The Best Foundations or Base for a Latex or All Foam Mattress

Hi hmorneau,

I’m not familiar with the foundation you mentioned (and a quick internet search didn’t bring up any information about it) but based on your description it certainly sounds like it would be a suitable choice and the price sounds very good as well.

It would be great to see some pictures when you receive it.

Phoenix

Hello,

Feeling so lost and confused on how to resolve my dilemma :frowning: .

I purchased an innerspring king set from the Beautyrest World Class collection from Macy’s on their clearance sale, but it was still a bit pricey…it’s the Hollingsworth I believe. The box spring is a low profile 5"h.

I then purchased a storage bed from Sam’s club. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/gavin-storage-bed-king/prod1480194.ip?navAction=

The problem is that with the height of the box spring 5"h and then the mattress 15"h on top of the storage drawers…the bed is crazy high :ohmy:

I need a breathable “support foundation” that can sit above the drawers at no more than 2-3 inches high and that can support a king size innerspring mattress…

I was able to get Macy’s to agree to take back the box springs only for a restocking fee, but now I’m left with no support for my mattress which I paid so much for. The storage bed had several slats which sit above the drawers, but they are very far apart…approx. 18 ". Macy’s wanted to sell me a bunky board for $300 which I passed on because that seemed very costly and I was under the impression that the mattress needs to breath.

I’ve been online for the last 9+ hours trying to research a solution then I found this site and I have to say …I am so thankful you are out here because and I am ready to just hang my head and cry. I read every single post on this thread, but couldn’t find anything that really applied to me so I am writing with the hope that you can recommend a possible solution I may pursue.

I confess I’m not very handy and a total girly girl, but I follow instructions well and I just need some help with finding the best option.

Thank you so very much…for this site…for your obvious dedication to helping others… and for taking the time to consider my post.

AZgirl

Hi AZgirl,

I know there are so many links in the foundation post that it’s easy to miss one when your eyes start going blurry (which happens to me all the time!) but I think that post #4 here about slatted bunkie boards and which includes the slat conversion kit from flobeds may be helpful :).

Phoenix

Hello Phoenix,

Thank you for your great site. I need help trying to figure out what has happened with my latex mattress. I purchased it October of 2012 and primarily slept in the middle of the bed. I have an Ikea boxspring on legs with a fifth leg in the middle: Shop Quality & Affordable Products - IKEA CA It’s a typical wood slat construction.

My partner moved in with me after a few months and when I started sleeping off to the side of my bed, I noticed that the mattress had a big dip in the middle. The company exchanged it for another one. After 1.5 years, our mattress now has two dips on each side (one for each of us). They have exchanged this again, and noted that there was a defect in their first one (air pockets in the base layer, I believe).

We’ve been sleeping on the new one for less than one week and the exact same issue is cropping up again. I thought it might be the boxspring, so we moved the mattress on to the floor. It still has these stiff spots interspersed with softer spots where we’ve been lying. In fact, after only two nights, I could feel the spot where my partner sleeps (a depression in the mattress). The other very annoying thing is that the bed “dips” towards my partner (who is heavier) and makes it so that my hips are uneven, which causes pain. The bed does this on a granite floor as well, so it’s not the wood base causing this. I thought latex foam was supposed to guard against this phenomenon?

The wood frame seems sturdy enough, but there is give when we lie down on it without the mattress on it. How can a little bit of give in a wood frame lead to a mattress losing its support in less than one week? Or is it normal to have these dips and uneven places in a latex mattress for the first week? I may be noticing these dips more now than I did when I first got the mattress, especially as I did not move around so much on it back then, and especially because I’m very frustrated by this ongoing mattress saga! :angry:

I now want to make sure I put this new mattress on a firm base so that there is no risk of the base causing it to bottom out like this. To do this, I’m assuming I will have to go with a non-slatted base with a bed rug, since it seems that all wooden slats will eventually dip. Is it ok to just get myself some untreated wood? Or is plywood better? Or can you recommend some places that sell non-slatted bed supports? (I’m in Vancouver, Canada). My apologies if this is mentioned in this thread–I did read all 19 pages of it, but maybe I missed any info about non-slatted supports. I plan to put the wood on top of my existing bed frame, plus add more legs for support.

I don’t want to get a metal frame because I found this article. Call me paranoid, but I don’t want to risk this if it’s true, especially after spending so much money on a natural bed! Archived Article Notice

Thank you very much for your help and great site! :cheer:

Maybe you should give info about your current mattress. Like is it natural or blended latex, talalay or dunlop? (Like a natural Talalay will soften faster then a blended one). What is your weight (and partner)? (Heavier means it will soften faster). And the most important, the mattress layer, how thick they are and what is the ILD in the comfort layer? (Lower ILD that are thicker have will soften faster as well).

Hi rh,

I switched your post to a new topic since it appears that your issues may be more connected to your mattress than to the foundation.

I have no idea what may be happening because even low quality polyfoam wouldn’t normally develop visible impressions that quickly much less latex.

I would echo hmorneau’s comments that the first place to start would be more specific information about both you and about the materials inside the mattress you are sleeping on (see this article for the specs that would be helpful).

If you know the ILD of the latex that may be helpful as well. If you are having issues that quickly then it’s more likely that the mattress is too soft for you in the first place than it is that the materials themselves are softening or impressing.

While I don’t have enough information about either you or the mattress to really make any meaningful comments or guess what may be happening … it sounds like your mattress may be too soft for you (either in the thickness/softness of the comfort layers or the firmness of the support layers).

If you can post the specifics of all the layers in your mattress from top to bottom on the forum it could certainly be helpful.

Latex doesn’t come in a specific ILD that is the same at every point across the sleeping surface but the small ILD variations in different spots across the layer aren’t something that most people would feel (see post #6 here).

There is certainly an adjustment period for any new mattress (in the range of 30 - 90 days) where the sensations you experience may feel “odd” to you at first or you may be overly sensitive to the “feel” of a new mattress that is quite different from what you are used to sleeping on but it would be highly unusual that you would have two defective latex mattresses in a row.

It’s also not unusual that a relatively small amount of flex in a foundation can have an effect on some people that are more sensitive. This wouldn’t be a loss of support which wouldn’t normally happen in a week and would be more about not having the support/alignment you need in the first place even if you didn’t notice it for the first week.

You can see my thoughts about a solid surface vs a slatted surface in post #10 here. If I was in your shoes I would first take a more detailed look at the mattress before trying to solve the issue with a different foundation … especially since you also noticed issues when the mattress was on the floor.

While I have seen the comments about innersprings being a “safety” issue … I have never seen any specific evidence that this is the case other than some very non specific anecdotal stories that don’t provide any evidence that would relate to innersprings or metal frames. Having said that … there are certainly many good quality wooden platform beds or foundations for those that don’t want to take the chance. I would personally be more cautious with “active” electromagnetic fields (such as living close to high tension wires, holding a cell phone too close to your head, or sleeping near active electrical fields or wiring as examples) … but I personally wouldn’t have any issues with sleeping on an innerspring … but that’s only my own personal opinion.

Phoenix

Thank you Phoenix…I had seen the flobed posts, but they start at 5"h which is the same height as the low profile box springs I need to replace. The Ikea has potential, but I was hoping for something upholstered. I appreciate the quick reply to my plea :slight_smile: …and will likely go with the Ikea and try to figure a way to upholster it myself. Again, thank you so much!

AZgirl

Hi AZgirl,

The Flobeds slat conversion kits are less than 3" high and they are also quite inexpensive (under $100 for the bare wood version and under $200 for the upholstered version).

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix,

I’m sorry…I’m obviously missing something then because this is what I’m finding on their site.

Thanks,
AZgirl

Hi AZgirl,

If you had clicked on the link in post #275 it would have taken you here (click the link) which is their slat conversion kit I was referring to.

I would call and ask them if there are any additional shipping costs because I didn’t ask them when I talked with Flobeds about them. I didn’t know they had them until fairly recently either.

Phoenix

Hi :slight_smile:

I did, but that page doesn’t provide pricing, sizing or the ability for me to add to the cart so I clicked on what appeared to be the next step and it took me to the other page. Perhaps I’m navigating it incorrectly. I will call them tomorrow for pricing and clarification on what I appear to be doing incorrectly on their site. Thanks for not giving up on me :slight_smile:

AZgirl

Hi AZgirl,

The prices I listed came from a phone call. I don’t know the process involved in ordering them but I do know they are available and they will be able to tell you how to order them.

Phoenix

Hello Phoenix. Please see my responses to your response in red.

I have no idea what may be happening because even low quality polyfoam wouldn’t normally develop visible impressions that quickly much less latex. I’m not sure why you have the impression that there are visible impressions. I did not say this in my post.

There is certainly an adjustment period for any new mattress (in the range of 30 - 90 days) where the sensations you experience may feel “odd” to you at first or you may be overly sensitive to the “feel” of a new mattress that is quite different from what you are used to sleeping on but it would be highly unusual that you would have two defective latex mattresses in a row. I’ve been sleeping on the same kind of mattress for 1.5 years, so I’m not unused to sleeping on latex. Regardless, I spoke with the company after posting my questions and they explained that their top layer takes a while to break in, so what feels uneven should eventually go away. In terms of the 2nd mattress, they think I have had two defective mattresses in a row; they mentioned that they improved their production process a couple of months after my second mattress was sent to me.

It’s also not unusual that a relatively small amount of flex in a foundation can have an effect on some people that are more sensitive. Thank you for answering this question! I think that may be contributing to the problem. This wouldn’t be a loss of support which wouldn’t normally happen in a week (no, it’s their top layer which takes a while to break in, something which I did not notice originally because I wasn’t paying super close attention— I mentioned this in my first post). and would be more about not having the support/alignment you need in the first place even if you didn’t notice it for the first week.
Is it ok to just get myself some untreated wood? Or is plywood better? Or can you recommend some places that sell non-slatted bed supports? (I’m in Vancouver, Canada).

You can see my thoughts about a solid surface vs a slatted surface in post #10 here. If I was in your shoes I would first take a more detailed look at the mattress before trying to solve the issue with a different foundation … especially since you also noticed issues when the mattress was on the floor. I’m aware of your thoughts on slatted versus solid bases; I also mentioned that I read all 19 pages of that thread, so I’m aware of your opinions. However, you also use a solid base and I did specifically mention that I would get a bed rug to protect against any humidity issues. Also, another person wrote about using solid bases with latex mattresses in boats (specifically talalay) and that two manufacturers said that latex and solid bases are fine. Furthermore, I spoke with the company this week and they said a solid base would be fine; they recommended plywood with some small holes drilled in it—only a few. Please forgive me if there is an easily searchable thread with this information on your site, but I have not been able to find it. I’ve only found the definition of base in your glossary. Can you recommend a good solid base? Preferably solid wood, if that is even possible? Obviously I’m wary of formaldehyde in plywood, and whatever other chemicals may be in there and would prefer something less prone to off-gassing, especially after spending so much money on a natural bed.

While I have seen the comments about innersprings being a “safety” issue … I have never seen any specific evidence that this is the case other than some very non specific anecdotal stories that don’t provide any evidence that would relate to innersprings or metal frames. Having said that … there are certainly many good quality wooden platform beds or foundations for those that don’t want to take the chance. I would personally be more cautious with “active” electromagnetic fields (such as living close to high tension wires, holding a cell phone too close to your head, or sleeping near active electrical fields or wiring as examples) … but I personally wouldn’t have any issues with sleeping on an innerspring … but that’s only my own personal opinion. Your opinion is much appreciated! :cheer: Thank you!

Hi rh,

When you mentioned “I noticed that the mattress had a big dip in the middle” I understood that as meaning you had dips that were visible.

That’s good news (because it means that they would be replacing your mattress with one that hopefully won’t have the same issues) although I would be curious about the specifics of the “production process” they improved (the reply they gave you sounds like a “boilerplate” reply that is non specific). It would also be helpful to know the specifics of all the layers in your mattress and the type and blend of the latex. It’s possible that they may be using some type of material over the latex that could be contributing to the issues you are having.

While I’m certainly no expert on wood materials … any wood material that won’t sag, bend, or warp over time that has good center support to the floor (either a foundation with a steel or wood bedframe or a platform bed) would be fine in terms of support. If you are looking at the other details of a support surface then I would consider any potential offgassing issues with plywood or engineered wood and I would also tend to make sure that the wood has a low moisture content (see here) to prevent warping over time and a high bending strength (see here). Treated wood is normally only necessary for outdoor applications.

Whether you are comfortable with where you are inside the “range or risk” regarding ventilation and airflow under your mattress (which in my case I am because for me the desire for an adjustable bed was “worth” any additional risks of a solid surface vs a slatted foundation) is a “best judgement” choice.

You may also want to consider using T-Slats which won’t bend at all.

I’m not familiar with the specifics of the foundations or platform beds that are sold in Vancouver by the different retailers or manufacturers there (most don’t list the specific details of their foundations) so I would go by the specifics of their construction.

The thread you read has the general recommendations I would use for choosing a support system under your mattress. You can also use the forum search tab (not the site search window) to search the forum for any more specific information that may have been discussed previously (posts which contain the search words you are using in some combination). You will generally find a wide range of opinions about many issues that are connected to mattresses so I generally try and identify the pros and cons of each side of the discussion so that each person can decide what they are most comfortable with and know the tradeoffs that can be involved with any choice because there is usually no real consensus about what is “best” with each set of individual circumstances.

Phoenix

Best Organic Mattress I’ve found that organic products, especially mattresses, make the best mattresses. They are durable, sturdy, comfortable and healthy! It’s a quadruple threat! We’ve purchased our mattresses from Best Organic Mattress Store The Organic Mattress Store! Check out their products, you’ll be totally floored by the quality, hands down!!! They have alot of different bases too:

Here as promised the picture of my new bed frame, just got it today.

I got it for 250$ shipping included (normal price was $600+), I think it was a good deal. Very sturdy and the spacing between the slat are 2,5 inch. There is only 4 leg, but I can stand on the middle of the frame and there is no flex at all. You can see the bamboo cover. All made in Italy.

Hi hmorneau,

Your our bedframe looks great, and thanks for the pictures :slight_smile:

I’d say you certainly did get a good price for it.

Phoenix

Hi Pheonix,

Trying to decide between a slatted and a solid base as well. I live in San Francisco where weather is general temperate and dry. ventilation and mold shouldn’t be an issue at that point? I am a fan of the solid base but want to make sure I make the right decision here. Thanks!

Hi JCwestcoast,

Ventilation would be an issue in any climate to help prevent moisture and humidity buildup inside a mattress but it would likely take a combination of “risk factors” for mold to be an issue. There is more about the pros and cons of a slatted base vs a solid surface in post #10 here that may help you decide. I personally would choose a slatted base unless there was a specific and compelling reason to choose otherwise.

Phoenix

I ordered the Tuft and Needle 10" mattress, should get here today or tomorrow. Am leaning towards getting the 5" slatted foundation from http://usboxspring.com as recommended here and by T&N. On the usboxspring website one of the web pages says the wood is nw spruce but on the other pages it only says solid wood. Does anyone know what the wood is and if this is something to be concerned about?