What kind of mattress for a curved slat platform bed?

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Please help this newbie! I recently purchased a queen size, curved slat (European?) platform bed for use in a guest room. There a 13 curved slats, 4" apart, and 2 vertical metal supports in the center of the bed. Can you please advise what type of mattress would be appropriate for this base? Because it is for a guest room which will not get a lot of use, I am looking for economical options, but want to be sure the mattress will work on this base.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

2

Hi Iregeo,

Your platform bed with curved slats that are 4" apart wouldn’t be an ideal choice for any type of mattress but it would probably be “OK” for mattresses that use a polyfoam support core (although it may change the feel and performance of the mattress compared to using the mattress on a more typical support system that doesn’t have any flex).

I would also make sure to check with the manufacturer or retailer of the mattress you purchase to make sure that your support system meets their warranty criteria.

Some of the suggestions in post #2 here may also be helpful.

It may be worth considering online options since you won’t need to test the mattress in person if it’s for guests. Some of the better lower budget online options that may be worth considering are listed at the end of post #4 here and the posts it links to.

Phoenix

3

Thank you for your reply. I guess I didn’t think this through. Is there anything I can do to improve the situation?

4

Hi Iregeo,

There is more information about support systems (bedframes and foundations or platform beds) that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here.

Any mattress with a polyfoam support core and most one sided mattresses will generally do best with a firm, flat, and evenly supportive support surface underneath it that has minimal to no flex under the mattress and for larger sizes with at least one center support beam that has good support to the floor to prevent any sagging in the middle of the mattress. The components (bedframe and foundation or platform bed) need to be strong and durable enough to support the weight of the mattress and the people sleeping on it without some of the parts bending, sagging, shifting, or breaking with extended use. The support surface under the mattress (which may be slats or a steel grid) should have enough surface area to prevent the mattress from sagging through any gaps or spaces in the support surface over time but still allow some airflow under the mattress. If a foundation has a slatted surface then I would suggest that the gaps between any slats are no more than about 5" (with 1 x 3 slats) although less than 4" would be better yet.

There is also more about flexible slat support systems in post #2 here and the posts it links to.

I’m not sure of the specifics of your platform bed but it may be possible to reinforce it by adding some additional slats (that aren’t flexible) in between your current slats if necessary.

Phoenix

5

Phoenix, 2 different mattress stores have suggested a bunky board. I don’t see how that will work on curved slats. Your opinion?

Thanks.

6

Hi Iregeo,

I don’t know what your platform bed looks like but if a bunkie board would sit flat and would be stable on top of your curved slats then it would probably be fine.

Phoenix