I don’t know how well the Lonset would fit on the foundation (you would need to measure it) or whether it would tend to shift or slide (there are no side rails to keep it from sliding). It also has flexible slats which will can change the feel and performance of your mattress (which may be helpful for some or detrimental for others). One of the slat conversion kits here would be similar except they have rigid slats rather than flexible slats. If any of these fit and are stable then they would be a suitable choice.
If you are looking for a quick fix until you can replace the foundation then a sheet of plywood would probably be fine.
Hi Phoenix,
I would like to buy a bed rug for a solid platform bed, for our upcoming all latex mattress. Do you know where I can purchase one in Canada?
Thanks.
Thanks, I found a retailer in BC who can ship the bed rug. Tha bed rug is for my daughter’s solid platform bed.
I’m about to make a decision for our own king size latex mattress (from Sleep Ez), but need to buy a new wood foundation locally, because of the shipping issue. I’m having a hard time finding a wood foundation that meets all the criteria you have described in past posts. I can find some with 3" spacing, but often there will be something else on top, like for example a 1/4 inch "open cell " foam, or a sheet of masonite. Is this okay?
I would tend to avoid a solid surface like masonite (see post #10 here) but the 1/4" of polyfoam would be fine as long as the rest of the foundation design is suitable.
Their description says that their slats are 3" apart so they would be fine.
I recently ordered a queen-size latex mattress from a store that advertises itself as all natural. They were trying to sell me a foundation for $500, which I thought was a bit much. I found a cheaper foundation from an Arizona store based on recommendations on this site. It has 16 wood slats that are spaced 2.75 inches apart, and it has an organic cotton cover. I talked to a guy who works at the store where I bought my mattress, and he said if the cover had non-natural fire retardants (such as wool) the mattress would not be able to breathe. Is that true?
Sorry, I was completely unclear. He said that I should only buy a foundation with cotton and wool, and that organic cotton was not breatheable and therefore insufficient if had chemical fire retardants in it.
I think that the person you were talking to is mixing up several “apples and oranges” issues and giving you some misleading information.
The foundation you purchased would certainly be “breathable enough” and very suitable for a latex mattress.
I believe that the fire retardant they use is an inherent fire barrier which is also “safe” and non toxic. It sounds like the salesperson you were talking with may have been trying to “find reasons” to try and convince you to buy their foundation even though the reasons they provided were somewhat misleading.
It’s also true that a wool quilted foundation would probably be “more breathable” and regulate moisture better than just a cotton cover but the benefits of this on the bottom of a mattress may not justify the higher price unless someone was only interested in using natural materials in their mattress and foundation. Even a solid surface foundation that doesn’t breathe at all would generally be OK for a latex mattress as long as there weren’t other risk factors that would increase the chance of mold or mildew (see post #10 here).
I wonder if he would also tell you that an adjustable foundation with a solid surface that doesn’t “breathe” at all wasn’t suitable for your mattress if you wanted to use one under your mattress?
Hey Phoenix,
Just wondering why every store I go to tells me something different about the necessary foundation for a latex bed.? Is it purely because they are just trying to sell me a box spring or posture board? I have a metal bed frame with wooden slats that are 3 inches apart. In the end the place I went to said that what I had was perfectly fine for the king size latex mattress I purchased from them.
It could be legitimate differences of opinion because there are many things in the industry where you won’t find a consensus of opinion even between knowledgeable and experienced retailers or manufacturers about what is “best” (and it can also depend on individual circumstances as well) or it could just be that a particular retailer is trying to sell you something regardless of whether it may be the most suitable choice or not. The easiest way to tell the difference is to ask them “why” they believe what they do and then you have something that you can “fact check”. You can see an example when it comes to solid surface support systems vs slatted support surfaces in post #10 here.
If your bedframe has good center support to the floor and the gaps between the slats are 3" or less then I agree it would be a suitable choice for an all latex mattress.
I don’t think you mentioned it in the original post, probably someone asked already but just in case:
Wouldn’t the width of the slats themselves be a very important factor in the strength and durability of a slat base?
I have to think this is important, since if the slats are too small (one example was using 0.75 inch slats, yikes!) they are going to be more prone to wear and breaking in time.
What would you consider a minimum slat width to be good? Instead of a minimum, what do you think is a GOOD width?
To me, the more wood the better as you said, so nice thick enough slats like probably 2" - 3" (too thick I guess no flex at all? or is there supposed to be any with a Latex slat base usually?) that are like 2" apart would be ideal for utmost durability over years.
Yes … along with the species and strength of the wood and the overall strength strength of the construction it would certainly play a role. For example the Flobeds foundation here has narrower 3/4" slats but they are fir which is a stronger wood and there are more of them so overall I would expect this foundation to be stronger yet and have less flex.
This would depend on the specifics of the slat, the number of slats, and on whether it was under a heavier part of the body or a lighter part of the body. Some foundations use a stronger design in the middle third of the foundation so that they can use less materials under the lighter parts of the body and lower the cost.
The 3" suggestion is the minimum “good” width that I would suggest where it would be reasonable to expect that for most people there would be no issues with sagging or bending over the course of the mattress’ lifetime. Depending on the type of wood and the rest of the construction less could be better yet and would be more evenly supportive and possibly stronger but whether it was “worth it” or not would depend on the rest of the design, the type of wood, the weight of the person and the mattress, and their sensitivity to smaller amounts of flex under their mattress.
So after a week or so of sleeping on my mattress I’ve noticed that different areas feel different. The middle is the firmest area of the mattress. This must be because I have flexible slats and the middle of the slat base is metal. Would I just be able to go to the hardware store and have solid pieces of wood cut to size to go over the flexible slats? Would it be literally one solid piece on each side? Is there a particular type of wood that would be best? Im just trying to avoid having to spend more money on a new foundation again…
I’m not clear on the specifics of your mattress or the foundation you are using or whether you are referring to the middle “side to side” or the middle “top to bottom”.
If it’s the middle top to bottom it could be because of zoning in your mattress which is designed to be firmer under the areas of your body that are the heaviest (such as the hips/pelvis) or because the slats in the middle of your foundation have a firmer tension for the same reason.
If it’s the middle side to side and you have a foundation with flexible slats then you could be feeling the center support bar which has less flex or if you have two twin XL foundations under a king size mattress then you could be feeling the firmer area where the sides of the two twin XL foundations come together.
There is more about the pros and cons of flexible slat support systems in post #2 here and the posts it links to.
I don’t know how stable a plywood sheet would be on your foundation because it probably doesn’t have a flat surface to support the plywood. If you do decide to go in this direction I would use plywood (or a sheet of MDF) across the whole surface from side to side rather than using it on each side.
You can also see my comments about some of the additional risks of a solid surface support system in post #10 here. Plywood can also warp or sag over time if it’s used on a sagging or flexible surface (see post #11 here) especially if it doesn’t have good center support so I would keep an eye on it if you do decide to go in this direction.
If you do decide to go in this direction I would use the type of plywood or engineered wood sheets (such as MDF) that have the least flex or are least likely to bend over time but I’m not an expert in wood products so outside of the information here about the strength and properties of different species of wood a knowledgeable hardware or building supply store would be a better source of guidance about this than I would.
