I called PLB’s customer service to get a replacement for my 2nd defective PLB foundation. I tried to get them to replace it with a foundation from the their new foundation supplier. Ironwood Bedframes and Mattress Thanks to Jeff Scheuer, Owner, Mattress To Go for posting this in another thread ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: ironwoodbedframesandmattress.com/store/products/knock-down-slatted-foundation-2/
The new foundation has 14 slats with 1 center rail, the old one has 8 slats with 2 center rails.
Unfortunately PLB still has some of the old foundations in stock so as per their warranty they would only agree to replace my foundation with the same poorly constructed foundation, but since I made it very clear to them that I did not want another one of their old PLB foundations, they offered me a $110. credit, no idea how they came up with that amount, to spend on a new foundation from my local PLB dealer, The Bed Store, a chain of 8 stores in the Knoxville, TN area.
I think we all know that you can not get a good foundation for $110., so I’m going to have to cover the difference.
The manager of The Bed Store is selling the new PTB mattresses with the new foundations but was still not impressed with the new foundation’s construction.
He showed me a King Coil Extended Life Foundation that has 18 slats, more edge support blocks, 2 center rails, 9" high, and at $180.cheaper than the Ironwood foundation.
I ordered the King Coil foundation. A word of caution, if you are planning on purchasing a PLB or PTB mattress in the near future with their matching foundation there are still some of the old foundations out there.
Ironwood’s Foundation
King Coil’s Extended Life Foundation
• Furniture grade Canadian Spruce
• Slats are glued and nailed for added strength
• Water proof corrugated top pad ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint 1:i164.photobucket.com/albums/u30/bomart4748/Ironwood%20foundation.jpg| Archived Footprint 2:i164.photobucket.com/albums/u30/bomart4748/King%20Coil%20foundation.jpg
Thanks for the update on your PLB foundation (and for the caution as well). It’s too bad that they didn’t agree to replace it with their new foundation.
I think that the King Koil XL foundations are one of the strongest foundations in the industry and it’s certainly a great choice.
The Ironwood foundation is a good quality product. I saw it at market and would have no qualms placing a heavy latex mattress on top of it. With that being said, the King Koil Extended Life foundation is very strong and I have used it for many latex mattresses. The only thing I don’t like about their design (and one that my licensee has corrected) is the use of cardboard on top. A felt pad that is breathable is a better option. There’s no need for cardboard on top of this foundation. Your choice is a good one and the foundation will serve you well. It is heavy, so you might consider ordering it as a split queen. Good job!
I did notice that the King Coil foundation has the same corrugated top pad that the old PLB foundation has, and I agree with you that it is not needed.
Since we purchased the PLB mattress we have been using this mattress protector: LinenSpa Mattress Protector It’s cheap, crinkle free, and has held up to numerous washings.
We also don’t make our bed as soon as we get up. We wait until after breakfast. There’s some controversy about whether this helps in reducing dust mites but it does help in allowing moisture that has built up during the night to evaporate. Are Dust Mites a Reason to Never Make Your Bed?
Another day, and another story.
I got a call from The Bed Store yesterday that they had decided not to order any more PTB foundations and offered me the floor model PTB foundation for the $110. credit, no extra charge. They said the reason was that there was not much markup on the foundation, I can’t comment on that, and the fact that it was a KD foundation and had to be assembled. I don’t think they sell many PTB mattresses. They only had one on display. They sell mainly Simmons, Serta, and Tempurpedic mattresses…
So I went with the PTB foundation. It took me about 10 minutes to dissemble it at the store. I think it will work better with my metal bed frame since it has a head to foot center support that will match up with the PTB foundation’s center support beam.
The PTB Foundation dissembled. The left side top rail had warped up and 2 staples had popped out. I glued and screwed it down. It’s put together with staples and glue. Not sure if nails would have been better, If I had built it I would have used screws but staple assembly for furniture is now the norm. The sides and middle rails are assembled with carriage bolts and wings nuts (no tools required). I am going to add more edge support blocks and will screw the slats down to the sides and middle support rails.
A few of the slats were slightly warped and the wood is grade B lumber. IMO, the foundation will provide adequate support for a PLB or PTB mattress.
Spacing between the slats is ~2 3/4" and the slats are 2 1/2"W x 3/4" thick
The cover matches the fabric on the new PTB mattress but it’s close to my PLB mattress fabric. It zippers on to the foundation.
Yes, that will do the job. The price was good for you - for a new version you would have expected to pay quite a bit more through PTB. Your store probably got their foundation at the furniture show discount which means that they broke about even and you got a great deal. I see they offered you a $110 credit originally, which was their cost on the old foundation (you had asked about that earlier). As a retail customer you of course paid more for the foundation, so the credit they offered you should have been more, IMHO - it should have been closer to what you actually paid for the item. But maybe in this case they’re doing you a solid outside of PTB helping, so I don’t want to focus on that too much. The end result is you got a better foundation. Power stapling is pretty standard for KD foundations and once you have the weight of the mattress on the slats the few that are slightly warped shouldn’t be an issue. Overall you got a much better foundation than your original one and you shouldn’t have any worries once you get this one in place. Good deal.
