My soon to be husband and I are looking to get a memory foam mattress. We are both significantly overweight (280 and 350) and we like fairly firm mattresses. We did a little shopping around town and were drawn to the Sealy Optimum series but after doing research here feel that maybe that’s not a good option. I started looking to the Original Mattress Factory and Temperflow but now I am thoroughly confused. Any recommendations you could send my way would be appreciated. Also we bought a metal platform frame off Amazaon (Amazon.com) after reading that memory foam mattresses aren’t made to go with box springs bases but OMF is telling us otherwise. Is this a bad frame? Any advice you can give on that would be great! Final things to note, we are looking for a king size and around $1500 (can go up or down a few thousand). Thanks in advance!!
Hi southernbelle91,
The first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
I would also read post #3 here which has some suggestions for people that are in higher weight ranges. As you can see I would make sure that any mattress you are considering uses higher quality and more durable memory foam and polyfoam and I would minimize the amount of memory foam that was under 5 lb density.
You can read more about the different types of support systems that generally work best for different types of mattresses in the foundation post here. Most foam mattresses (such as polyfoam, memory foam, or latex foam) generally do best with a firm non flexing support surface that provides a large contact area and even support across the surface of the mattress and allows most of the flex in the mattress to come from the top layers. These would generally include a rigid foundation on a steel or wooden bedframe or a platform bedframe with wooden slats or a wire grid support surface that has minimal flex such as the one you are looking at. You can read a little more about the types of wire grid platforms you are considering in post #10 here and while it would be strong enough to hold you … I would tend towards one of the versions that has more longitudinal wires and a more supportive surface with less “gaps” in between the wires that would reduce the risk of the mattress sagging into the gaps in between the wires over time.
A box spring on the other hand has springs inside it that flex which are an active part of the “sleeping system” and can change the feel and performance of the mattress in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) … especially with higher weight ranges that will compress the springs more. They can also have an effect on increasing motion transfer. They are much less commonly used for foam mattresses because foam doesn’t need the shock absorbing ability of a box spring. While they can provide an evenly supportive surface … if you test a mattress on an “active” support surface and it is a good match for you in terms of PPP then I would keep in mind that if you use a different support surface under your mattress that has more or less flex than what you tested it on in the store that it can change how the mattress feels and I would try and test it on one of their adjustable foundations in the flat position so that you can see what it feels like on a support system that has no flex (see post #2 here).
The tutorial post also includes a link to a list of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
Phoenix
Thanks Pheonix!
Our zip is 27613. We have an OMF near us but were concerned their prices may be too high. I have seen Dream Foam and TempurFlow mentioned on this site. Do you have any recommendations for online retailers that you like best? I have also read that mattresses under 12 inches are not suitable for larger people but my research indicates that the firmer foam mattresses are around 10 inches. I would really be interested in knowing your recommendation for where to go for the best quality mattress at the best cost. Thanks so much!
Hi southernbelle91,
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Raleigh/Durham area (subject to following all the steps and guidelines in the tutorial post) are listed in post #6 here.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here but in most areas where they have a store OMF would be among the better quality/value choices in the area. Of course they only have two memory foam options so if neither of these are a good match for you in terms of PPP then you would need to look elsewhere because the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP is always the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase.
There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to make specific recommendations for someone else based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” so the best I can do is help with “how” to choose rather than “what” to choose (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Having said that … Dreamfoam is one of the members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency but like every mattress choice I would make sure you are confident that any mattress is likely to be a good match for you in terms of PPP (or has a good exchange/return policy if you aren’t) and that you make sure that the materials inside them are suitable for your body type as well.
You can also see my thoughts about Tempflow as well in post #9 here and they are also included in the list of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of that are also linked in the tutorial post (in the optional online step).
This would depend entirely on the materials and components that were inside the mattress because the thickness of a mattress or the individual layers inside it are only one of many variables that can affect whether a mattress is suitable for you. You may find for example a 9" mattress that is a “perfect match” for you and another one that uses different types or combinations of materials that is 15" thick that would be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on. In very general terms … higher weights may do better with some extra thickness in either the mattress or the comfort layers but this is only a very generic guideline and the materials inside a mattress will have much more to do with its suitability than just its thickness alone. Reading too much into very generic guidelines that you have read on the internet can be very misleading. There is more about the effect of thickness in post #14 here.
The most effective way to choose a mattress that is a good match for you is your own careful testing (using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) but when you can’t test a mattress in person then the best approach is a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer that can help “talk you through” the options they have available that have the best chance of success based on the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about their own mattresses and helping with “matching” them to different body types, sleeping styles, and preferences than anyone else.
Phoenix