Thank you! And...a rookie question about bed frame types.

First of all, I had to sign up just to say thank you to Phoenix and all the folks that give input on this site. It helped me immensely in deciding on my mattress type.

I live in Austin, but decided to buy online from DreamFoam. I just happened to by in the Phoenix area for work last week and got to test out one of their mattresses in an actual showroom.

I’m not sure I’d know about any of this without this site.

My mattress should arrive next week and I’m looking forward to it.

However, I need some help! :slight_smile:

I’m moving to a new place, and my entire married life, we’ve had a series of box spring or IKEA slat system beds.

I’m about to snag a used bed locally, but I’m completely baffled about what I need outside of the bed itself.

e.g., if I were to buy this bed frame:

http://austin.craigslist.org/fuo/4868448880.html

What the heck do I need to support the mattress?

I had planned on getting this:

But do I need a metal frame support as well?

I’m too old to be this ignorant, but I just haven’t much thought about it in 20+ years.

Now…ask me about cars and I can usually tell you some stuff…

TIA for any help y’all, and good to officially be aboard.

Hi Eric Bee,

[quote]e.g., if I were to buy this bed frame:

austin.craigslist.org/fuo/4868448880.html

What the heck do I need to support the mattress?[/quote]

In a queen size or larger I would suggest a center support beam with at least two support legs to the floor first of all (four if the center beam isn’t attached to the headboard and footboard) something like this. Then you would need five 1x3 hardwood slats to support a suitable foundation or if you wanted to support the mattress directly on the bedframe without using a foundation you would need enough slats that the gaps between them were 5" or preferably less (for a polyfoam support core) or 3" or less (for a latex support core).

If you didn’t have a center support beam then I would use a support leg under at least 3 of the cross slats to support a foundation.

You could also use three steel cross supports like some of the ones that are linked in post #5 here.

If the side rails were higher (for aesthetics) you could also use a wire grid platform foundation like this inside the wooden bedframe instead of the center support and slats although I would be cautious with these for a mattress with a latex support core (see post #10 here).

Phoenix

As always, thank you Phoenix.

Where might I find a wood base like the first you showed?

I’ve also found this bed:

http://austin.craigslist.org/fuo/4869576234.html

It appears that the support base on it just won’t do. So it appears I need to factor in a new base into at least those two.

That seems to me to be clear enough. I fully plan on a “three-layer system” of support base, then foundation, then mattress.

It appears my mattress is arriving early (today), so I’m in high gear on gettin’ it done so I can sleep on this by Sunday night.

We’ll see…

:slight_smile:

Hey Eric!

The bed Phoenix linked to in his reply to you appears to be from https://www.haikudesigns.com (I just grabbed the first portion of the link). They’re nice looking beds, though kind of out of my price range for now I think.

Cheers!

Hi Eric Bee,

As Jeroen mentioned, the one I linked came from Haiku Designs but it was just the result of a random google search to show an example of a suitable set up.

There are a few platform beds listed in the foundation post here but I’m not the best source of guidance about furniture or beds since it’s not an area I have the time to do much research.

Yes … it would certainly need some reinforcement with only 3 cross slats, no center beam, and minimal center support.

Phoenix

Thanks, y’all.

To be clear, I’m asking specifically about the base support structure and not the bed itself.

When I asked where to find “one” I was using an unclear antecedent (sort of).

I just want to find a suitable and strong base for the platform and then mattress, regardless of the headboard/footer/sideboards.

I received the EuroTop mattress today, BTW, and although probably not fully unfurled yet, so far it seems quite nice. Especially at that price point.

I think I’ve got this all figured. Will post back if not. And if I have time, I’ll also try and contribute with a DreamFoam EuroTop review at tome point as well. Gotta give back a little. :slight_smile:

Hi Eric Bee,

A platform bed usually integrates the support structure/bedframe and the slatted platform support surface that the mattress rests on all in one unit.

There are some suggestions for steel bedframes in post #10 here that will support a foundation and a mattress and can also be used to attach a headboard and/or a footboard. Is that what you mean?

Phoenix

Yes. Well…possibly. That first bed I posted. Is that a platform bed or no? Perhaps that’s my confusion.

Hi Eric Bee,

If you mean the Craigslist bed you linked (the listing is gone now) then no it wasn’t although if you added enough slats and sufficient center support so it could support a mattress directly without needing a foundation then you could turn it into a platform bed (a bed with a platform that is capable of supporting a mattress without a foundation).

Phoenix

Ah. So there we go. I should’ve been more clear.

The question should’ve been…

“What will it take to get this bed up to snuff for a latex mattress?”

:slight_smile:

Hi Eric Bee,

Strong hardwood slats that are no more than 3" apart so that you have flat rigid non flexing support under the mattress and good center support to the floor so there is no sagging in the center of the support system under the mattress.

Phoenix

Okay, so this is where I feel like an idiot.

So it’s NOT a platform bed, but it also doesn’t require a box like I posted in the OP?

I feel like I’m going crazy on how many layers of support a mattress needs. I need a primer/tutorial/how-to, and I can’t seem to find it anywhere online.

Hi Eric Bee,

A latex mattress needs a flat and rigid non flexing support system underneath it with good center support and slats that are no more than 3" apart.

Anything that gets you there is fine.

Phoenix

Okay. I’m still confused/frustrated. But I’ll figured it out.

Hi Eric Bee,

I’m not clear what you are confused about.

You need a steel bedframe or wooden bedframe with good center support to the floor that either supports a foundation that is suitable for a mattress on top of it or that has a slatted platform support surface that can support a mattress directly without a foundation (a platform bed like this).

If you use a foundation you would have three “pieces” in your sleeping system. A bedframe to support the foundation, a foundation that sits on the bedframe with slats that are no more than 3" apart, and a mattress.

If you have a platform bed that doesn’t need a foundation then you would only have two pieces in your sleeping system (the platform bed and the mattress) and the platform would have slats that were no more than 3" apart.

Phoenix