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.
I certainly agree with you that Spindle has some very good quality and value available and they are also what I would call “mattress people” with some long term “roots” in the industry (see post #6 here).
Congratulations on your new mattress as well … and thanks for the feedback
For what it’s worth: one thing I learned about using a slatted platform bed with a latex mattress - the mattress rests on the slats, but inside the side rails of the platform bed. Because the latex mattress is a lot floppier than an innerspring mattress, when I lift it up (to tuck in a sheet, for example), the whole edge doesn’t lift - just the part right around where I’m lifting. It’s a lot harder to make the bed when I have to lift the mattress and then reach behind the bed edges every few inches.
I wanted a platform bed rather than a foundation, for looks and storage, but will be building or buying a foundation very soon.
I assume this would be true for any latex or other foam mattress (I got the SleepEZ 10,000), though don’t know for sure. Are others less floppy?
All latex is very elastic and “floppy” but firmer latex will be a little less floppy than softer latex. Polyfoam is “stiffer” and less elastic than latex. Memory foam is quite floppy as well but a memory foam mattress would have polyfoam or innersprings underneath it for support (memory foam is too soft to use as a support layer) so the complete mattress itself would be less floppy than an all latex mattress.
Congratulations on your new mattress … you certainly made a great choice
Thanks Phoenix. I do plan to write a review of the mattress, but am still in the “getting used to it” stage. But did want to write up my experience with the platform bed + latex mattress in case it’s helpful to anyone.
Phoenix… can I get your opinion on this? As I posted recently, I bought the 10" Total Latex from BB. I don’t have it yet. Their foundation offerings were very limited and I didn’t want the 14" “hi rise” metal one they offer because it won’t fit with my furniture.
Its not that the foundation looked all that great, but I noticed that their name says “manufacturers” so I figured I’d call and see if they can customize it. They said sure they can put additional slats on for an extra price. Should that be good enough? Ie. Is the only think lacking in that design the slat spacing?
Majestic used to manufacture their own mattresses but they now import them from Asia because of the lower cost of materials. They told me that they hope at some time to be able to return to manufacturing their own again once the pendulum swings again and the difference in the cost of materials becomes smaller
In the meantime it’s nice to see that they are still manufacturing their own foundations and if the spacing between the slats is less than 3" and there is good center support then it would work well for your mattress yes.
Since I’m starting to look at upgrading to either a memory foam or latex mattress in the not too distant future, I figured this would be a good spot to get thoughts on my current bed set to make sure it should work. It’s a nice Ashley sleigh bed that uses a wooden slat system under it. King size, with some center support legs. Mine is a bit modified, as I had an issue on the side supports and had the side rails and slats replaced. I added metal brackets to hold up where the slats attach to the side rails, plus added the second set of slats to double the count.
It would depend on whether your sleigh bed was designed for a foundation or as a direct support system for a mattress that didn’t need a foundation.
If there are 5 strong wooden slats with a midbeam and/or good center support to the floor in the middle then it would work well with a suitable foundation. If the sleigh bed has slats that are 3" apart or less and good center support to the floor then it would work well for a latex mattress without the necessity of a foundation. Gaps that are a little wider would also work well for a memory foam mattress that had polyfoam as the bottom layer.
