Some Questions About Box Springs

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

I’ve been sleeping on an old fashion twin bed set for about a decade that consists of an innerspring mattress and box spring, specifically the old style of box spring that uses actual springs. The mattress seems fine but the springs on one side of the box spring are broken and it feels like I’m about to roll off my bed. I tried finding a box spring that would be just like my old one but discovered that most box springs available these days are made up of wooden slats or a solid foundation. How would I go about finding the old style of box spring, if that’s even possible?

I know I’ll need to the replace the mattress eventually but I’m looking for a temporary fix. Will there be any difference in the comfort if I use a newer box spring that has wooden slats? The ones I was looking at have wooden slats that are spaced quite far apart. I’m a side sleeper, and I like a more plush feeling, so I’m worried that a solid surface won’t feel the same as the box spring I was used to that has a small amount of “bounce”. Also is it possible that a mattress could have been designed to only use with a old fashion box spring and not the current design? Thanks in advance to any answers to my questions.

2

Older style mattresses which use actual box springs are designed as a system and will therefore not perform as expected if placed on a different less flexible foundation like those that are more commonly used today. It would likely feel much too firm and not compliant enough to be comfortable. While you can search for a conventional “box spring” they can indeed be difficult to find, you might find a local independent mattress manufacturer in your area that can build one for you. I wouldn’t expect it to be inexpensive though, just a guess but it’s likely to cost several hundred dollars so may not be justifiable for you to use as a temporary fix. Only you can determine whether that makes sense since it’s not likely to be compatible with the vast majority of new mattresses you’d later be considering. Good luck and hope that helps.

  • Bill