Help me buy a foam mattress on a budget

February 13, 2009 1:12 PM

How can I find the best foam mattress on a limited (<$400) budget?

I'm in the market for an inexpensive mattress--$400 is about my upper limit, but I'd be happy if I could find something workable for less. The extra money could go toward a fancy mattress topper.

Ideally I'd like to get a foam mattress--not memory foam, just plain old foam--but I'm having a lot of difficulty figuring out how to comparison shop effectively. I went to a local foam supplier, and they offered to sell me a full-XL-mattress-sized slab of foam for $330; they tell me foam of that particular grade will last 5-7 years. But then I find something like this foam-based futon mattress that seems like a much fancier product for a similar price. Is it really a better buy? Are there other places where a basic polyurethane foam mattress can be had for less? How can I figure out which mattresses are worth the money?

posted by fermion to home & garden (8 answers total)

IKEA foam mattresses get a decent grade. offsite thread
posted by anelsewhere at 1:15 PM on February 13, 2009

these people seem to have decent prices... depending on what you want to spend they have foam rated from 5 to 15 years... if you are interested in making your own mattress you can try a thin layer of latex on top of firm foam

http://www.thefoamfactory.com/
posted by geos at 2:37 PM on February 13, 2009

Also recommending the Ikea. I got a mid-priced twin for my son, and it's still pretty comfortable and in good shape after 4 years. I don't remember which one, maybe the Murbo?
posted by saffry at 3:02 PM on February 13, 2009

If you're really in Seattle, did you try the Friendly Foam Shop? They're pretty cheap and, yes, friendly.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:21 PM on February 13, 2009

corpse in the library, they're the ones who gave me that estimate. :) Getting a lower grade of foam would shave $50-90 off that estimate, I think, but I don't know if it's worth it.
posted by fermion at 4:45 PM on February 13, 2009

dunno if they still sell it, but I got a great foam mattress from Costco three years ago -- came vacuum-packed in a rolling case. $500 for a queen. Note, with a good foam mattress you don't need a topper since that defeats the purpose.
posted by troy at 12:22 AM on February 14, 2009

Looks as though Ikea is having a special on mattresses right now, so I'll probably be going with that. Thanks for all the excellent answers!
posted by fermion at 3:02 PM on February 15, 2009

Went with the Ikea mattress (the cheapest latex model, Sultan Eidsvoll.) It's quite comfortable, particularly compared to sleeping on the floor as I'd been doing previously. Thanks, AskMe!
posted by fermion at 3:32 PM on March 17, 2009