I have a flexible slat system on my platform bed from Living Spaces. I have been trying out a few different mattresses with not very much luck (had a Loom & Leaf luxury firm but wasn’t a big fan of the firm memory foam feel, had a Brooklyn Bedding BME soft which was super comfortable but killed my lower back due to lack of support, and a traditional Beautyrest pillow top which was, well, just awful - the worst of both worlds and too firm for me as a side sleeper even though it was supposedly plush.) However, all of these mattresses worked fine with my flexible “bowed” slats on my platform bed.
I decided to try SleepOnLatex in soft which is 100% dunlop latex. I’ve only had it a few nights however it’s already definitely better than the previous mattress I had. Unfortunately, if I sit down with too much force on the bed, it pushes the slats out of place and i fall through the bed. It’s ripped the fabric on my bed which is not a huge deal, but it has happened several times now if I plop on the bed. I’m worried about it happening when my kid is in there.
Is there a reason that these style slats don’t work with my new latex mattress? I measured and they are roughly 3" apart. At this point, I’m worried about my only options being:
Somehow replace the slat system with flat, rigid slats (is this even possible?) and keep the latex mattress.
Get rid of the latex mattress, keep my slat system and go back to a latex hybrid similar to the BME.
Get a new bed and/or take out the slats and put a traditional foundation/box spring in my current bed and keep the latex mattress.
I’m sorry to hear about your issues with your platform bed base. You didn’t list the model that you have, and the Living Spaces web site is reporting back errors right now, so I can’t make very complete answers for you. But in general, there definitely is some sort of an issue with the quality of your slats or the manner in which they attach to your base. While the Sleep On Latex mattress uses materials that are more point elastic on the bottom than the other models you mentioned, the 3" or less gap is good spacing and there are many high quality bowed slat systems that work very well with all-latex mattresses.
I wouldn’t recommend replacing the mattress because of a problem with your bed set. Instead, I would address the problem with the bed set. However, without the model and a link to the construction of the item or actual photos of your own platform bed, I wouldn’t be able to offer a good suggestion. If you can provide some of that information, I can see what options I might be able to come up with for you.
Thanks so much for your speedy reply. The bed I purchased (ALYSON Queen Platform Bed - Sku#: 94718 & 94719) is no longer listed on their website however this bed has the same exact slat system:
Also, a second question: since getting the SleepOnLatex in soft, I’ve been having horrible upper back and neck pain. I don’t THINK this is an issue with the support of the mattress since I’m not having lower back pain and I think I read this is where you usually feel support issues, but I have tried varying up my pillow configuration without much luck. Is this just an adjustment thing? How long should I wait before deciding that this is an issue with the mattress?
My next choice (should I need to change mattresses) would likely be a Dreamfoam Bedding Latex hybrid or Eurotop Latex hybrid.
In that style of bowed slat system, if it is assembled properly and all of the plastic inserts are properly pressed into their corresponding holes and the bowed slats are all appropriately inserted into their plastic holders, then a slat falling through would be an indication of a defect in the bowed slats (having lost their resilience or cut too short) or breaks in the plastic sleeves holding these slats.
The easiest fix for this would be to remove the slats and corresponding plastic holders and place a solid deck on top of this frame network, and then place a coir bed rug or similar on top of this deck for air circulation. And I would address this regardless of the style/type of mattress you choose.
While it’s not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because they can be very complex and there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP or any “symptoms” they experience … there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.
Upper back and neck pain are most often associated with your pillow. Make sure whatever you’re using helps you maintain a neutral alignment. And as you’ve only had the mattress for a few days, this is much too short of a time to make a judgement on this mattress, and you’ve not had enough time to adjust to this new product, nor had the mattress had enough time to “adjust” to you. I would wait at least a few weeks before making any decision, at which time if you’re still having issues I would place a phone call to Sleep on Latex and seek their advice, as they will be best suited to provide useful suggestions that they feel might work best for your situation.
Thanks again! Do you have an example of a solid deck system and rug I can purchase to put on my bed, and/or a photo of what this setup might look like?
Would it be useful to ask Living Spaces to send me a new set of bowed slats in the event that it is just an issue with my set?
Two sheets of plywood, running left to right (.5" thick or so) would be fine for the deck. A coir bed rug looks like this.
If the product is still under warranty I definitely would contact the manufacturer and explain the issue you’re having. I’d probably phone them even if it he warranty had recently expired. Slats falling through isn’t something you’d normally expect.
