I don’t know the weight limit rating for the Malm bed or even if they have one although there is no real wood in it so it would make me wonder if it would hold up to your weight. If you call them they may have a weight rating for it which would be helpful.
I would also tend to avoid a flexible slat base and lean towards a strong non flexing slat system like the Lade unless your personal experience (on the Lade) indicated that you could benefit from more “give” under the mattress … but I would definitely start with the Lade (and Brooklyn Bedding here also suggests firm non flexing foundations including the Lade).
The first post in this foundation thread also has more foundation and some platform bed options.
I recently purchased a 9" king-size memory foam mattress (I purchased the 4" 5lb memory foam + 5" LUX -HQ base) from The Foam Factory (I did not see this post until after I had already purchased the mattress).
My wife purchased a bed frame which will require a box spring. Given your initial post on this thread, would you recommend this knock down foundation from mattresses.net?
Although it seems ideal that the distance between slats is less than 3", I have to admit that cost is also one of the more enticing aspects of this foundation - given that the mattress itself cost about $515, I cannot really stomach spending much more than $300 for a foundation (absent a compelling reason).
[quote]My wife purchased a bed frame which will require a box spring. Given your initial post on this thread, would you recommend this knock down foundation from mattresses.net?
Although it seems ideal that the distance between slats is less than 3", I have to admit that cost is also one of the more enticing aspects of this foundation - given that the mattress itself cost about $515, I cannot really stomach spending much more than $300 for a foundation (absent a compelling reason).[/quote]
The 3" or less guideline applies more to an all latex mattress than other types because latex is much more elastic and can sink into gaps more easily than other foam types. For your mattress almost any “standard” foundation that can be used under a good quality memory foam mattress would work well whether it was purchased locally (where some phone research can often find low cost foundations available for sale) or online. Of course smaller gaps still provide a more even support surface area for any mattress no matter what type but with more rigid foams the smaller gaps are not as important and I would not make an issue of 3". Any of the foundations mentioned in the foundation post would be fine.
Thanks for your input, Phoenix. Since mattresses.net is a member of this forum, I was able to get an additional 5% off my order for the foundation. Decided to just go with the knockdown foundation with the <3" gaps for our memory foam bed. Hoping for the best!
Just an FYI.
This was the email reply back from Cindy, one of the co-owners, of Forever Foundations to my email asking if their foundations were suitable for latex mattresses.
“Included with the foundation is a very strong non-woven fabric deck. When installed correctly this deck assists the all metal slats to hold a distributed weight of 2000 lbs. We had another customer ask the same question regarding her foam mattress. Our suggestion was to attached the deck per instructions, and if she was still not confident, purchase a 1/8” sheet of plywood and lay it on top of the deck. Proceed to cover it with a bed skirt and then the mattress. She wrote back and informed us that the deck appeared to be sufficient, but she decided to add the wood and is very satisfied with the results. In August we will be introducing a new model the Store More Max, which has more slats. I hope I have been able to help answer your question."
I’m curious to see what the spacing between the slats will be on their new Store More Max model. As I mentioned in my first post Post #1, an Amazon reviewer stated that the space between the slats on their Forever Store More foundation is 9.25" and that he had to add a piece of plywood to the foundation to keep his 10" latex mattress from falling through.
I have no doubt that these types of foundation are strong enough to hold a latex mattress but my concern would be more for its long term effect on any latex in the bottom layers of the mattress and in the case of 9.5" gaps the short term as well … with or without a fabric cover. My concerns have come from talking with manufacturers who have many years of experience with latex mattresses and have seen the effects of larger gaps in a support system on latex mattresses… even with wire grid foundations that have smaller gaps or spaces and a more evenly supportive surface area. I wonder if they have tested their foundation with an all latex mattress over a period of 5 - 10 years and evaluated how it performs in real life over the longer term.
You can see more of my thoughts in post #10 here (and some possible solutions) but I would personally tend to avoid these just because it makes sense to me that the risk would be much higher than other types of foundations and in this case with the larger gaps even higher than other types of wire grid or metal foundations.
I’ll also be interested in seeing the design of their new model and it seems to me that just the fact that they are introducing may be an implicit recognition of the very issue we are discussing.
The foundations that Brooklyn Bedding suggests are listed here.
The first post in this thread (see here) also includes links to many options that would be suitable for any foam mattress depending on your circumstances and preferences (do you want storage, extra height etc). If the mattress is all latex (or latex on the bottom layer) then a gap between the slats of 3" or less or a more closely spaced wire grid (preferably with a tight cover over the wire grid to help prevent sagging into the spaces) would be the best choice. If the mattress has polyfoam in the base layer then wider gaps between the slats (in the foundation or a platform bed) or a wire grid foundation with a larger grid pattern would also be fine.
Should I just purchase the foundation that they sell (cant tell how far the slats are apart or does that even matter), or what reasonably priced foundation would you recommend?
I don’t know the specifics of the Amerisleep foundation but they should be able to tell you. Normally the foundation that is sold by the manufacturer would be a suitable choice. With a memory foam mattress that has a polyfoam base the gaps can be wider than a mattress that has a latex base layer although more slats would provide more even support for any mattress and if the value is better then it may make a better choice. Any of the foundations listed in the first post of this thread would also be fine (and may be better quality and value than their own foundation once you find out the specifics) although it’s always a good idea to make sure that a foundation meets the warranty requirements of the manufacturer.
I’ve been reading your site for a while and reading all the online reviews of Dreamfoam Bedding on Amazon for quite a while now. I went downtown to lie on some Tempupedics and decide what feels right to me. I think I want to get the Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams 10" Latex mattress. Now I’m trying to clear up some issues before I contact Chuck. Like the foundation.
I have an antique bedroom set with a full-size bed. My existing bed is a 20 year old innerspring that came with a wood box foundation instead of a box spring, so I was hoping to keep it. The complication is that since my bed frame is so old it’s 55 1/2 inches wide instead of the standard 54. When my old bed was delivered the foundation fell right through to the floor, and the delivery guys pulled some 1 x 6 planks out of their truck, cut four of them to 55 1/2 inches, laid them across the bed frame and placed the foundation and mattress on top of that. It’s worked fine ever since as a support. But this new mattress is going to be a lot heavier and I want to know what’s the best way to proceed. Should I add some additional 1 x 6 planks? Any new foundation I buy is going to be too narrow, and I’m not handy enough to do much more than ask the people at the local lumberyard to cut some planks to size.
If your current bedframe and wooden planks are still level and have no sags, are stable and well attached and don’t shift, and are strong enough to hold the weight of your foundation and the mattress (which they should be) they should be fine. It would also be a good idea to have some center support to the floor in the middle of the span to prevent them from sagging in the middle with a heavier weight so support legs to the floor under the middle two 1x6’s (such as the bedlegs here) would be helpful. I would also make sure that your current foundation is also in good condition and has no sagging as well and that the space between the slats isn’t too wide.
The Ultimate Dreams has 3" of latex and the rest is polyfoam so it won’t be as heavy as an all latex mattress and won’t require the same less than 3" gaps between the slats in your foundation (although narrower gaps is still more evenly supportive than wider gaps).
If all of this looks good then you should be fine.
Thanks for your help, Phoenix. I’ve been checking out everything the best I can with the old mattress still in place. The bedframe is really sturdy: solid hardwood posts for the outer frame and feet and plywood covered with veneer on the headboard and footboard. The 1x6 planks used for slats are in good shape, but I need more of them. When I have the old mattress picked up, I’ll take one of them to the lumberyard and have some more cut to the exact length. The top of the foundation seems to be a solid sheet of wood. I can’t get a good look at it right now. It has a mattress-like cover; the old mattress is on top of it, and I have a dust-mite encasement all around it. But from feeling around and under it, I think it’s flat and sturdy. The only thing I have a problem with are the bed legs. It’s 9" from the underside of the slats to the floor, and all the bed legs I find online are either 7" or 10".
Anyhow, I feel pretty much ready to go ahead and place my order with Chuck. I’ll just wait a bit and see if you have any more feedback for me.
If the surface the mattress is resting on is a solid sheet of plywood then the 1x6’s underneath it will probably be fine. Depending on other risk factors though … having a mattress directly on a solid sheet of plywood will lower ventilation and can increase the risk of mold, mildew, and dust mites so having the mattress directly on slats that allow for more airflow is less risky. You can read more about this in post #10 here.
There are also some adjustable height legs available such as here and here.
It took a while to coordinate all the parts of my mattress changeover, but it’s now complete. I added three more 1x6 boards to the bottom of my bed frame to strengthen the resting platform, and following your link I ordered a bed rug from Savvy Rest to improve ventilation. I’d never heard of them before. Most important, I ordered a Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams Latex Mattress on Amazon. I discussed the softness issue in an email with Chuck, went over my issues and preferences and told him I was thinking of a 7. He said that from what I’d told him that was a good choice. So by this week everything had arrived and my old mattress had been picked up. Yesterday a friend came over for lunch and to help me put the new bed together. Everything went very well. I slept in it last night and I’m extremely happy with it.
And I got the free shredded latex pillow for being a member of this forum. So thank you for all your help.
I am planning to order the Ultimate Dreams Supreme Gel Memory Foam mattress in King. I have been researching foundation options, and I came across this thread. Thanks for all of the helpful info. Based upon what I have read, I think I have decided to go with the mattresses.net wood foundation.
I recently purchased a Flobed and needed a foundation. The Flobed foundations are ridiculously priced. Their cheapest one is around 479 plus 99 shipping! - a lot for a box of wood with some fabric and padding around it.
I researched every choice on your first post, and was not finding what I wanted at the price I wanted to pay. I found a website for Spindle Mattress Company www.spindlemattress.com, and coincidentally saw that they were located about 5 miles away from me. I called them and ordered a foundation based on the discription the owner gave and then a week later drove over to pick it up. I bought a split queen upholstered wood slat foundation in 4 inch height for 239.00. It is VERY nice and is much better than I expected some of the KDF foundations I was looking at previously would be. Externally, it looks like the foundations pictured at goodnight naturals. It is a really nice foundation both functionally and esthetically, with padding and what looks like an organic cotton cover - as good as anyone would need. The owner is a really nice guy. I also checked out their mattresses - quite nice, especially for the price. We have a twin Savvy rest in my son’s room and their 10 inch mattress was very similar at probably 1/4 the price. So big props to Spindle Mattress.
