My wife and I recently got a Coil Mattress for our bedroom and loving it…now my wife is talking about project #2 and that is making our basement/ recreation area a little more livable and putting some kind of bed down there or foldable bed. Our basement is like our recreation area. 350 lbs of Iron weights, computer, TV, treadmill, exercise equipment, books & bookcase. My wife was thinking of putting a Futon down there, I had one as a kid but I am worried about durability of a Futon. I am about 245 lbs and she is about 125 lbs. I don’t want something as big and bulky as a regular bed with mattress and box spring. I want something that would work more for our already cramped basement which I got to clean out. I had the idea of maybe like an metal platform and putting a foam mattress on top?
It sounds like an exciting project! Would this bed/futon be something you would be using as a primary source for sleeping? Or would it be something used recreationally/for guests?
There are quality futons out there, so this is not in and of itself a terrible idea. Are you looking for something that will not take up space?
With regards to a foam mattress atop a metal platform - are you meaning a type of DIY adjustable/foldable bed? Or would this be a standard mattress?
Sorry for the twenty questions
Looking forward to your reply.
The Futon or Platform bed would be a primary/ secondary source of sleeping. My wife and I would be sleeping on it a lot at nights. It would be balance between sometimes sleeping on the bedroom mattress or in the basement. Our basement is a hard cement floor that sometimes gets a little moisture due to a lot of rainfall. We try to keep things that can get wet away from a wall that has a tendency to leak during heavy rains. It has a nice TV down there along with computer and exercise equipment so if I made it more livable it would be a very nice primary/secondary area to sleep in as well. I was thinking maybe some kind of metal platform, I think a wood bed would get ruined too easily in our basement. The metal platform would raise the bedding from any moisure that could collect on the basement floor. Maybe a Futon if it was able to hold my 245 lb weight along with my wife’s 125lbs. I was thinking some kind of space saving futon or platform bed in the basement, I wouldn’t want a bed with a frame, box spring, and mattress down there. I also have a low hanging ceiling about 7.5 feet high. Before I put in down there I got a major mold cleanup project I want to do in the basement.
Thanks for sharing a little bit more about your plans with me!
A futon is not a true bed in and of itself and will have different requirements in terms of durability. You may wish to talk to the experts at Memory Foam Comfort (you can find their dedicated forum here) about what to look for. I would also share what you shared with me (with regards to the humidity in the basement, your weight differential, planned use for the futon, etc).
If you choose to get a platform bed, then the same durability and comfort recommendations that would apply to your primary mattress would also apply in this situation.
Thanks for the link. Those Futons on that website you listed are nice unfortuantely seem way out of our price range. If we got a Futon it would probably be from Walmart or something much cheaper. My wife said she previously owned a Futon she bought from Walmart and it lasted her for 5+ years? Walmart sells them for like $200 I think. She only weights 125 lbs though I am 245… so I will see. Or maybe I will try a cheap platform bed with the most affordable 12" memory foam mattress to put on there.
I also am thinking about a pullout bed/ couch bed where the mattress is foldable and tucked under the coach. I had one of these as a kid, unfortunately they seem very expensive and from what I read not very expensive.
As MFC is a Trusted Member of our site, you can reach out to them with questions without making a purchase from them directly and they’d happily guide you. They would be able to help you evaluate other options you are considering in terms of quality and durability. They may even have ideas for a durable pull-out option.
I would be concerned about putting a mattress on an unventilated platform, especially on made foam or something that might holds water (like any cotton materials), despite the claims that latex foam is somewhat inhospitable to mold. You also mention a great deal of moisture in the basement, so I would be concerned about humidity levels in addition to the water we lose to our bedding in our sleep.
Exactly my concern too and If I do put one down there I am thinking something cheap that only will last a year or two because if it just going collect mold and dust anyway why put an expensive mattress down there to begin with.
30+ years ago a whole family of 5 people lived down here in this basement with beds, refrigerator, TV, Sofa, chairs… but that was 30+ years ago. The basement looked a lot different then. It was a lot cleaner. It did not have the mold problem it does now. It did not have the water leakage problem that is has now. It did not have the spider infestation with cobwebs decorating the ceiling, although they are harmless spiders that just leave a small spider bite once in a while so the spiders don’t bother me that much. I spend a lot of nights lifting weights down here after work, watching TV, being on computer. Even with all the mold I can live down here fine, although it probably isn’t healthy. I need to clean up all the mold…but it is a lot of mold and I get worried removing it myself might make me very ill or I might make the mold problem worst. It is a very old house so who knows it could be going in the air ducts too. The mold also is on the pipes down here.
Mold starts to grow within something like 24 to 48 hours. The spores are only about 10 microns in size, so you don’t actually see mold, until you have a lot of it. Not all molds are harmful, but some are very harmful, as I know by experience. A couple of things to look out for are lightheadedness and tingling in the extremeties (and tongue) in addition to less severe allergic reactions, such as sniffling and sneezing.
