresses that use polyurethane or latex foam cores for their support units as well.

No, you have other options. The current trend with pocketed innerspring units is to have springs along the sides using a different construction/geometry that are slightly firmer than the springs within the interior of the mattress, allowing for a slightly firmer edge support system that isn’t obtrusive. (Here’s a sample from HSM Hickory Springs.) You can also still find manufacturers placing a firmer polyurethane perimeter edge system around the edges of pocketed innerspring units, and engineering that edge system to that it can bend with the mattress on an adjustable bed base.

Overall, don’t expect an edge system to feel too hard (like a chair), especially when the mattress has to be bendable to work with an adjustable bed base. And realize that the amount/type/layering order/hardness/density of the padding/comfort material placed atop the innerspring unit will have a large influence upon the perception of edge softness as well.

Wow! There is so much I don’t know and have yet to learn. Thank you so much for your thorough and patient sharing of your expertise!
To the best sleep!

Pegleg:

You’re welcome!