The Best Foundations or Base for a Latex or All Foam Mattress

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
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321

Thank you very much for the thorough explanation of different options!
I am looking to buy the following king-sized mattress (Ultimate Dreams Natural Latex): Amazon.com.

There are a couple of options I could go for on Amazon. You suggest that the best strategy may be to go for the manufacturer’s option. They are offering the Ultimate Genius High Rise frame: Amazon.com
Structures by Malouf costs about the same.

There are less expensive options available, too, that visually don’t seem much different and get good reviews: in particular, Sleep Master and Best Price Mattress (linked below) offer seemingly compatible options.
Sleep Master: Amazon.com
Best Price M: Amazon.com

Any thoughts on whether Ultimate Genius and/or Structures are worth the extra 30%? Thank you in advance!

322

Hi oma505,

You can see some of my thoughts about the wire grid types of platform/foundations in post #10 here. While they are all fairly similar … I would personally lean towards the ones that have more longitudinal wires and a more evenly supportive surface with less spacing between the wires so there is less chance of the mattress sagging into the wider gaps between the wires over time.

There are quite a number of these types of foundations and most of them have a large percentage of good reviews and they are all rated for over 2000 lbs … but they also all seem to have some that have developed squeaking issues over time or the occasional one where a weld or the frame breaks.

Phoenix

323

Hi Phoenix,

Thank you very much for your response! I may have to change my mind!
I am also looking for a good waterproof topper to go with that mattress (so that the cooling effect of the wool is not completely wasted). I’ve searched the site, and couldn’t find whether you’ve discussed this before. If you have, could you please send me a link to that info?
Thank you in advance!

324

Hi oma505,

I’m guessing you mean a mattress protector (to protect the mattress) rather than a topper (to add additional thickness and softness)?

If that’s the case then [url= https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/requesting-mattress-help-in-south-florida]post #89 here[/url] and the posts it links to has more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors and should be helpful :slight_smile:

Phoenix

325

I’m looking for a bed foundation in Canada. I know there is lot of good choice in USA, but the shipping cost would be prohibitive.

The only thing I have found so far is that which doesn’t look too good for a latex mattress: http://www.bedinabox.ca/product/6138.html

326

Hi hmorneau,

There is a list in post #21 here of some retailers or manufacturers that ship across Canada that may be worth checking but I’m not sure which of them supply foundations or the cost involved for any of the US suppliers to ship a KD foundation to Canada (although I know that both mattresses.net and SleepEz carry good quality KD foundations that can be shipped through courier and ship to Canada).

Some other possibilities from a quick google search (or the foundation list) include …

http://www.bedcetera.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=570 has some slatted platform beds that they ship across Canada but I’m not sure of the specifics of the center support or the distance between the slats so you would need to check (assuming that a platform bed is something you would consider).

Ikea has some bedframe/slat options that should be suitable.

http://sleeptek.ca/products/classic-wood-slat-foundation These are good quality but I’m not sure of any shipping costs or whether there is a dealer near you.

http://m.sears.ca/product/natura-high-profile-foundation/601-000366229-279FH2 Also good quality but more costly

https://www.directshops.ca/categories/Bedroom/Bed-Frames/ Sell KD foundations but I’m not sure of the gap width and I would suspect it’s more than 3"

http://www.sleepboutique.ca/foam-foundation/ They are a member here and this uses very firm polyfoam instead of slats but I’m not sure of any shipping costs.

I’m not sure where you are but local stores or manufacturers that sell latex mattresses may also be a good source

Phoenix

327

Thanks for all that research, this is exactly what I’m looking for: http://sleeptek.ca/products/classic-wood-slat-foundation

But 500$ is a bit expensive, but we do have 2 retailers around here.

I went back to where I got my mattress, and I told him about the poor quality of the Latex bliss foundation. He told me he was aware of the issue and the company have since fixed it and they now have a new higher quality foundation. It looks like Latex Bliss was subcontracting their foundation and they were not happy to learn that they have lowered the quality below their specs (Looks like the subcontractor have cut corner). He told me that he had to replace a lot of foundation from some customers with the new improved one.

I’m not sure how good is that new foundation, the price is $239 here for a queen. But I’m sure the sleeptek is superior.

328

Hi hmorneau,

I hope that’s true because a lot of retailers I talked with aren’t happy with the PLB foundation (see post #5 here).

I don’t know the specifics of their new foundation but I think you’re probably correct that the Sleeptek will still be better quality although as you mentioned you would be paying more for the better construction and materials.

Natura also has a universal foundation that may be a lower cost if there are any dealers near you.

Phoenix

329

Finally I got a slatted base, it’s a 8 inch metal frame with wood slate on top. They have a spacing of 2,5 inch. It’s an Italian brand, (it’s actually made in Italy) but I really don’t remember the name. It was 659$ on sale for 200$, they was no longer carrying that brand (shipping was too slow to get them) and it was the floor demo.

I will take some picture when I receive it, but for the price I think it’s pretty good and the quality was the best I have seen so far. On my invoice it’s “Magni Qletto”, not sure what it is, and there is a removable ecobamboo envelop around the frame, really strange concept. It was included for free.

330

Hi hmorneau,

I’m not familiar with the foundation you mentioned (and a quick internet search didn’t bring up any information about it) but based on your description it certainly sounds like it would be a suitable choice and the price sounds very good as well.

It would be great to see some pictures when you receive it.

Phoenix

331

Hello,

Feeling so lost and confused on how to resolve my dilemma :frowning: .

I purchased an innerspring king set from the Beautyrest World Class collection from Macy’s on their clearance sale, but it was still a bit pricey…it’s the Hollingsworth I believe. The box spring is a low profile 5"h.

I then purchased a storage bed from Sam’s club. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/gavin-storage-bed-king/prod1480194.ip?navAction=

The problem is that with the height of the box spring 5"h and then the mattress 15"h on top of the storage drawers…the bed is crazy high :ohmy:

I need a breathable “support foundation” that can sit above the drawers at no more than 2-3 inches high and that can support a king size innerspring mattress…

I was able to get Macy’s to agree to take back the box springs only for a restocking fee, but now I’m left with no support for my mattress which I paid so much for. The storage bed had several slats which sit above the drawers, but they are very far apart…approx. 18 ". Macy’s wanted to sell me a bunky board for $300 which I passed on because that seemed very costly and I was under the impression that the mattress needs to breath.

I’ve been online for the last 9+ hours trying to research a solution then I found this site and I have to say …I am so thankful you are out here because and I am ready to just hang my head and cry. I read every single post on this thread, but couldn’t find anything that really applied to me so I am writing with the hope that you can recommend a possible solution I may pursue.

I confess I’m not very handy and a total girly girl, but I follow instructions well and I just need some help with finding the best option.

Thank you so very much…for this site…for your obvious dedication to helping others… and for taking the time to consider my post.

AZgirl

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332

Hi AZgirl,

I know there are so many links in the [url= https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/the-best-foundations-or-base-for-a-latex-or-all-foam-mattress]foundation post[/url] that it’s easy to miss one when your eyes start going blurry (which happens to me all the time!) but I think that post #4 here about slatted bunkie boards and which includes the slat conversion kit from flobeds may be helpful :).

Phoenix

333

Hello Phoenix,

Thank you for your great site. I need help trying to figure out what has happened with my latex mattress. I purchased it October of 2012 and primarily slept in the middle of the bed. I have an Ikea boxspring on legs with a fifth leg in the middle: Shop Quality & Affordable Products - IKEA CA It’s a typical wood slat construction.

My partner moved in with me after a few months and when I started sleeping off to the side of my bed, I noticed that the mattress had a big dip in the middle. The company exchanged it for another one. After 1.5 years, our mattress now has two dips on each side (one for each of us). They have exchanged this again, and noted that there was a defect in their first one (air pockets in the base layer, I believe).

We’ve been sleeping on the new one for less than one week and the exact same issue is cropping up again. I thought it might be the boxspring, so we moved the mattress on to the floor. It still has these stiff spots interspersed with softer spots where we’ve been lying. In fact, after only two nights, I could feel the spot where my partner sleeps (a depression in the mattress). The other very annoying thing is that the bed “dips” towards my partner (who is heavier) and makes it so that my hips are uneven, which causes pain. The bed does this on a granite floor as well, so it’s not the wood base causing this. I thought latex foam was supposed to guard against this phenomenon?

The wood frame seems sturdy enough, but there is give when we lie down on it without the mattress on it. How can a little bit of give in a wood frame lead to a mattress losing its support in less than one week? Or is it normal to have these dips and uneven places in a latex mattress for the first week? I may be noticing these dips more now than I did when I first got the mattress, especially as I did not move around so much on it back then, and especially because I’m very frustrated by this ongoing mattress saga! :angry:

I now want to make sure I put this new mattress on a firm base so that there is no risk of the base causing it to bottom out like this. To do this, I’m assuming I will have to go with a non-slatted base with a bed rug, since it seems that all wooden slats will eventually dip. Is it ok to just get myself some untreated wood? Or is plywood better? Or can you recommend some places that sell non-slatted bed supports? (I’m in Vancouver, Canada). My apologies if this is mentioned in this thread–I did read all 19 pages of it, but maybe I missed any info about non-slatted supports. I plan to put the wood on top of my existing bed frame, plus add more legs for support.

I don’t want to get a metal frame because I found this article. Call me paranoid, but I don’t want to risk this if it’s true, especially after spending so much money on a natural bed! Toxic Chemicals in Your Mattress

Thank you very much for your help and great site! :cheer:

334

Maybe you should give info about your current mattress. Like is it natural or blended latex, talalay or dunlop? (Like a natural Talalay will soften faster then a blended one). What is your weight (and partner)? (Heavier means it will soften faster). And the most important, the mattress layer, how thick they are and what is the ILD in the comfort layer? (Lower ILD that are thicker have will soften faster as well).

335

Hi rh,

I switched your post to a new topic since it appears that your issues may be more connected to your mattress than to the foundation.

I have no idea what may be happening because even low quality polyfoam wouldn’t normally develop visible impressions that quickly much less latex.

I would echo hmorneau’s comments that the first place to start would be more specific information about both you and about the materials inside the mattress you are sleeping on (see this article for the specs that would be helpful).

If you know the ILD of the latex that may be helpful as well. If you are having issues that quickly then it’s more likely that the mattress is too soft for you in the first place than it is that the materials themselves are softening or impressing.

While I don’t have enough information about either you or the mattress to really make any meaningful comments or guess what may be happening … it sounds like your mattress may be too soft for you (either in the thickness/softness of the comfort layers or the firmness of the support layers).

If you can post the specifics of all the layers in your mattress from top to bottom on the forum it could certainly be helpful.

Latex doesn’t come in a specific ILD that is the same at every point across the sleeping surface but the small ILD variations in different spots across the layer aren’t something that most people would feel (see post #6 here).

There is certainly an adjustment period for any new mattress (in the range of 30 - 90 days) where the sensations you experience may feel “odd” to you at first or you may be overly sensitive to the “feel” of a new mattress that is quite different from what you are used to sleeping on but it would be highly unusual that you would have two defective latex mattresses in a row.

It’s also not unusual that a relatively small amount of flex in a foundation can have an effect on some people that are more sensitive. This wouldn’t be a loss of support which wouldn’t normally happen in a week and would be more about not having the support/alignment you need in the first place even if you didn’t notice it for the first week.

You can see my thoughts about a solid surface vs a slatted surface in post #10 here. If I was in your shoes I would first take a more detailed look at the mattress before trying to solve the issue with a different foundation … especially since you also noticed issues when the mattress was on the floor.

While I have seen the comments about innersprings being a “safety” issue … I have never seen any specific evidence that this is the case other than some very non specific anecdotal stories that don’t provide any evidence that would relate to innersprings or metal frames. Having said that … there are certainly many good quality wooden platform beds or foundations for those that don’t want to take the chance. I would personally be more cautious with “active” electromagnetic fields (such as living close to high tension wires, holding a cell phone too close to your head, or sleeping near active electrical fields or wiring as examples) … but I personally wouldn’t have any issues with sleeping on an innerspring … but that’s only my own personal opinion.

Phoenix

336

Thank you Phoenix…I had seen the flobed posts, but they start at 5"h which is the same height as the low profile box springs I need to replace. The Ikea has potential, but I was hoping for something upholstered. I appreciate the quick reply to my plea :slight_smile: …and will likely go with the Ikea and try to figure a way to upholster it myself. Again, thank you so much!

AZgirl

337

Hi AZgirl,

The Flobeds slat conversion kits are less than 3" high and they are also quite inexpensive (under $100 for the bare wood version and under $200 for the upholstered version).

Phoenix

338

Hi Phoenix,

I’m sorry…I’m obviously missing something then because this is what I’m finding on their site.

Thanks,
AZgirl

339

Hi AZgirl,

If you had clicked on the link in post #275 it would have taken you here (click the link) which is their slat conversion kit I was referring to.

I would call and ask them if there are any additional shipping costs because I didn’t ask them when I talked with Flobeds about them. I didn’t know they had them until fairly recently either.

Phoenix

340

Hi :slight_smile:

I did, but that page doesn’t provide pricing, sizing or the ability for me to add to the cart so I clicked on what appeared to be the next step and it took me to the other page. Perhaps I’m navigating it incorrectly. I will call them tomorrow for pricing and clarification on what I appear to be doing incorrectly on their site. Thanks for not giving up on me :slight_smile:

AZgirl