Tried searching for this topic, it’s probably been asked before, but I didn’t get a good search result…
My mom recently bought a new mattress and low profile foundation from Texas Mattress Makers in Houston. She loves the mattress, and said the buying experience was amazing. (Thanks for the recommendation of TMM Phoenix!).
My mom is elderly and quite short- about 4’11". Even with the low profile foundation, the mattress is still too tall for her. She choose a Eurotop mattress that makes the mattress quite high. The mattress and foundation are sitting on her old steel bed frame, which I think is about 6-7" high.
I’ve found a low profile steel frame with wheels that sits 4" off the ground, but I’m not sure that will be low enough for her.
Would it be acceptable or not to put the foundation directly on the floor? The floor has carpet and padding underneath. She is in Houston, which is humid, but she keeps her air conditioning on almost all year because she is always hot.
Or maybe taking the wheels off the 4" foundation would make it even lower?
The height of a sleeping surface (the combination of the height of the bedframe, the foundation, and the mattress) is really a matter of preference but in terms of supporting the mattress it would be OK to put the foundation directly on the floor. Assuming that the height of the sleeping system would allow for her to get in and out of bed easily (or sit on the side of the mattress if that’s something she does) then the only thing you would really lose is the ability to move the bed and to clean underneath it easily.
Removing the wheels of the bedframe could also lower the height of the frame so it was “low enough” but I would put something under the legs (rubber furniture cups) to prevent damage to the carpet and you would also lose the ability to move the bed easily without the wheels as well (and you could also bend the legs if you try to move it and the legs “catch” on the carpet).
Overall it would probably be fine if the lower height is worth the inconveniences involved.
It doesn’t damage the foundation to do this, The major point, as you already mentioned, is humidity and the potential for moisture migration into the wood and mold formation.
Most frames use the 2-2.25" rollers, so this certainly would lover the overall height. However, on many low profile frames the legs are shortened to the point to where they are even with the bottom level of the angle iron of the frame, which would essentially be the same as placing your mattress upon the floor. You’d have to check the construction of your particular frame for more accurate information. Another option if you want to keep the wheels on the frame might be to use a heavy-duty bunkie board in place of the low profile foundation.
I talked to mom and we are first going to try a low profile frame with the wheels- that should lower the mattress about 3 inches. If she needs more than that I really like the idea of replacing the foundation with a bunkie board!
One question- she has a full sized mattreess/low profile foundation. I found two different low profile frames to consider- one has no center support and only 4 wheels, of course it is least expensive. The next model up is adjustable for full to king size mattress, has a center beam and one extra wheel at the end of the center support beam. Does a full sized mattress need a center support beam and wheel? She weighs under 150 lbs. and sleeps alone.
While mattress companies generally don’t require a center support for their warranty, I think this is an oversight and I never sell a full frame without some sort of center support I’ve seen too many full sized mattress set roll toward the center over time because of the less durable foundations currently being used in the industry. Plus, if you go the bunkie board route you’ll definitely need the center support. For the few extra dollars I would recommend getting the frame with the center support.
What if a foundation cover was used to protect the foundation from collecting excessive dirt over time, would that be ideal for a foundations on the floor setup?
I’m not short by any means but in all honesty I just like my mattress setup closer to the floor ideally 22-23 inches high with the lower end being more preferred, currently my setup is about 26" which is not really ideal for me but I’ll be happy living with it if putting the foundation on the floor even with some sort of protector still compromises the overall functionally of the mattress set over time due to dirt/dust build up, bug mites and mold building up into the foundation.
The foundation cover I’m looking at is a zippered polyester cover that claims to be dust mites, bug mites and water resistant since it’s made of all polyester it’s not waterproof, I cannot find any other one that fits my low profile box spring and full/double size setup and I really hate the white color of pretty much all foundation/box spring covers which makes dirt/dust that much more visible especially with a foundation on the floor setup.
Outside of things like the possibility of an occasional stubbed toe and the loss of any underbed storage space … from a functional point of view it would be fine and would certainly provide suitable support for the mattress.
I setup the metal bed frame for the first time yesterday and had the worst sleep I’ve had since I got my new mattress for just about two weeks ago, the bed frame is going back into it’s box for return.
Edit 2:
Turns out I had my foundation upside down on the bed frame which actually changed the way the mattress felt pretty significantly enough for me to not be able to sleep right away (took me an hour) and causing me to toss and turn all night.
At the same time the bed frame seems to be defected and not totally balanced, one corner foot is shorter than the rest or one of the corner metal is not straight making floor noise and tilt occur when getting into bed or moving around on the bed.
I’m won’t be trying another bed frame anytime soon, I’m happy with my mattress setup on floor ATM and have been getting the best sleep I’ve had in years…I’m probably just going to look into getting a foundation cover and a tarp beneath the foundation for easy mobility and to prolong the foundation covers life.