New Mattress or Bunkie Board?

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
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I have a 9" latex mattress I bought from SleepEZ and I love it (thanks to MU!) It’s been a great mattress. I recently bought a new bed frame and now everything is lower than I expected, and I really want to add 2-3 inches of height. I do not want to use risers.

I was looking at slatted bunkie boards to put under my current mattress but then I decided to try to find my old posts here because I couldn’t remember how long I’ve had my mattress. Now that I see it’s been over 11 years, I’m wondering if it would be better to put that money towards a new mattress. Although my mattress has held up very well, I do wonder if the fact that when I bought it and for most of the time I’ve had it, I weighed about twice what I do now so there’s been a lot of wear in that sense. I’m around 140-145 now. So I’d love opinions about whether to replace or just get the additional height I want with the bunkie board.

The prospect of choosing a new mattress is daunting even with this excellent site and all its resources. But I just don’t think I can manage the layer thing again. I know it’s great for fine tuning support and comfort but managing the boxes and the layers and wrangling them by myself is just too much and I still remember how hard it was 11 years ago. So a big selection criteria for me now is a mattress that can be delivered to me in one part. I’m looking for medium firmness and 11-12" in height. And if there still exists delivery where they remove your old mattress I’d really love that. I guess now that I don’t have any special needs around a mattress - no aches and pains, no sleep problems - I’d love to make the process as manageable as possible while still getting a quality mattress. Any suggestions??

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You could possibly replace what’s there with an actual mattress base like this:

This is designed to fit within a frame.

For your mattress, from what I have read usually the top layer on its own is all that needs to be replaced. I assume you have a zippered cover so you could check to see if it’s sunk in in any way and if so replace the top layer or at most the middle layer as well.

I’m just making a suggestion here. There will be more options im sure others could recommend.

My personal favorite is the nest and wild hybrid. It’s 12", medium firmness and under 1000 for a queen. Not latex but toxin free. It’s a Goldilocks bed; designed to work for majority of sleepers. Very easy to unroll and place.

Another good option here is the DLX hybrid. They also have a latex hybrid version with the choice of 12 or 14", the 12" being a little more firm.

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Thank you! I may be mistaken but I had the idea that I needed something open (like slatted) instead of closed so that my mattress can breath because it’s latex, but I’ll check this foundation out. And thanks for the mattress suggestions!! I’ll look into those too. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hey there CCoffey,

Ok, here is how I think I’d separate the two issues here: height and mattress condition.

If the mattress is still performing well, you have a pretty easy solution for the height. The 1.75" Terra Bunkie from Mattress Foundations is about as good as it gets for putting under a latex mattress, and the 2" Big Fig bunkie would serve the same basic purpose. So if you’re happy with the mattress, I wouldn’t replace an 11-year-old mattress simply because you want another couple of inches of height.

The bigger question is: how is the latex actually performing?

Latex has a very long life span, and while 11 years is certainly a good run, I wouldn’t consider that an automatic retirement date. If you’re still comfortable, your alignment is good, you’re not seeing noticeable sagging or loss of support, and you’re sleeping well, then I’d be inclined to keep it. The fact that you used to weigh considerably more is certainly something to consider, but again, the mattress itself gets the final vote.

Have you ever tried rearranging the layers as a refresh? After 11 years, it might be worth opening it up and seeing what you have. You may be able to get some additional life out of it simply by changing the orientation or flipping of the layers.

There’s another consideration here: if you replace the mattress, you may end up wanting the bunkie anyway unless you specifically buy a taller mattress. So I’d hate to see you spend the money and go through the hassle of replacing a mattress you still love, only to discover you need the same 2" of additional height.

You also have to consider what the new mattress is going to feel like. Even if you tried to recreate the exact mattress you have now, there’s no guarantee it would feel exactly the same. You could end up with a top-quality mattress, but still go through a new adjustment period while hoping it lands where you expect it to.

I’m not saying you couldn’t find a great replacement. You absolutely could. I’m just saying there is some value in knowing exactly what you have now and knowing that you love it. If the mattress is still performing the way it should, I’d be pretty reluctant to give that up just to gain a couple of inches of height.

Personally, I’d put the bunkie under it first and see how you like the height. If the mattress is still doing what it’s supposed to do, keep enjoying it. If you’re starting to notice that the latex just isn’t what it used to be, then you’ve got a good reason to start looking at a replacement.

And I completely understand not wanting to go back to the layer-and-box wrestling match. There are plenty of good one-piece latex and latex-hybrid options these days, so if you do get to the point of replacing it, we can make that search considerably less painful than what you went through 11 years ago.

Just my thoughts,

Maverick

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Thank you! I may be mistaken but I had the idea that I needed something open (like slatted) instead of closed so that my mattress can breath because it’s latex, but I’ll check this foundation out. And thanks for the mattress suggestions!! I’ll look into those too.

Yes, that’s a reasonable thing to wonder about. Latex doesn’t need to literally have air circulating through it in the same way, say, a damp basement needs ventilation. What you really want is a foundation that provides good, even support and doesn’t trap moisture.

For a latex mattress, I actually prefer a solid, well-designed bunkie over a bunch of widely spaced slats. The important part is the spacing and support underneath the latex, not simply whether the foundation is technically “open.”

The Terra is not a solid sheet sitting under your mattress, either. It uses closely spaced slats, so you get the support you want for latex while still having plenty of airflow underneath the mattress.

And honestly, since you already have a mattress you’ve loved for 11 years, I’d be inclined to keep things simple. Get the extra height, make sure the support underneath is appropriate, and let that old SleepEZ keep earning its keep.

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The big fig base I shared does have closely spaced slats, with a layer of fabric covering it. I don’t know exactly how your frame looks but usually the base fits on the frame so you’d be removing your slats. That base is 7" tall so In place of the slats you’d add 6" of height. How many inches taller in total are you hoping to make your whole setup? 2" seems like a very small amount for total height but the recommendations Maverick made would do that.

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Hi Maverick,

Thanks so much for this response and the recommendations. I did worry about finding a mattress I love as much as my current one, so I am motivated to keep it if I can get a couple more of inches in height. I like the idea of possibly re-arranging my layers; I know I did that a couple of times at the beginning. I also just had this thought: what about getting a new, larger (11 - 12") mattress cover and an additional latex layer, thereby creating a different kind of hybrid mattress: old &new? That would give me the extra inches, but would it be bad to mix old and new latex?
Thanks,
Claire

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Yes, I’m only looking for a couple of extra inches… that’s what I lost when I got a new frame. I just want the height that I used to have. I think adding 6 more inches would make it too tall - but I’m considering all the options still!
Thank you!
Claire

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Hi Claire,

I think your “old & new” mattress idea is certainly possible. There’s nothing inherently wrong with mixing older latex with new latex, provided the existing layers are still in good condition.

That said, I would offer one caution. With an 11-year-old mattress, if you start mixing new layers into the existing stack and then experience some new discomfort or a change in feel, it can become quite difficult to determine which layer is responsible. The older latex may have changed somewhat over the years, and adding new material introduces another variable. That can make fine-tuning the mattress considerably more complicated.

Since you already like the feel of your current mattress, I would be especially cautious about changing the comfort layers. Those are generally the layers that are more difficult to fine-tune because relatively small changes in firmness, thickness, or position can have a noticeable effect on pressure relief and overall feel. I would say manipulating the layers through rotation and flipping layers is perfectly fine. I would be less inclined to change their positions in the stack.

If the primary goal is simply to gain a few of inches of height, I would be more in favor of considering adding the additional latex underneath the existing mattress layers, assuming the resulting construction and support characteristics make sense. That would increase the overall height while leaving the comfort layers you already know you like essentially unchanged. Since those are the layers that tend to wear faster, if they eventually do, you are only swapping comfort layers.

Before doing anything, as I mentioned previously, you would also want to look at the condition and specifications of your existing layers, their thickness, firmness, and order. That would give you a better idea of whether adding 2" or 3" underneath would accomplish what you’re looking for without unnecessarily changing the feel of the mattress you already love. If you have a record of what the ILD of the support layer is, you might simply add 3" of the same ILD support layer below the existing mattress and will likely have effect on the overall feel of the mattress.

So, yes, old and new latex can be combined, but in your particular situation I would favor the least disruptive modification possible. Keep it simple as less is more.

Maverick

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