Mattress makers in Toronto

[phoenix]

Hi crank,

In terms of that, a couple questions for you. Am I putting too much on getting Qualux instead of the “Blue biofoam” that Chris had mentioned? Also, we would prefer a lower profile, lighter mattress so would like to minimize the thickness of the base layer. Mario and Laura at Sleepworks thought that 5" would be about right. Do you have any thoughts on that?

I would put more emphasis on the quality and density of the foam than on the brand name. Qualux is a family of foams and there are better and worse versions of it depending on the density … just like all polyfoam … but there are also many other high quality polyfoams that are made by other manufacturers.

The height and the firmness, specs, and the characteristics of the base foam all work together along with the type and thickness of the comfort layers so height by itself is not really the main factor that determines the suitability of a mattress for you. Lower quality foams may need more height while higher quality foams may be fine with less height because of differences in their firmness, how they compress (their compression modulus) and how they respond to pressure.

A 5" base foam would be fine if it’s the right one in combination with the comfort layers for your needs and preferences. All other things being equal though … thicker base layers will have a greater “range” of compression which can be helpful with higher weights (see post #14 here for more about layer and mattress thickness). HR foams also have a higher range of compression than HD foams. What one foam is able to do with 7" may be possible with only 5" of another type of foam with higher quality or better specs.

Finally, I did ask Mario about foundations and his opinion was that a solid (not slatted) base was preferable for foam mattresses. And when I did a quick check at Ideal, their bed bases seemed to be solid. Mario didn’t think that ventilation was an issue and that a solid base ensured that the foam didn’t deform on the bottom of the mattress.

There are many people who share their opinions and this is one of the issues where it’s more about “risk tolerance” than it is about right or wrong. I personally prefer slatted bases perhaps because of an overabundance of caution and perhaps because I am less “risk tolerant” or the benefits of ventilation are more important to me. If the slats are close enough together and the mattress is evenly supported, then the support they provide is fine and there is little to no risk of sagging. There are certainly advantages over a breathable base that a solid base doesn’t have. You can read more about this in post #10 here. Interestingly enough … I personally sleep on an adjustable bed which has a solid surface because the tradeoff was a “compelling reason” and was worth it to me.

Phoenix