Hi Debbielc21,
You’re very welcome 
I hope you have the chance to let us know about your choice and how it works out.
Phoenix
Any thoughts or information on this ikea foundation?
It notes assembly is required so I assume the frame and the slats need to be screwed in. Does anyone know if this is solid? Are the slats spaced tightly or far apart? I’d be looking for a king split foundation to go with my new memory foam mattress.
Thanks Phoenix. What a great post and timely for me as I’m about to make a latex mattress purchase this week and was struggling on what foundation.
Hi drmike,
I’m not familiar with it but I would want to make sure that the slats were suitable for the type of mattress you have. It looks to me like the slats are quite far apart and a cardboard surface would not be my first choice either. You can see a movie of it here where you can see the slat distance.
Phoenix
Hi,
I couldn’t seem to find anything on this after searching for a long time, so I was hoping for some insight. After a ton of research, I purchased an Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel Memory Foam mattress, but I’m trying to figure out what kind of Foundation might be best for it.
I currently have an bed frame with an LP foundation from a 2-year old Simmons BeautyRest Anniversary, but I’m not sure if it would be OK to use this with the new memory foam mattress. Some of the options aside from this I found were:
This one from Costco that looks well made, but I’m kind of concerned about the gap in the middle… that didn’t seem right to me?
www.costco.com/Comfort-Revolution-Queen-...roduct.11474952.html
This type of foldable frame, although I’m not all that convinced of the quality. If I need to buy one, I’d rather it be the Costco one, but I suppose this would be the other option if the gap is no good:
www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/DuraBed-Qu...5201282/product.html
If I have to, the other option would be a KD foundation on my current frame… Obviously, I’d like to save some money and use the current foundation, but I don’t really know if that is an option–so I’m not sure what the next best bet would be. I see most of the talk is about Latex mattresses here.
Thanks!
Well, the manufacturer got back fairly quickly and said the BeautyRest box spring would be perfect for the mattress–so I guess that solves that question.
Hi kevincognito,
That certainly makes things easier
Just for reference … I’m assuming the Beautyrest Triton foundation is the one you mean?
Phoenix
Yes, that is correct. I followed up with Simmons to be sure, but it is the Triton. I believe it is made to be essentially non-flexible.
I’m planning on putting the mattress on it and seeing if there is any sag in the middle, and replacing it if there is–I’m still not entirely convinced the current box spring would be best for it, but I’m hoping it is fine for now.
In any case for reference, do you think that frame/foundation that Costco sells is a bad idea structurally due to the lack of wiring in the middle, or does that really not matter? There don’t seem to be too many structured like that.
I’m Curious about the metal frames sold by Mattresses.net. I read somewhere else that these metal frame bases aren’t the best for a full latex mattress because the thin wires could cut into the mattress, but mattresses.net say they are suitable for their mattresses? Im considering one of these since the price is right and i like the advantage of more storage space under the bed, but if it will damage my mattress i buy from them then i don’t want to take that risk.
Hi blakehew,
I share your concerns about the wire grid foundations and the effect they may have on an all latex mattress over longer timeframes. If I was going in this direction, I would choose a model that had more rather than less wires in it and had the greatest possible supportive surface area and the smallest possible “grid spacing” and I would also put a thick fabric of some type over the wire grid to even out the support and further protect the mattress. With this caveat … they can be a good lower budget alternative even with a slight additional risk (which would be difficult to “quantify”).
While they certainly have their advantages … including cost, strength, and storage area … if i was buying an all latex mattress (vs a mattress that used polyfoam or innersprings in the support layers) I would make sure that the foundation I used had the best possible odds of being both evenly supportive and less likely to damage the mattress over the longer term. At the least in the case of the wire grid type … I would make sure it was covered with a thicker material (even a blanket etc) just because my “gut” tells me it would be better.
Phoenix
Yes, that is correct. I followed up with Simmons to be sure, but it is the Triton. I believe it is made to be essentially non-flexible.
I’m planning on putting the mattress on it and seeing if there is any sag in the middle, and replacing it if there is–I’m still not entirely convinced the current box spring would be best for it, but I’m hoping it is fine for now.
In any case for reference, do you think that frame/foundation that Costco sells is a bad idea structurally due to the lack of wiring in the middle, or does that really not matter? There don’t seem to be too many structured like that.
Hi kevincognito,
I’m not sure which one you mean. Can you provide a link?
Phoenix
http://t.costco.com/Comfort-Revolution-Queen-Foundation.product.11474952.html is a link to the one I was looking at. Note the third image of it.
Hi Phoenix. I was hoping to report that the soft 2" topper was the solution and that I was sleeping great. Unfortunately, it only provided minimal relief from the overly firm latex that I chose. If it was you, would you exchange it for a 3" soft topper or add flexible slats? The pressure on my shoulders is the main thing that hurts. I do use a flat, cervical pillow, so I’m thinking maybe I need a lot of give under my shoulders since they don’t get much elevation from the pillow? Thanks again.
Hi kevincognito,
It certainly wouldn’t be my first choice and I would be nervous about the size of the gaps in the middle.
Phoenix
Hi Debbielc21,
I switched our conversation to a separate thread that was more appropriate to the subject.
I was hoping so as well but toppers can be a matter of trial and error. With your lighter weight and preference for firmer mattresses the odds were better that a 2" topper would work well but everyone is so different in terms of body shape and preferences that only trying it can really know for sure. It’s also a little more difficult to guess when the firmness of your mattress isn’t known. Did you talk Foamorder to see what their suggestions were (they would know more about the relative firmness levels of their different options as well)?
Assuming that 19 ILD is the right softness level for you … then the odds are higher yet that 3" will be fine but if you are one of the very few that finds that 19 ID is too firm as well then you may need to go down to the softest available which is 14 ILD.
My personal preference would be for the topper (I prefer latex mattresses on a firm foundation so the latex can do the work rather than the deeper layers) but each person is different and has a different sense of what works best and feels best for them. In your case you liked the 6" mattress on a box spring at Escondido but this was Talalay rather than Dunlop, it may have been softer than the mattress you have now, and a box spring would be different from slats so there are too many variables between what you tested and your mattress to really know for sure.
So if you decide on a topper direction (and the two aren’t mutually exclusive) … then the next most logical step would be 3" of soft latex.
This may also be part of the problem/solution because a pillow that is too thin for side sleeping can also affect how your shoulders feel. Are you sure the pillow is suitable for side sleeping?
In any case … I would spend at least a week or two on the topper to let it break in a bit and also to let you get used to it to see if there is a difference or at least a trend as you spend more time on it (I wouldn’t make changes too quickly because your body may not have enough time to get used to them before the next change) but if it really is too thin and your pillow is OK as well then the next step in the topper direction would be 3" IMO (or an extra inch to go over what you have and then enclosing them both in a single cover).
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thank you very much for your reply. I wish that I could give it a week or two on the topper to let my body get used to it, but I can tell when my back has had enough and will get revenge on me if I push it I did call Foam Order before I purchased the topper to see what Alan thought and he suggested a medium 3" topper. His advice didn’t make sense to me and he didn’t ask me any questions that led me to believe that this was a “custom” answer for me . He just said that he would be worried that I would “go through” anything softer, which I understand but didn’t think was going to be an issue. He also suggested walking on the mattress and giving it a few more days, which I did. Anyway, your advice made much more sense to me, so that’s the direction I went. I was able to find out that the ILD on Talalay that I purchased from him was a 37 ILD though.
Regarding the cervical pillow, I’m not sure if it’s designed for side sleeping or not. It was recommended by my chiropractor a few years ago and I didn’t ask any questions when I bought it. I do believe that it has been part of the problem though and I slept with a regular pillow for the last two nights that I slept on the latex and it felt much better. It definitely wasn’t the solution though.
I went to Ikea this weekend and was thinking about purchasing one of their box springs so that I can try it in conjunction with the topper, while I’ve still got some time on my “comfort guarantee” period. They have two, one for $250 and one for $400 and unfortunately nobody there could tell me the differences between them that justifies the price difference… just that the more expensive one is taller and uses natural materials… no information about the springs at all. Anyway, I’m guessing that the less expensive one may have more give and I’m thinking that might be what I need in a base. Would you agree with that? Unfortunately they didn’t have any of the $400 ones on the floor to be able to test. Thanks.
Hi Debbielc21,
37 ILD is quite firm … especially for lighter weights … and with this type of firmness and given your experience with only 2" of softer 19 ILD Talalay then it would make more sense to to go with a 3" topper which would have greater odds yet of isolating you from the firmness of the base layer. With 3" … I would tend towards a 24 ILD (if you are going with blended talalay) which would be safer yet with more thickness and it would be a little firmer than the 19 (which you seem to prefer) and not allow you to sink in quite as far. It’s still in the soft range though and with your weight should provide good pressure relief and still not allow too much of the firmer core to come through.
I should clarify as well (so that it can be used as a reference point) was the 2" topper you ordered 19 ILD (blended Talalay) or 100% natural Talalay (and probably a bit firmer)?
It would probably be better for back sleeping but that’s good news at least … and points towards a pillow being part of the problem although I would wait till I had your final sleeping system “locked in” before trying to “fix” the pillow issue (at least in terms of buying a new one before you know the final makeup of your sleeping system because a topper that you can sink into more may change which pillow works best for you).
I really don’t have any information or knowledge about the Ikea box springs but if they are refundable they would be worth a try (I wouldn’t if they weren’t). It may add just enough extra give. In looking at the description it seems the main difference is in the ticking materials but they are also a different weight so the more expensive one may also have different coils or more coils inside.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
To answer your question, the topper is 100% natural Talalay (same as the mattress) and I ordered it from Foam Source. I have just learned that the topper is actually 22-24 ILD. The reason that this is new information is because their website says that their soft is 18-22 ILD but when I looked at the packing slip today it said N1 (which I think starts at 14), so I called to confirm what I had actually received and was told that their soft is actually 22-24. :huh: Their website says that their supplier is Latex International, so I’m not sure why the numbers are all over the place. The one that I actually received is probably closer to 22 because they said that they would pull one of the softer ones for me, since I was trying to get as close to 19 as possible. So, with this new information, I guess I should exchange for a 3" soft (22-24) and not ask for the softest? If I go up to a medium, the website shows an ILD of 28-32 and is probably higher than that in reality. As always, thanks so much!
Hi Debbielc21,
the N1 is the softest they have and 100% natural Talalay is not as consistent in ILD terms across the surface as blended Talalay. If they are saying that the ILD is in the 22-24 range then you would have N2. You can see Latex International’s 100% natural Talalay ILD ranges here. If you did receive the N1 rather than the N2 then it would be in the softer range and not 22-24.
I would also be aware that in the softer ILD’s (like the N1) that the 100% natural will not be as durable as blended Talalay. A difference of a couple of ILD either way will not make a difference that almost anyone would notice.
If your topper really is the N1 … then this may have been part of the reason it wasn’t as effective (it may have been so soft that you were “going through” it too much).
In a 3" topper yes I would use slightly firmer because the extra thickness and the slight extra firmness will work together to “hopefully” keep you from feeling the firmer core.
The medium N3 has a range from 25 - 30 ILD. It would have a firmer feel and would allow less sinking in than the N2 but with your lighter weight various foams will feel firmer than they would for someone who was heavier because you won’t sink into them as much (and how far you sink in “translates” into firmness and softness for most people). It would still be OK to use this of course because you prefer a firmer feel it seems but my concern would be that this may be a bit on the firm side. It would be difficult to know for sure unless you had tested it or a similar layer in person but for most people of your weight the N2 would likely be their preference.
Phoenix