Some Advice on Mattresses - Leaning Towards Latex

[phoenix]

Hi s.guo1,

I wanted to let you know that I received the mattress and so far it’s been great!

That’s great news. I’ll look forward to your future updates.

Is it better to put foam mattresses on slats or boxsprings?

Most manufacturers would not recommend that you use an actual coil box spring unit with their product, but instead something that is flat and firm, like a slatted network. All you need to know about appropriate foundations is listed in the foundation thread here.

It looks like boxsprings may also add an unnecessary bounce, but I wonder if using a boxspring would prolong the life of the mattress given that contact is spread over a larger area?

Most of these mattresses are not designed to be used with a coil box spring and it will actually degrade the performance of the mattress, and also usually violate the warranty (always check with the mattress manufacturer).

We were considering maybe putting a large cardboard plank over the slats, which would solve the contact/pressure point issue, but also still allow the mattress to “breathe”.

Cardboard will not allow the mattress to breathe, at least on the bottom. As long as the slats were closely spaced together (5" or less for most polyfoam mattress cores, closer would be better), you’ll be fine.

Also, if we were to go with slats, how important is it to avoid European slats? It looks like most beds come with European slats rather than the flat normal wooden slats.

Check with the manufacturer regarding bowed slats and see if they want you to avoid those. Keep an eye on those systems, as some use less durable slats and over time the can begin to sag. They will also slightly change the feel of the mattress. There are plenty of options using flat slats.

Lastly, what’s the opinion on mattress covers? While it will protect the mattress from liquid spillage, doesn’t it also override some of the benefits of the mattress in terms of breath-ability? Any particular covers you would recommend?

There is more about mattress protectors in post #89 here and this post. The polyurethane film that most of these protectors use is somewhat breathable, but they fit on the mattress like a fitted sheet and the film is normally only on the top surface, so the mattress overall still can breathe quite well.

Phoenix