Alternatives To Using A Bunkie Board Under A Foam Mattress
A bunkie board is not the only type of mattress foundation that you can use under a foam mattress for proper support. In fact, there are a few different alternatives to using a bunkie board under a foam mattress.
Different foundations for foam mattresses: Plywood laid over a slatted bed base , a platform bed with built-in wooden slats , and wooden slats . Image from .
Some alternatives to using a bunkie board under a foam mattress include plywood, slats, and platforms. Each of these alternatives provides great support for foam mattresses.
Plywood is a thin, light, and rigid material. However, it will need to be treated and laminated otherwise, it will chip and snag on your mattress. The plywood needs to be at least one inch thick to provide minimal support for your mattress. For more information, refer to this article:Can You Use Plywood Instead Of A Bunkie Board?
Slats are thin and light, and they promote proper support and breathability for your mattress. As mentioned when discussing slatted bunkie boards, the gap between the slats should be less than three inches. Otherwise, the slats can dig into the mattress and damage it.
Birch By Helix Mattress
Best Hybrid: Why choose one mattress material when you dont have to? Many modern mattresses are what we call hybrids they bring together the best of several different materials to give you a sound nights sleep. Birch by Helix is a premium hybrid mattress that combines the support and stability of individually wrapped coils with the responsive pressure relief of natural Talalay latex.
The Birch mattress is made up of six unique layers starting with a layer of organic wool batting and ending with an organic cotton cover. In between, youll find hundreds of individually wrapped steel coils topped with natural Talalay latex, organic Birch wool, and an additional layer of natural wool fires for fire resistance. This mattress is highly durable and offers extra benefits like breathability. If thats not enough to convince you, know that the Birch mattress also comes with free shipping, hassle-free returns, a 25-year warranty, and a 100-night sleep trial.
- Pros: Hybrid construction for support and pressure relief, less sinking feeling than memory foam
- Cons: Some may not like the bouncy feel of latex materials
Diy Box Spring Alternative
If you are not satisfied with the options above, there is a way to do it yourself. You’ll need to get wooden blocks, an electric drill, a circular saw, a counter stick drill bit, a staple gun, and some other materials required to build a wooden box. Notice what’s lacking is any types of springs, which is the goal here.
This is quite easy even with hand tools if that’s all you have access to, but make sure the quality of the build is sturdy since you’ll be trusting it to support your weight while you sleep.
Heres what you do. Start by cutting the wooden pieces to match the measurements of your bed. Attach the wooden pieces to the slats using screws. Leave a little space on both ends.
After that, build the outer box and add upholstery to it and place the mattress on it. I know those aren’t the clearest details, but you can find tutorials online if you look. You’ll end up with the ultimate in box spring alternatives if you do it right.
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What About A Bunkie Board
If youve been Googling bed bases, youve probably come across a bunkie board. Typically found in bunk beds, thus the name bunkie, these boards are designed to work with traditional metal bed frames and provide support to mattresses that are being used without a foundation. A bunkie board is thick piece of plywood used to increase the firmness of box springs. Because of its solid, smooth surface, a bunkie board could be used to support your foam mattress, but may not be as good of an option as something more solid like a foundation, platform bed or adjustable base.
The Surface Of The Floor
When putting mattress on floor, there are a few things to take note of. Ensure the floor surface is clean and prepared.
The best floor surfaces are:
- Hardwood
- Floor mats
Take note to:
- Avoid plywood and natural fiber carpet and rugs as these can retain moisture, mold can thrive in a moisture-rich environment
- Vacuum the floor including baseboards and mop the area
- Check your mattress warranty or ask your mattress retailer for their guidelines on putting mattress on floor
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What Platform Bed Sizes Are Available
Platform beds come in standard sizes: twin, which is 39- by 75-inches full, which is 54- by 75- inches queen, which measures 60- by 80- inches and king, which is generously wide at 76- by 80- inches. Platform beds even come in the luxurious 72- by 84-inch California king, which offers extra space when your kids or pets want to share your bed. To decide what size platform bed you need, read our Bed Size Fact Sheet.
What Are Your Other Options
Platform beds may not always be the best option. Fortunately, there are other choices that would better suit your needs. It all really depends on the type of mattress you use.
Mattress foundation:
What is a mattress foundation? A foundation is typically made of wood and resembles a platform bed with slats going from side to side that provide support. However, a fabric cover is placed over it to make it appear and function like a box spring.
It is a sturdy frame for your mattress that provides a rigid flat surface, as would be needed with an innerspring mattress. It can also be used with a memory foam or natural latex mattress.
Mattress foundations are best used with memory foam and hybrid mattresses that weigh a lot and require a sturdy surface, not a shock absorber. They may also be used with innerspring beddings if you find that you want to make them a bit firmer.
Box springs:
A traditional box spring is made of either wood or metal. It is the size of your mattress and houses metal springs that respond to pressure from the mattress placed on top. They are specifically designed to support innerspring beddings. It also works to absorb a significant amount of shock displaced by an innerspring mattress.
It is not as sturdy or durable as some of the other options. However, it is often the most cost-efficient option.
They are often the bounciest option but this also heavily relies on your mattress. As you may have guessed, innerspring beddings are the bounciest.
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What Is The Thing Under The Mattress Called
The thing under the mattress is a mattress foundation. Some foundations look a lot like wooden pallets placed on top of one another. Usually, wood pallets make good stack boxes for shipping.
They are made in such a way that they can be lifted on. The clean and smooth versions of these wood pallets are what make up standard fabric-covered plywood foundations.
Wooden pallets are affordable and easy to build on ones own. Thus, they are a less costly alternative for other expensive bed support like box springs. Mattresses are expensive enough on their own and adopting a pallet can help save a little chunk of your change. The best part is that they can support any kind of mattress.
Box springs used to be so germane to mattresses that they were indisposable. However, mattress producers caught wind of the fact that buyers couldnt really tell the difference between a real box spring and a spring-less plywood foundation that looks just like a box spring.
Since these plywood foundations are less expensive to produce and yield far more profit than box springs, mattress companies adopted them.
Besides, emerging mattresses are designed to be much thicker and luxurious than the way older ones were designed. As such, box springs became redundant since the thickness of the beds made it impossible to feel them in the first place.
What Goes Under A Mattress
There isn’t a single right answer to this question because fortunately, you have a few different options available for mattress support. But no matter which option you choose, mattress support has many benefits, including reducing wear and tear on your mattress and lengthening its lifespan.
Having some kind of mattress support underneath your mattress will prevent sagging, absorb shock, keep the mattress clean, and raise the mattress height for greater ease while getting into and out of bed. Furthermore, majority of mattress warranties will only be valid if you have some kind of mattress support in place.
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Add Slats To Your Bed Frame To Raise Your Box Spring
Adding wooden slats is one method for raising a box spring by about 1-2 inches. Image from .
Slats are mattress support systems that can be incorporated into bed frames or purchased on their own. Slats come in different widths and thicknesses depending on the type of slats and the manufacturer. Box springs and slats dont need to be used together to provide mattress support, but putting your box spring on top of a set of slats is one way to raise its height.
If your bed doesnt already have slats, look for thick wooden or metal slats that will add the right amount of height to your box spring . To put the slats under your box spring, simply remove your mattress and box spring from your bed frame, lay the slats down on the base of the bed frame, and put the box spring and mattress on top of the slats.
If you already have a bed frame with slats but the slats are too thin to raise your box spring enough, you can remove and replace the individual slats with thicker ones. To get detailed instructions on how to replace a set of built-in slats, watch this YouTube video.
Platform Bed Frame Slats
Some platform beds are a slight variation of the traditional platform bed. These use slats for support instead of the solid foundation. As long as the slats are close enough together to satisfy the mattress warranty, this frame would not need a boxspring either.
ExampleZinus Modern Studio slat frame and the Forever Foundation
As a general rule of thumb, slats should not exceed 4 apart from each other. The slats can come flexed or straight and are available in wood, metal, plastics, or even composite materials. Steel slats are going to be the strongest in these types of frames since they create a more rigid support. Lastly, the slat gap is commonly indicated on mattress warranties. Ensure your slat gaps are appropriate to your mattress warranty.
Want the Sleepopolis bed? I use a platform frame from Copenhagen Imports. Its simple, but very sturdy and well made.
Note: Take our mattress quiz if youre starting your search for a new bed!
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You Dont Want Your Mattress Set To Be Vulnerable To Failure
Unfortunately the first concern of the people that built and sold you your bed is NOT complying with your mattress warrantys requirements. Standard bed supports included with beds having a headboard, foot-board and side rails just dont make the cut. Replacing them with a stronger steel bed slat kit having plenty of angle iron cross bars and lots of feet really is the key.
Look for systems with plenty of steel legs with adjustable footing. This footing acts as piers down to your floor which helps assure warranty and prevent sag caused by lack of proper base frame support. Not only that, but it also can increase comfort and support of your mattress by strengthening the entire bed and sleep system.
Box Spring Replacement Foundations
If you like the height that your box spring provides but it’s too old to use with your new foam mattress, a box spring replacement foundation is the way to go. That way, you still have the height you’re used to without sacrificing any support.
This Classic Brands Instant Foundation comes in all sizes and is very easy to assemble. It’s perfect for memory foam and latex mattresses. I’ve tested it myself.
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Benefits Of Using Box Springs
Box springs provide your bed with a slight bounce when its paired with an innerspring mattress. Some sleepers prefer the springy responsiveness of the innerspring beds, so using a box spring is usually the best choice.
Its worth mentioning some box springs do not contain coils or springs. So, if a responsive bed is one of your preferences, youll want to keep this in mind while shopping.
Box springs are also an excellent option for sleepers who want to add extra height to their beds. The greater bed height may also make it easier to climb in and out of bed.
However, a box spring is not suitable for all mattress types. For example, you should not pair a box spring with a memory foam mattress.
What Kind Of Bed Foundation Do I Need
For many years, box springs have been the standard foundation for most mattresses, but with more modern, high-quality mattresses on the market, there are more options available to us. From
For many years, box springs have been the standard foundation for most mattresses, but with more modern, high-quality mattresses on the market, there are more options available to us. From solid to slatted foundationsunderstanding which one is right for you can be confusing. To answer all of your foundation-related questions, we have put together this comprehensive guide.
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What Material Should I Choose
A well-constructed platform bed can give you years of peaceful sleep and reduce wear on your mattress, whether you are buying a slatted or a solid model. Wood platform beds are durable and firm, offering a high weight capacity and damage resistance. Metal bed frames are also strong and sturdy steel and iron are the most popular materials, and despite their tough construction, metal bed frames often have a thinner, lighter build. Particle board and medium-density fiberboard, or MDF, are the most common engineered materials, which are made from small fibers that are bonded together. As the least expensive option, engineered boards offer less durability and longevity, but they are sturdy and often finished with laminate or wood veneer for a polished appearance.
Increases The Lifespan Of Your Mattress
A bed foundation can help extend the life of your mattress by protecting it from the floor, supporting it properly, and providing extra stability. Even though a mattress can be placed on the floor, bed foundations are specifically designed to protect and support your mattress longer than your floor would.
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Do Memory Foam Mattresses Need Box Springs
Getting a good nights sleep is important to the physical and mental health of an individual. When researching online for the best mattress for your needs, youll discover there is a lot to consider, such as how will your mattress be supported? Traditionally, a mattress sale would include purchasing a box spring. But, what about memory foam mattresses? Do they need a box spring to get optimal comfort and sleep? If not, then what does a person use to support a memory foam mattress?
Before answering those questions, lets take a moment to discuss the characteristics of memory foam. What makes memory foam popular? What is the difference in a box spring versus a foundation?
Should I Buy Or Build My Own Platform Bed
If youve decided that you want a platform bed but are on the fence about whether to buy one or build one, these factors may help you decide.
You should lean toward buying a platform bed if:
- You have limited experience with DIY projects. Since it needs to support the weight of your mattress and body, a platform bed may not be the ideal starter DIY project.
- You put heavy strain on the bed. If youre reliant on a sturdy bed base because of your weight or how you use your mattress, it may be wiser to opt for a proven, well-reviewed platform bed.
- You want to ensure the validity of your mattress warranty. You can typically be more confident that your mattress warranty will remain valid if you select an appropriate platform bed to buy as opposed to making one yourself.
- You lack tools or workspace. If you have to acquire new tools or occupy your living room as a workshop to try to build a platform frame, it likely makes more sense to purchase one instead.
- You need a bed frame ASAP. Most platform beds bought online can be quickly delivered and installed with ease, so if youre in a rush, its better to buy a platform bed than build one.
You should lean toward building your own platform bed if:
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How To Raise A Platform Bed
Platform beds are popular because of their versatility and convenience. The main difference between a panel bed vs platform bed is that platform beds come with a built-in mattress foundation, meaning theres no need for accessories that provide additional support. But the absence of something like a box spring means that many platform beds are low off the ground, which may not be your preferred style.
If you currently own a platform bed or youre considering purchasing one, youre not stuck with this height.
Here are some simple and creative solutions for how to raise a platform bed.
What Makes The Bear Stand Out
- Even though its all-foam, the Bear has a medium-firm feel from its combination of thick memory foam and firmer poly foam at the bottom.
- The memory foam layer has an infusion of gel, which also assists with cooling after a strenuous workout.
- You can browse five different bed frames and platform beds on Bears website.
Read our full Bear mattress review.
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