Box Springs And Foundations
While a mattress foundation can look similar to a box spring with its supportive frame, its a completely different product. They provide a solid surface with wooden slats or another sturdy material. The material does not flex under the mattresss weight, with closer spaced slats providing more support. Some foundations come with detachable legs, so that you can place them in a bed frame, much like you would with a traditional box spring.
Foundations and box springs come in low, medium, and standard profiles:
- A low profile is 5.5 inches or lower
- A medium profile is 6 to 8.5 inches
- A standard profile is 9 inches or more
If you purchase a split queen or a split king mattress, you may need to buy a split mattress base. Split mattresses are essentially two separate mattresses pushed together so partners can personalize their side with their favorite firmness. Split mattresses can benefit from extra support in the middle, which a standard foundation may not be able to give.
You can read our mattress foundation sizes guide for more information about choosing the correct foundation size and dimensions.
Why Do I Need Support For A Memory Foam Mattress
Without the proper foundation, a memory foam mattress can lose its shape over time. As a result, the qualities that make it strong and supportive the qualities designed to help keep your spine aligned and in good posture throughout the night will diminish, making for a bed that can cause stress, discomfort and even pain.
Are There Any Disadvantages To Using A Box Spring
Many box springs are made using harmful, potentially dangerous chemicals. In addition to the chemicals, insects and bacteria often make their home within the inside of a box spring.
Box springs require frequent rotation to ensure they last longer, and do not experience excess wear and tear in one spot. Rotating your box spring takes precious time from your day, as you are required to remove bedding, pillows, and your mattress before being able to access the box spring.
Depending on your bedroom setup, you may even be required to move large or heavy pieces of furniture in order to safely turn your box spring.
Box springs, unlike other foundations such as a platform bed, do not provide any additional storage, therefore do not add any benefit to a small space you may be living in. Many platform beds offer convenient storage drawers underneath the platform, providing additional storage for your space.
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Do You Think You Need A New Foundation
Box springs often do not exhibit the same levels of wear and tear as the mattresses do. Therefore, it is difficult for a user to understand when it is time to replace their old bed bases.
We often see several customers using their brand-new mattresses with their old box springs. It makes us wonder if they know how much stress they are about to expose their mattress to. The average lifespan of a box spring is usually between 8 and 10 years.
The exact level of wear at the end of a decade will depend upon the level of use, the weight of the sleeper and the quality of the mattress. Ideally, you should use your old foundation as long as your old mattress lasts.
That can be lesser than 8 years, but as soon as you get a new mattress, you should look for a new bed base as per the specifications of your new mattress and the manufacturers requirements. In many cases, people suffer from sore necks, stiffened backs and numbing shoulder pains in the mornings even after changing their old mattresses.
It might be a sign of an old sagging box spring that is crying for change. Therefore, you should consider changing your bed base if its recommended lifespan has expired to get better sleep each night.
What Are The Main Sizes Of A Box Spring
As with most mattresses that are made, there are also standard sizes of box springs available to you. Many people often classify the size of a box spring with the size of a mattress, such as a twin, queen, or king. But this is not the only size classification among box springs. The profile of a box spring allows for a certain extent of customization, as these come in many different sizes.
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Does A New Mattress Really Require A New Box Spring
by Sleep Boutique | Jul 18, 2014
So you go into a Mattress Shop to purchase a new mattress, and the salesperson tells you that you need the same brand engineered Box Spring, so you dont void the mattress warranty. Do you go ahead with it? Do you really need a new Box Spring? Is it really engineered for that mattress?
The simple answer is NO, you dont. However, there are some things to look at to ensure that you dont cause premature wearing to your new purchase. The large retailers and manufacturers may void your warranty, but if you find the right company it shouldnt void any warranty. The right company will stand behind their product as long as you have a strong and supportive foundation.
What is a Box Spring? First off, lets go back in history a little bit to a time when there was no foam in mattresses and most mattresses were metal springs, cotton, wool, horse hair ect . These natural fibres last forever but are more of a padding layer. Basically, they compact over time and are firm and not soft and plushy. So, to make your mattress softer along comes the Box Spring.
A Box Spring generally adds more movement to your mattress, since you are on a bouncy surface. Another selling point would be the fact that as you go into and out of bed or do other activities, other than sleeping, the Box Spring below you would take some absorption and thus put less wear and tear on your mattress. This is somewhat true, but is not too big a concern with modern materials.
Do I Need A Box Spring With My Eco Terra Natural Hybrid Mattress
A solid, supportive foundation, whether that be a box spring or a platform bed, is recommended to use with the Eco Terra Natural Hybrid mattress to provide the support that is needed. A platform bed eliminates the need for a box spring, as it provides its own adequate support, and allows you to really let your style speak out.
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Important Warranty Considerations With A Box Spring
Although a box spring is not always incompatible with an Avocado Mattress, your box spring must provide proper support, and must be designed and constructed to be capable of handling the combined weight of both the sleep system and the intended users. Many do not.
Since many box springs tend to be associated with older innerspring mattress sets, they tend to not provide proper support for a heavy natural latex hybrid mattress or all latex mattress. They may cause your mattress to falsely appear as if it is sagging in the middle, or even cause your mattress’ innerspring system to fail over time by bending your mattress in the wrong direction . This is why Avocado does not sell box springs. Per the terms of our mattress warranty, “If the purchaser uses an inappropriate foundation, box spring or base as determined by Avocado Mattress, the Mattress Warranty, without limitation, will be void.” When in doubt, we strongly recommend switching to a foundation or simply a bed frame or adjustable base that does not require a foundation. Your back will thank you, too.
Choose Between Split And Standard Box Springs:
When buying a large mattress, such as a king-size, the box spring will also be large. As they’re much less flexible, they can be difficult to maneuver through the hallways and doors in your home. A solution to this problem is a split box spring. It’ll come in two halves, making it much easier to move it around tight corners and small spaces.
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High Profile Vs Low Profile
The difference between a low profile and high profile foundation is height.
As a rule of thumb, low profile mattress foundations are less than 5 inches in height. At Sleeping Organic, we offer both 3 inch and 5 inch bed legs and both give a low profile appearance. The shorter the bed legs, the lower profile youll have of course.
Taller bed legs, like our 7 inch option, will give your bed more rise to it than the lower profile options mentioned above. This high profile foundation is best for you if you want your bed to have a loft-like feel to it.
If you choose a Sleeping Organic wood foundation, you can rest easy knowing that our bed legs are practically indestructible.No matter which profile you choose, the legs can withstand up 8,000 pounds of pressure. Certainly more than youll ever have on your bed!
Wooden Slat Bed Supports
These are sets of wooden slats arranged for optimal ventilation on a platform. They’re usually supportive for heavy mattresses, noise-free and offer a remarkable amount of space underneath for storage. They aren’t too pricey and work as a great budget option for those who find full frames too expensive.
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Why Do You Need A Box Spring
When do you need a box spring? What does a box spring do? These are popular questions that crawl the mind space of people planning to invest in beddings. Box springs are undoubtedly helpful ones. It gives a major boost in the height of your bed. But do you need it for that reason only? Well, box spring does have some added benefits keep reading.
The Standing Box Spring
Maybe you’re not interested in buying multiple pieces to complete the ensemble. And hey, we appreciate your desire for efficiency. Our Justina Metal Mattress Foundation is right up your alley. This clever creation is a box spring and base frame, rolled into one. Featuring a fabric cover available in a variety of colors with an upholstered look, accompanied by solid wood legs, it’s perhaps the fanciest box spring you’ll ever lay eyes on. The fanciest, and the most functional.
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The Bottom Line: Do You Need A Box Spring
The quick answer to this question is maybe. Depending on the type of mattress you have, you might be required to use a box spring to help reduce the chances of sagginess and pain from sleeping on the wrong bed base. While your mattress should provide you with enough comfort, your bed base also plays a significant role in your comfort.
If you prefer to sleep on something firm, consider getting a box spring or platform that can improve airflow around your bed and offer your mattress the support it needs to support your body. Remember, all mattresses have a mattress adjustment period, so if your mattress doesnt feel comfortable immediately, you might not need to purchase a box spring yet.
At Layla Sleep, we have a great selection of bed frames and foundations to choose from to ensure you get a good nights rest night after night.
Check With Your Mattress Brand
On the other hand, there are some exceptions. Modern mattress brand Saatva suggests that box springs may be used with its mattresses if the box spring is less than 7 years old and has proper center support and the slats are less than 4 inches apart. Helix also approves box springs with its mattresses, but only if slats are less than 5 inches apart and a piece of plywood or other proper center support is added.
Since there’s some variation across brands here, it’s best to check with customer support to find out your own mattress brand’s advice.
It’s also important to do research on the warranty for your mattress. This information can be found on the website of the mattress manufacturer or retailer, or on the tag attached to the mattress. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions so you won’t end up voiding the warranty by using the wrong type of foundation or frame with your mattress.
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Check With The Manufacturer
| A firm raised foundation. Not on floor. | |||
| Cocoon by Sealy | A flat sturdy foundation, adjustable bed or bed frame. | ||
| intelliBED | Spring, soy foam, Latex, Intelli-gel | 20 years | Frames with center spine support that connect at head and foot of the frame. |
| Leesa | |||
| Platform, adjustable, or slatted foundation | |||
| Firm, non-springy foundation or adjustable bed. | |||
| Purple | Firm, flat solid non-spring foundation . Queen+ must have 5 legs including center. | ||
| Saatva | Metal frame. Queen+ needs 5-6 legs. | ||
| Tuft and Needle | Flat, adjustable or slatted foundation. Tatami Mat & boxspring also OK. | ||
| Yogabed | Foundation with center support and 5-6 legs or 4 legs . | ||
| Zenhaven | Talalay latex, Wool | 20 years | Foundation with center support and 5-6 legs or 4 legs . |
Before you decide to use a box spring with your new bed-in-a-box mattress, check the manufacturer requirements.
Some will say its okay to use a box spring while others warn that using a traditional box spring will void the warranty.
Do Box Springs Make A Difference To Your Mattress
Box springs are mainly used because they keep the mattress ventilated, providing an excellent solution for people who sleep hot . They are also effective at helping reduce motion transfer on your innerspring mattress. If you have a metal bed frame, a box spring should provide even support for your mattress, preventing it from sagging in the middle.
Box springs can also be used to make innerspring models last longer, providing a durable and stable surface for them to rest on. You can use them directly beneath your mattress either on a bed frame or on the floor.
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Traditional Memory Foam Mattress
A traditional memory foam mattress adjusts to the shape and weight of your body. This will help cradle your pressure points, as well as improve circulation throughout the body.
These mattresses work well for those who are restless sleepersor if youre sleeping with a restless partner. They can also provide relief for those with chronic pain or aching muscles.
Putting Your Mattress On The Floor Without A Frame Or Foundation
Can you put your mattress on the floor without a box spring or foundation?
Absolutely! In fact
Big mattress stores down the street from your house would disagree with the statement above, but thats okay. They just want you to buy a boxspring from them with your new mattress! Im here to help make sure you have the best nights sleep of your life! Some people choose to leave foundations out of the picture altogether. A few common reasons to place your mattress flat on the floor include:
- Necessity
- Aesthetic value
- The desire for a more minimalist bedroom.
And even though some sleepers prefer being closer to the ground like this, one of the downsides to keeping your mattress on the ground is that there wont be properly ventilated as you sleep. Actually, the ventilation problem is why boxsprings were originally created
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Box Springs Vs Foundations
A traditional box spring consists of a frame with steel springs or widely spaced wooden slats and a cloth cover. Most of these bases are made with a wooden frame however, some modern models have metal components.
Box spring bases absorb shock from the sleepers movements. The coils or slats react to the sleepers weight and evenly distribute pressure to prevent wear or sagging.
When paired with a foam bed, the box spring flexes, causing the mattresses to sag in the middle, which rolls the sleepers towards each other. Box springs typically have wooden slats more than 2.75 inches apart. This is another issue for memory foam mattresses, as the foam can sometimes dip below the slats and unevenly distribute weight, leading to premature material disintegration.
Foundations are a completely different product from box springs. They create a solid surface with evenly spaced slats or whole pieces of hard material to reinforce the mattress. Foundations do not flex with weight. The closer spaced slats are more supportive, resulting in less shock absorption.
Because foundations are sturdy, they can pair well with memory foam mattresses. While there are many different styles of foundations, some are built into bed furniture while others come separately.
Box springs and foundations come in three different height profiles: standard , medium , and low .
All box springs and their accompanying foundations come in twin twin XL , full , queen , king , and California king sizes .
Platform Bed Frame Solid
Platform beds utilize a solid surface, so you would not need a boxspring. This solid surface accomplishes the same goal of the boxspring by providing a stable platform.
Generally, platform beds are lower than a traditional mattress would be with a boxspring, which can be a desirable and modern aesthetic you may want to achieve for your bedroom. However, for older sleepers or those who suffer from back, hip, or joint pain, a low platform bed may be more difficult to get in and out of.
US Box Spring offers natural wood foundations that will ship directly to your door. Click the link to head over to their site and learn more!
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