How will the type of foundation impact the performance of a memory foam mattress? Some say you need a box spring because the entire mattress needs to “breathe” to operate properly (achieve comfort level), others say it doesn’t matter.
How will a box spring, slate foundation, or solid base effect how a memory foam mattress feels? Which will provide maximum performance?
If box spring, what do I need to worry about or look for when buying one? Is there a big difference between a lower cost box spring vs expensive box spring from the same mattress store?
You may be confusing a box spring with a foundation. A box spring is a mattress support system with springs inside it that flex and a foundation is meant to be a rigid support surface that has little to no flex (and could have a solid surface or a surface with rigid slats or a wire grid).
A memory foam mattress usually does best with a rigid non flexing foundation or platform bed that has an evenly supportive surface that doesn’t flex under the mattress. There is more about the different types of support systems and which ones tend to work best with different types of mattresses in the foundation sticky post here and the two other posts it links to in the second paragraph.
You can see my thoughts about a solid surface vs a rigid slatted surface in post #10 here.
Tempurpedic is the most common memory foam mattress and their foundation has a solid surface. A google search on Tempurpedic mold will bring up examples of mold issues although there were probably other risk factors involved as well.