Hi and glad to discover this forum. Just recently, a certain well known bedding expert gave me what i think was a good alternative to a Casper i had been considering. After careful thought, i replaced a 20-year old Sealy Posture Poise Firm mattress with - a Charles Rogers "St.Charlesā¦ My existing box spring is still good so i put the new one on it.
I find this a pretty firm but nicely supportive choice and it has the same inner coil springs as more expensive ones. It is a higher profile mattress, and the āpillow topā adds to that height. It was recommended that i could go with a 2" latex topper if i found the mattress too firm by itself, so now iām considering ordering that.
Hereās the deal tho - In combo with the other āpiecesā this addition would mean iād practically need a small step ladder to get in/out of bed given the make the bedās total height.
One thought was, just take the metal frame out of the equation and put the box spring on the floor. Thing is, i am allergic to dust/mites - so i suspect not elevating the box spring might be detrimentalā¦ As it is, i need to encase everything in allergy-protectant covers.
So i guess iām looking for possible ways to go here to deal with the height issue if i choose to try the latex/spring āhybridā plan - Simply hadnāt considered this factor when i had originally signed off on the ideaā¦ and didnāt realize how much taller this Rogers mattress would be compared to the older Sealy one+ box spring.
Did you have the chance to try the mattress before you purchased it?
If you purchase a mattress online then the exchange/return policy and the costs involved can be one of the most important parts of the āvalueā of an online purchase just in case your choice doesnāt turn out as well as you hoped for (although as you know if the mattress is too firm then you also have the option of adding a topper).
Your mattress is a one sided pillowtop and would do best on a firm, flat, non flexing support system such a foundation or platform bed that has minimal to no flex rather than a box spring that has springs inside it and is designed to provide flex under the mattress so hopefully the support system that you kept is a suitable foundation rather than a box spring.
I would give your mattress a few weeks so that it has a chance to break in and you have the chance to adjust to a new mattress that is different from what you were used to before you consider making any changes or additions to the mattress (see post #3 here and post #2 here). If after a few weeks you still find that you need some additional softness and pressure relief then post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline for choosing the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success and also includes a link to a list of some of the better online sources for toppers Iām aware of as well.
You would have several options that would probably work but it will depend on the specifics of the bedframe and the foundation that you currently have.
If you have a standard metal bedframe (which is usually about 7" - 7.5" high) then you could replace it with a low profile foundation that is several inches lower.
If you have a box spring then I would consider replacing it anyway but if you have a foundation that is a standard height (generally about 8" - 9") then you could replace it with a low profile foundation (generally about 4" - 5"). I know that Charles P Rogers sells both a standard 7.5" and a low profile 5" foundation as well that would work well with your mattress.
There is also more information about the types of support systems that are generally most suitable for different types of mattresses in post #1 here and it includes some links to some examples of each of them as well.
Your mattress is a one sided pillowtop and would do best on a firm, flat, non flexing support system such a foundation or platform bed that has minimal to no flex rather than a box spring that has springs inside it and is designed to provide flex under the mattress so hopefully the support system that you kept is a suitable foundation rather than a box spring.
Phoenix[/quote][/i]
Hi Phoenix and thanks for your super-helpful response! I hope you wonāt mind if other questions come up but initially just wonder if you could elaborate on your point that this particular mattress would do best on a firm flat non-flexing support system vs a box spring designed to provide flex under itā¦
Please bear with me as a newbie, but wouldnāt taking a mattress that is already too firm or rigid, and putting it on an equally or more rigid surface only make it stiffer?
Most modern one sided mattress are designed to perform optimally with a firm non flexing foundation where the upper layers of the mattress provide the pressure relief and ācomfortā you need and the deeper layers provide the support. Box springs are generally used with either two sided mattresses that can be flipped (that were the norm 20 years ago but are much less commonly found today outside of smaller manufacturers) or with thinner foam mattresses (such as a thinner latex mattress) that need some additional flex under the mattress.
Using a box spring under a mattress that is designed to be used on a firm foundation can actually shorten the comfort life of the mattress because the deeper layers arenāt meant to constantly flex into a box spring and with a thicker mattress the effect of a box spring on ācomfortā would be minimized anyway and if your mattress is too firm then the most effective solution would be to add a softer topper rather than adding flex under the bottom of the mattress where it will be much less effective.
After 20 years it would probably be a good idea to replace your box spring if you are buying a one sided pillowtop mattress.
Hi Phoenix, thanks much for the info! Quite interesting.
Definitely gives me a few different ways to goā¦ platform bed, vs lo-profile āfoundationā on my existing metal frameā¦ (next decision; )
Certainly looks to be a universe of choices to pick from out there! (how will i ever get any sleep LOL)
I have a new Charles Rogers 9000 with the low profile platform (not box spring). Itās a little more firm than my wife would like so we are using less than 1 year old 3" gel memory foam topper from our old mattress I want to replace this topper and Iām torn between wool and latex. I found this link earlier.
I have been leaning wool but at $450-$900+ for a queen wool topper (<2.5") and with almost all of them being un-returnable, Iām hesitant pull the trigger. Wool reads great and the links that Phoenix posted back in 2013 all make great claims about wool but latex can be had for a lot less.
Let me know if you get the latex topper (2"?) and what you think of it if you do.
Iām not sure if youāve read these but there is more information about wool toppers and how they compare to latex toppers in post #8 here and the posts it links to that may be helpful which also includes a link to a list of some of the better sources for wool toppers Iām aware of.
There is also more information about choosing a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to that can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline for choosing the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success. It also includes a link to a list of some of the better online sources for toppers Iām aware of as well.
Seems like a good all-natural and safe choiceā¦ donāt know if there are comparable less-expensive alternatives but havenāt really looked just yet.
Still on the fence about how to deal with the whole platform vs. foundation thing. My mattress is still atop the Sealy boxspring for nowā¦ I definitely need to ditch that if i get
the topper or iāll be halfway to the ceiling when I lie down.