Hey Matias,
The Bedbeam would be a better alternative for your application than the Lazarbeam. This is assuming your side rails are in good shape. You may also wish to look at something like the Fashion Bed Group 400048, or the Mantua SC-7. I would recommend at least three of these side to side support units.
Jeff Scheuer, The Beducator
Beducation / Mattress To Go
Thanks, Jeff! I’ll look into those. Would all these work with a split queen wood slat foundation?
A good heavy-duty split queen foundation would work with the metal cross slat networks described (at least 3 pieces).
Jeff Scheuer, The Beducator
Beducation / Mattress To Go
First off thanks for all your guys work on the informative site.
We have been looking for a new mattress a believe we have decided on the Novosbed Med. We almost pulled the trigger and then thought that our slats would not be the best for this mattress. We have a Ikea Hermnes King bed frame with the older Sultan Laxeby adjustable birch bowed slat system.
I emailed Novosbed and they stated those slates would void warranty as they dont support flexible slats. They stated to just use a sheet of plywood but I have read the negatives of that.
I have been looking what the best option would be to replace the slats but reviews for various things are all over the place. We would like something low profile.
There is the Zinus easy bunkie board however reviews state the wood slats are thin.
We have thought about trying to DIY but not sure if I trust my DIY skills. Classic Brands have a few slat options and a low profile foundation but again reviews are not the highest quality.
Just wondering if there was a better option I am missing? Maybe I am over complicating things.
One other side questions. If I were to use the taller foundation from Novosbed would this just sit in the Malm bed frame that has metal lips on the side and a metal middle support beam?
Thanks
If I was in your situation I personally would follow the suggestion from Novosbd. It’s the simplest solution and in the end it will be the most supportive. I would take two pieces of 5/8" OSB (or similar) and cut them to run side to side (so the seam where they meet is in the center of the bed (relative to the head and foot) and runs left to right when standing at the foot of the bed). I’d cover it with an old blanker or similar material, or if you’re concerned about air circulation, you could add something like a coir bed rug. Something like this would be quite solid and meet your warranty requirements.
Jeff Scheuer, The Beducator
Beducation / Mattress To Go
I’m looking at going the DIY route for an all latex king size mattress and while I’m still debating on which layering to go with, I had a few questions on the frame and foundation. The color white is a must which amongst the latex supporting types seems to lead me to the knickerbocker EmBrace or EnGauge.
Given that frame, do I need to purchase a foundation which or what are all the options? Can I just buy slats or the coir rug if I don’t mind the height or is that not supportive enough? All of the individual parts sure add up!
The bed frames you mentioned are quite strong, but they are meant to support a foundation and then a mattress, not a mattress by itself (even with the addition of a bed rug or slats). There’s a good thread here that speaks to the appropriate type of foundation for use with latex mattresses that should be useful.
I have been looking at US box Spring for a foundation but I wonder - do the mattress chain stores generally sell good foundations with close (3") slats? It would be much better for me if I didn’t need to assemble.
Are there any specifications for the type of wood that I should consider? Or covering?
Thank you!
The “typical” wood foundation usually has slats 8" -10" apart. There are some in-store higher quality wood foundations with closer slat spacing, like the MediCoil HD line (disclaimer - I am a Therapedic retailer), but this isn’t so common. More common to find in the “chain store” are metal semiflex/minflex grid network foundations, which you wouldn’t generally want to use for all-latex mattresses. The US Boxspring foundation you mentioned would be an appropriate product for an all-latex mattress. The stuff you see online will generally be in pieces and need to be assembled for ease of shipping. Spruce and pine are common for these foundations. Don’t expect anything to be of a “finished wood” quality (unless you’re considering some of the “higher end” foundations), as this isn’t a piece of furniture like an end table that will be displayed. It’s more about function versus appearance. Coverings are a personal preference. Some will be covered with a ticking similar to the border material used on mattresses, some can use thinner stretch knits, and others will use thicker materials and some even organic certified cottons.
Thanks very much for your helpful reply!
You’re most welcome!
Thank you so much for your reply. We have been in the middle of moving, so I’m just now checking back. We have such a nice bed (Mobican) with a great slat insert that can’t be raised, so I will check on the coir bed rug from Savvy Rest. Thank you so much–I’m getting tired of picking up that mattress lol.
You’re welcome. I forgot to add in my previous reply that the coir bed rug I mentioned is 1" in thickness, so you’d need two for the 2" elevation you desire.
We’ve decided to go with a latex mattress from one of the recommended retailers on this site, and after reading this we will probably go with a foundation from the same company.
I’m not sure what to do about the frame though. We currently have a basic metal frame, but we were going to replace all the bedroom furniture with a set we found at HOM furniture.
https://www.homfurniture.com/master-beds/Trudy-Panel-Bed/20536
We love the look of the bedroom set and it was in our budget, but now I’m getting a little concerned about it supporting a latex mattress and foundation. I’m new to owning real bedroom furniture, so I’m not sure what to do. Should we go with this bedroom set? Should I cancel the order? Or is it possible we can just attach the headboard and footboard to a sturdy metal frame?
Thanks! I ordered them.
And thank you for the work you do here, helping people get a good night’s sleep.
oogieah,
You’re welcome!
SleepyHound,
There’s no information on the site you linked regarding the true structure of the bedset. Nothing about the support structure (slats or otherwise), center support mechanism, method of joining the side rails to the headboard and footboard, or even the actual wood makeup of the unit (only “Hardwood solids”). As a latex mattress can be quite heavy, I would tell you to try and obtain this information, or at the very least the assembly guide for this item, as it can give you some information on the actual support componentry. Then you can make a more informed decision.
Thanks for the reply. I actually went and looked at the frame at a local store again. There are three wood cross beams that span from one side rail to the other, with their own support in the center for each beam. I know, at a minimum, it is recommended you have five of these. I asked the store and I can order as many additional cross beams as I want. So I was going to get three more for a total of 6.
I didn’t know to look for how the side rails attach to the head and foot board, but it looks like it might be a metal bracket that hooks on (not bolt on). But I would need to double check.
Overall the bed seemed very stable. It looked like if there was any concern I can also add metal cross beams with center support (I’ve seen a few recommended on here).
A metal slat support network will be at a different height than the wood slats, even if the slats are dovetailed into the side rails (which from your comments I don’t believe they are), so they wouldn’t be recommended unless you were going to use them in the place of the wood slats. I would also recommend going back to the store and have them disconnect a side rail from the headboard or footboard so you can see the actual mechanism up close and evaluate it, and also see the type of wood that is used. At a minimum adding the extra support slats would be a great idea.
What kind of headboard and footboard mechanism am I looking for? I’m not sure I’d know how to evaluate it, or know if it was good or bad. It essentially just has to take the weight, correct? So I want to make sure it isn’t just held together by a weak looking screw or single bolt?
Back to the slats discussion: I can order extra slats, but it turns out it comes with extra side rails too (the parts are bundled together). So I could do that for around $70, I could also go and get matching wood cut to size from a home improvement store and add adjustable feet, or I could just replace all the slats with a different type (such as metal). A “last resort” option would be to get a metal frame that I can connect the head and foot board too and not use the wood side rails or slats. Any recommendations between those options?
We really like the bedroom set, but if it isn’t the right frame for a latex mattress then we will need to rethink. It’s so hard because most frames do not have weight ratings. We were both excited to finally have real bedroom furniture so hopefully something can work out.