MAJOR SUCCESS. After pretty much giving up on my DIY efforts after months of trying dozens of combinations and planning to buy a mattress I tried one last thing- last night i put my wife’s 3" 14 ILD tally(for the 1st time) over my new 3 “tal. 28 ILD over my new 3” 38 ILD(from 24/7-talatech), which was over the 6" hard polyfoam over the boxspring and woke up completely PAINFREE for the first time in a very long time. The only problem seemed to be that the combination was a little too floaty-too much flexing?- so tonight I am putting the plywood on top of the polyfoam.
Now, when you say:
“If you’re satisfied that it’s firm enough (no give or very little give when you press in with your knee) then the firm poly with either the plywood or the bed rug you mentioned earlier may be OK. For that matter the box spring even without a piece of plywood or bed rug may be OK as well if it has no soft spots or is very firm (you can test this with your knee as well).”
what do you mean when you say press with your knee? press what? the plywood is absolutely rigid. Pressing on the poly or the boxpring results in some flexing but pressing on the plywood is like pressing on the floor. Except each of the four sides gives a little because the poly is not completely rigid.
Anyway, we’ll see what happens with the plywood. Maybe my DIY will work. Next replace her 14ILD with her 20-25 ILD and see which is better. Can’t wait.
then I’ll have to decide whether to buy a 2" or 3" topper and maybe consider a gel infused mf from selectfoam since sometimes I sweat a lot. how much cooler, if at all if that mf than my tally?
That’s great news. At least things seem to be heading in the right direction
The suggestion was to check on the amount of flex in either the boxspring or the polyfoam by itself (with no plywood on top). Of course if you put the plywood over either one (as you are planning) then there wouldn’t be any flex at all … just some side to side “tilt”. The goal of a rigid support surface is to make sure that the maximum amount of the compression is forced to the top of the mattress which can mean better pressure relief and better support/alignment. The plywood will be less breathable than an innerspring or even polyfoam but this would be a secondary consideration for me (just like in my own case I chose an adjustable bed with a solid surface) because of the benefits that it may provide.
It would depend to some degree on the type of gel memory foam and the ILD of the Talalay but overall Talalay will probably be cooler than gel memory foam over the course of the night (it has greater ventilation which is a “long term” cooling mechanism) but the gel memory foam may be a bit cooler initially (it has higher thermal conduction which is a more “short term” cooling mechanism).
Thanks Phoenix - I think I have the same compelling reason that you do - I want one:-) I’ll have to think about it. If it’s good enough for you though…
Hi Phoenix. So, I’ve been sleeping on the 3" of N2 over the 6" of crazy firm for about the last month now and it’s really pretty comfortable. I feel like I could leave it as is and probably be just fine. I do feel like I could occasionally use a little more softness under my shoulders and had been considering getting 1" of N1. My only concern is that I could start having problems with my hips sinking in too far if I do this. Do you think that 1 more inch could cause a problem? Thanks… I’m almost there!
Given what you’ve said … I think that the odds say that another 1’ of N1 would likely be fine.
It may also be worth considering something like the Seven Comforts topper or the Cozy Pure Lanoodle both of which can provide some extra softness and pressure relief for pressure points with less risk of alignment issues.
One thing to keep in mind in today’s world of heavier mattresses–What you said is very true in that the manufacturer knows what it really needs for supporting their mattress. All of the mattress companies are really cracking down on buyers using sub-standard or old boxes or support systems. AND 75% of the time we as salespeople get accused of adding onto their tick but for a gueen you need a metal frame/support system wit min. of 9 legs that touch the floor and a king min. of 12. Without this support they can and will almost always void out your warrenty if you have a problem. They typically run 100-150 range but it will keep that warrenty in effect. The other thing most buyers do not even think of is you need a waterproof mattress pad/cover. If you gat any stain at all =no warrenty.
So just to double check Ive done my research right, if I get a strong enough bed frame, with gaps no larger than 3 inchs I do NOT need a box spring if I am looking at latex mattressses (specifically the ultimate dreams latex on amazon)?
Also would these work? I had an ikea frame in the past (FJELLSE) with just a spring mattress on it and it worked well for me. Granted that was not a latex which I understand are extremely heavy…
If you cant tell I dont care much for looks and looking for a frame that will give me space underneath and be hopefully under $100 (bold huh). Oh and relatively easy to transport
The guideline for slat spacing of 3" or less is a suggestion for an all latex mattress and a latex hybrid with polyfoam in the support layers will generally be fine with bigger gaps because the polyfoam is stiffer and less flexible than latex and has less risk of sinking into wider gaps over time.
I am not familiar with the weight ratings for the Ikea beds or with their specific construction but I would make sure that they were strong enough for the combination of your mattress and the people sleeping on it with plenty of room to spare and that the support materials are good enough quality that they won’t flex, bend or sag under weight over time. I would also make sure that the midbeam had good support to the floor to prevent it from sagging or bowing under weight over time.
If you have any doubt about a specific foundation or are using a foundation that isn’t specifically recommended by a manufacturer … it’s always best to call the manufacturer of your mattress directly to make sure that the foundation you are considering is suitable for your mattress and meets the criteria of their warranty (and this may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer).
The Malouf is very similar to the one that they sell on their site and would be a suitable choice.
Hi Phoenix,
I think I made the decisions on our layering for our Savvy Rest Latex queen mattress and will order soon. I tried to like the platform beds at the Maine beds site they recommend because the owner at Rhinetek was so helpful, but I just didn’t and they were beyond our budget. But I did find a nice platform bed at LLBean which I wonder if you know about or approve of that we like better and is cheaper. It’s called the Rangeley Bed and I asked all the questions that I learned from you about number of slats (14) and space between 2 3/4 inches. with center support. So it looks okay to me.
I’m not familiar with it but from the specs you provided it seems to me like it would be suitable. The only thing I would make sure of is that the center support has legs that go to the floor (two would be preferable) so the slats don’t span the entire width of the bed with no support to the floor in the middle.
It certainly looks great and appears to be good quality and value but I can’t see the support system underneath it (does the center beam in larger sizes have legs to the floor for center support … although you can also add these if necessary).
You can read some of my thoughts about a solid surface platform bed vs a slatted surface in post #10 here although not everyone would agree with me. In most cases though it would be OK unless there were other reasons to be concerned about the lack of ventilation between the mattress and the platform (high humidity levels, someone who perspires more in their sleep, dust mite allergies etc).
They do some custom work, so maybe they could add a couple extra legs? Here is a different model that shows the platform deck better. Maybe you could route out a few lines here and there? Or replace with an Ikea type slat platform, and just save the pieces in case you need them later?
I was also looking at a couple of the Blu Dot beds, although they are way more expensive. A girl can dream! They talk about slats, but don’t really show them. I would have to ask and see if they could send a photo, or something.
Just to follow up on this, I called US Box Spring (http://www.usboxspring.com) and they were willing to do a special buildup of their latex mattress foundation in a Full XL size. Thankfully, I won’t need to do a homemade extension!
Just to be clear … I don’t think solid surface platform beds are a “bad” choice necessarily … they just wouldn’t be my first choice unless there was a compelling reason to use them that made any extra risk in terms of ventilation “worth it”.
In my own case for example … I have an adjustable bed which has a solid surface but the tradeoff of having the bed I wanted was worth it to me. It may be the same for you.
If there is a way to use slats in the bed instead of the inserts then I would probably lean in that direction but only if the slats could be added so they were secure and there wasn’t any risk that they would shift or “fall through”.
I don’t know the strength of the midbeam (although I understand from the description that it’s steel) so I would use your best judgement to make sure there was no risk of the center of the bed sagging over time under the weight of the mattress and you because it doesn’t appear to have any support legs in the middle and a queen or king is a wide span and can sag more easily. They would probably have a good idea of its strength.
While beds are not my area of expertise or something I’ve researched much or to anywhere near the degree of mattresses … there are a few slatted platform beds in the first post of this thread that may also be worth looking at as well.
@stuplarosa: That’s great to hear … they are certainly “good people” that go out of their way to be helpful.
I’m not familiar with either of them but they both seem strong enough (although the Sleep Science doesn’t mention a weight rating, I’m assuming it would be similar).
You can read my thoughts on solid surface platforms in post #10 here and I personally would choose one of the slatted wood KD foundations that are similar in price that are listed in the first post of this thread unless there was a specific reason for choosing one of the ones you listed that you decided was worth a some additional risk.
