Hey ADF,
Thank you for sending that info, very cool…truthfully I didn’t even scan or see the “questions” tab and good for them, getting the information out there.
Zinus is a big company and sells 100,000’s of these frames, and bases, so we at TMU sill want consumers to have as much info as possible.
Well done, and thank you.
Sensei
This is my first time selecting and purchasing a mattress so I was a bit worried but I’m happy with this selection. I’m using it for a Daybed and as recommended I added a quilted mattress pad to the top. With or without the mattress pad it had a nice springy feeling. I wouldn’t say it’s firm as another review said, it has a lot of give but is still supportive.
A detailed article, but did not find what I need. Thank you for your work, you write well, I like it 
I have a problem with the loins, now I need a special mattress. As the doctor advised me, my soft sofa needs to be burned The choice is big and just drowned in information, I don’t understand anything and can’t find the article I’m looking for. Can you tell me briefly exactly where you can find a mattress and bed frame?
I do not understand anything, I wanted to buy a bed with a mattress, but now I can not choose half a day
Hi Liam586,
I understand your pain. It seems as though one needs a PhD to buy anything these days. You can take a look at our website www.swissdreambeds.com I try to provide all the facts that I can, and to simply explain the “how”, “what” and “why” about our beds, so that you can make an informed decision. Our bed system (bed and mattress) is still fairly new on the block in North America but comes with a very successful history of over 30 years in Europe and Asia. It is designed to provide proper spinal alignment through the combination of flexible wooden slats and natural talalay latex foam, as well as promote good sleep hygiene through the use of pure virgin’s sheep wool (which is self-cleaning). Something that I also do is to offer phone numbers of some of our customers that have agreed to take a call to talk about what they think about our beds. That will at least give you an unbiased opinion about our beds. Please let me know if that is something that is of interest to you.
Lastly you posted the link about “best mattress for neck pain”. For neck pain you should not only consider your bed (though it is very important) but also your pillow. I find that most people who come to me with back and neck pain and buy our beds are not always cured of neck pain right away. In those case, to this date, the pillow was always the missing link.
I think Refresh Mattress is the best foundation for all types of foam mattresses. For more information please visit: http://www.refreshmattress.com/product/mattress.html
Hi, just want to get a feel from some experts about what would be the best foundation for my 8" mattress as a stomach sleeper who wants to maintain good spinal alignment and durability (less sag with time from the mattress). An ergonomic suspension base or standard slat base?..
https://www.tmasc.ca/natural-latex-foam-mattresses/talalay-latex-mattress-berkeley-ergo.html
pics of the bases under “Suggested foundations”.
thanks!
Hi stmslpr,
the Vita Talalay mattress will serve you well for spinal support. Depending on the thickness of the mattress it may make an ergonomic suspension base more/less effective. For example we have found that with our flexible slat system (which is in a sense comparable to the Berkeley in that they both are dynamic but that is about all that we can compare since they are quite different otherwise) a thinner mattress of about 4inches works best in order to maximize our dynamic slat foundation. In the process of figuring that out, it became apparent that the thicker the mattress, the less usage we got out of our slat foundation.
Therefore, I would suggest that you contact the manufacturer of the base and find out what mattress type and thickness they recommend works best. After all, they probably went through an elaborate process of testing to determine the optimal setup.
One more hint about the stomach sleeping: I usually recommend that if a person must sleep on their stomach and they use a latex or even vita Talalay mattress like we do, that person should sleep without a pillow, otherwise you are really not doing your upper spine any favour. That is important especially if you switch from a worn out to a new Vita Talalay mattress because you will lay much flatter on the bed than before.
Ideally you would want to have a person next to you that keeps reminding you about sleeping on your side or back. I have done this with my wife when we were first married. She started sleeping on my bed (the one produced by CBH Wood) which was a big upgrade from her previous mattress. With constant reminders, she changed her sleeping habits from stomach to side/back, with in a month.
Thanks for the info! The Vita Talalay mattress i’m getting will be 8" thick. 6" of firm core with 2" of soft on top.
I am kind of switching to side and back but i have a feeling i will always at least be partly a stomach sleeper.
I guess i’m just concerned whether the suspension ergo slat will be supportive enough as the regular hard flat slat. I’ve heard different things. Some say the ergo suspension slat is just as supportive and will last longer. Some others say the regular flat slat is the way to go because there’s no “give” and will support a stomach sleeper better. And even others will say the reg flat slat, since it’s hard flat surface, will cause you to sink into the latex more than the “bouncier” suspension slat. It’s really confusing and not sure who to believe.
Hello,
I am in the process of buying a new mattress (looking for advice here) and with it a foundation.
I really like the platform beds because they don’t take more space than the mattress itself, provide storage underneath and are quite inexpensive.
The recommendation in this thread is that the distance between the slats be less than 3’‘.
From my search, the best option I currently found is this Zinus Joesph Modern Studio 14 Inch Platforma Bed Frame
From what I understand the slat separation is 3.5’'.
I wonder if anyone is aware of a better choice that has smaller slat separation? but similar features otherwise (~14 inch height).
edit: it appears that the Zinus bed “ships within 1 to 2 months on Amazon” which does not work with my schedule. So finding another option right now is even more vital!
I bought a Dormio latex mattress and delivery is a few weeks away but I need to improve my foundation before it comes. My current bed has euro slats so I did some measurements and by changing them to 2x4’s I will more than meet the requirements set by the manufacturer.
The issue I’m having is how to fasten them to the metal frame. The euroslats had soft plastic holders and I’ve managed to print 2x4 sized replicas on my 3d printer but there are a couple of issues.
The are not rigidly held down… there is a a bit of movement left and right and up. I imagine this wont’ be a huge problem with the weight of the bed.
The 2 center support bars: The 2x4’s aren’t sitting flat on the bars and I’m worried that the wood against metal will make noise when we are on the bed. Should I fasten them down somehow or use shims? The wood is already sitting level.
I really don’t want to do this but should I replace the center supports with 2x4’s?
I attached an image of my bed for reference
Hi cyc66,
first of all I am impressed that you have a 3D printer.
In any case what I would recommend is that:
2 & 3. You should fasten the centre support bars to your 2x4s (whether you keep the metal or make 2x4 supports it won’t matter much). If you were sleeping on our system then I would recommend shimming the foot up so that the cross-wood-supports are level and are not sagging through in the middle. But Dormio may say that there is no issue with their mattress performance if the base is not quite level but sags in the middle.
Hi princessonapea,
I know that Phoenix answered your other post, but I wanted to give a quick reply here. I see that the Zinus you referred to is not in stock here for quick delivery. I have purchased Zinus foundations for different mattresses, kids, family, etc.
Personally, I think these are “good” foundations at “really good” prices. They are well made, and one has to assemble them, with Allen wrenches (Hex Key) provided, at least my versions that was how it worked. But whatever mattress choice you make if it’s really heavy, I would express a little caution on the quality of the Zinus foundation.
Regarding the Amazon out of stock, not sure if you did this but I searched Zinus Foundation 14 inch and it showed numerous other very similar versions that were in stock.
I assume the 14inch is very important to you? As you know the wooden platform bases from some of our mattress membership listing are usually 6 or 8 inches height, but I do not know every choice available.
Thanks for posting.
Sensei
Hi Sensei,
Thank you for you answer. Could you elaborate on what quality issues have you encountered with the Zinus foundation?
I found another one that looks promising: Amazon.com
This one is made out of wood, and has more or less reasonable reviews. Many of the other ones that I saw by Zinus, and I guess the ones you did also, show many bad reviews about squeaking and breaking. This seems particularly problematic for the all-metal foundations. So it appears that the above foundation, being made out of wood, might be my best choice.
I also found this KD frame Nomad Platform Bed – KD Frames
but it is quite a bit more expensive…
Now, about 3 months in the “Latex Juice”, my personal summary:
King size, divided to 2X 3 layers of TwinXL 38x80 (total 6 latex slabs).
I chose 100% natural Talalay in various densities to allow experimentation.
On both sides I have N5 bottom, N3 middle, then my side N2, hers N1.
We tried all, and this came as the current setup.
The slabs are 3" thick giving 9" latex + 1" mattress cover = 10" total height.
For costs reduction reasons, I purchased the latex from one and the organic cotton king cover, from another.
Retrospectively, I made a mistake by going with a king size cover: The mattress weighs now about 220lbs, which is VERY heavy to maneuver with, on the bed. I can no longer return the cover (they allow 30 days returns).
I’m forced to purchase 2X TwinXL covers instead (any good links)?
Platform bed here: https://www.aetnafurniturestores.com/2155224.html
This bed has the Euro slats, 2" wide X ½" thick, spaced 3-¼".
Works perfectly and no “trickling” between the slats.
The bed is beautiful, about 30 minutes to assemble (or you can pay them extra to do it for you).
Problem: The mattress is super heavy. It’s really hard to lift the platform and make use of the storage underneath. I saw it before, can’t find it now, but there are the same beds with a motorized “lift-up”… Yes, more expansive, but the alternative is breaking your back… 
All and all, I’m 67yo and that’s THE best mattress I’ve ever had. At any time I can make it firmer (or softer). It is worthy of every penny invested and efforts put into.
I hope you can make use of my experience!
AD
BTW - Before TMU I new NOTHING(!!!) about mattresses and beds. couple on months mostly here and I feel like an expert.
THANK YOU FORUM!
Hey princessonapea,
Thanks for getting back to me, my “complaints” if you will are about squeaking, and screws getting loose, so I have had to go back under the mattress and tighten everything. Just to be clear, I have not returned them or emailed a complaint or anything of that sort.
Yes, the wooden Zinus does look like it would be stronger, or maybe better built if you will. It is only a little caution I communicate before, but this version looks good, and the “deluxe version” is not that much more expensive than standard version.
The other KD looks great, I don’t know anything about the company offhand, but I can do some searching about them. Most higher quality wooden platform beds will cost around $250-300 for a queen.
Thanks and let us know how it turns out.
Sensei
Hi ADF.
Thank you for the great update on the your “latex juice” journey. It looks like all your research and leaning paid off and you are now the happy owner not only of a wonderful mattress but a great match for your needs and preferences,. Congrats on all the hard work! :lol:
I am excited that it is working out so well for you, except for the weight issue, of course.
Your choice of 100% natural Talalay is heavier than the blended Talalay … so pretty much you have one of the heaviest 9-inch all-latex mattresses around….hence the twin XL covers. You should be able to find different covers for latex mattresses from these mattress membership listing:
[indent] Arizona Premium Mattress covers
Sleep EZ Mattress covers
DIY Natural covers[/indent]
I agree that lifting something as heavy as this could be “breaking your back” each time you’d try to reach the storage underneath. I am not sure about the motorized lift but let me do a little research on this. Meanwhile, let us know if you have additional questions.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for the response and sorry for my delayed answer…
I must have neglected to weight issue, while studying the TMU science. Seriously, using a blend as a core, for weight considerations, should be the foundation for any Latex DIY project, full, queen and king particularly.
I “imprisoned” myself with the thought of experimenting ALL density levels in terms of comfort and good sleep. Dunlop or Talalay. 100% natural or organic. No way any type of other foam… Weight wasn’t even a thought.
I’m learning now that a 3" Twin XL, average weight is ~32 lbs. I have 6 of those for a king mattress, that’s 192 lbs of latex + 20 lbs organic mattress cover… I’m a proud owner of the HEAVIEST mattress ever
I got both for a good price but(!) with only 30 day returns/exchanges. It took me 60 days to experiment all layers and decide which one is on the top…
The only solution I came up with:
Purchase 2X Twin XL mattress covers, as light as possible. That frees my high end Quilted Organic cotton King mattress cover, if anyone’s interested, it’s brand new, PM me. I’ll bare the loss…
I doubt anyone would be interested in the Ultra Firm or Medium latex layers…
That’s my story! I took photos and working now on a post, in which I’ll detail my whole latex DIY project.
Since I’m still interested in the under bed space, I purchased an electric linear actuator (700 lbs power), to assist in lifting the bed frame.
Thanks you Phoenix for the amazingly detailed information on TMU. I read so many of your posts and learned the vast efforts you put into it.
First time poster - will try to keep short/sweet, and hope I’m doing this right.
Basically, girlfriend has stenosis or scoliosis or something. Her back is normally decent, but the past year or so, heating pad every night in bed, occasional pain reliever or muscle relaxant, etc. And while I usually have lower back pain, I’ve been good the last year. The other day I was doing chores and decided to wash the bedding and rotate the bed (can only go 180 degrees, can’t be flipped). The next morning, my back was killing me. Same thing the following few days. Noticed my girlfriend had pep in her step and wasn’t using the heating pad. Put two and two together, told her the situation and she explained that she bought some weird demo bed at a mattress store because it was regularly $3000 and got it for $1000 or something. Only catch was, half the bed is soft, and half is firm. When I was on the firm side, I had no pain. Same for her. Whenever we were on the soft side, our backs were a mess.
I think we should just suck it up and buy a new mattress, however, the mattress IS essentially new (a year old), and we’ll be buying a house within the next year or two and will be upgrading from a queen to a king, so maybe it’s stupid to buy a replacement queen, and end up with multiple beds in a year or two (or spending a lot of money and giving away one or more mattresses).
We have looked at 3" firm organic latex toppers, but even those would come to around $400-500 with tax, delivery, etc.
Any suggestions?
Here are our needs:
We currently have a queen size bed on a slatted bed frame with storage underneath (not Ikea, but similar slatted design).
Sorry this was way longer than I thought, and thank you so much for helping and existing.
Brad
Hi Brad123,
Jim here from Spindle. I hope I can help advise you through your sleep situation.
First off I am sorry to here of the back pain you are experiencing. Trying to find the balance between comfort and support can be difficult, hope this helps!
“she explained that she bought some weird demo bed at a mattress store because it was regularly $3000 and got it for $1000 or something. Only catch was, half the bed is soft, and half is firm. When I was on the firm side, I had no pain. Same for her. Whenever we were on the soft side, our backs were a mess.”
It may be helpful if you could tell us more about what the mattress is made of. Let us know if you have more information on your current mattress. There are a lot of factors going on here. A firm latex may not be the best to reduce heat. But, applying certain sheets and mattress protectors could help make the latex sleep more cool. Here is some advice on those products.
A Mattress protector that is waterproof protectors are a great choice for most people but they are less breathable than say a washable wool mattress protector. For those who experience excessive sweating, other options may need to be explored. We have some wool pads. Wool is know for its’ heat and moisture wicking properties so not a bad idea to try a product to dissipate the heat.
Sheets and bedding made with a phase-change material like Outlast can also keep you cooler. Unfortunately, we’re not sufficiently experienced with these products to give you a worthwhile recommendation. Plus maybe not the best idea unless you know what chemicals are going into the materials, however there are more “natural” options like copper infused.
Duvets or lofty down comforters will also trap in body heat. An ultra lightweight comforter works best. Transitioning from cotton pajamas to heat/moisture wicking clothing can also make a big difference.
As far as finding the right topper comparing ILD between manufacturers is helpful, but the same ILD from a different manufacturer’s can feel completely different. Also certain blends of natural latex will have different smells some that may trigger your sensitivity and some that may not. I suggest looking at the many natural latex options here on the mattress underground under the experts and members. Reaching out directly to one of the many options found here will be the best way to receive information and compare.
There is no science to this and the list above is far from exhaustive. Most people use a combination of approaches that make most sense to them. We’re all very different and the solutions we develop are likewise just as unique. Let us know if you have more information about your mattress and support system (name brand, height and materials help.)
Best,
Jim
Hi ADF,
Thank you for the message. That is an impressively heavy mattress… .it’s amazing w/ multiple natural latex Talalay, XL slabs…the added weight., which of course would need adequate support to make sure that it does not collapse under the weight of the mattress and the people sleeping on it.
I do look forward to your post on the DIY experience…that worked for you, of course. Very interesting about the electric linear actuator, I personally have not seen this so I hope you can take a bit of time to share this info here for others that are interested in the under bed storage solutions. (Let me know should you need any help with adding a video.)
Thanks for your kind words about TMU
I look forward to your future updates and let us know if you need anything else.
Phoenix