How do I buy a mattress?

March 14, 2005 10:05 AM

My wife and I are in the market for a new queen-sized mattress for our platform bed (Valencia platform bed from Pottery Barn).

1. The platform consists of slats approx. 2 inches apart. Do we need / should we get a box spring?

2. Any comments re: durability of a latex mattress vs. a traditional coil mattress? I am aware that the 10-yr warranty only covers coils popping, not sag.

3. Have latex mattresses been around long enough to adequately commment on #2?

4. We are currently leaning toward a Stearns & Foster firm mattress with some padding on top (not the "pillow top", which has additional padding.) Any comments on this brand?

5. Any other comments how we should best go about this purchase would be appreciated. We need the mattress by Easter weekend, ie in two weeks.

posted by cahlers to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

1. No need for a box spring.

2-3. no comment.

4. As far as I can tell manufactuers change the names of models for each retailer. This makes it very difficult to comparison shop on price. So Sears carries the Sealy "XYZ" and Macy's the Sealy "ABC" but XYZ = ABC. You end up having to ask for specs like coil count etc. Very frustrating.

We ended up getting a great deal at Costco, of all places. "Mattress Warehouses" seemed sketch and Department stores seemed like a rip-off.
posted by rschroed at 10:42 AM on March 14, 2005

1. The platform consists of slats approx. 2 inches apart. Do we need / should we get a box spring?

We just bought a slatted base, and a queen-size firm with padding (not pillow top). We bought a 'mini' box spring that's only a couple of inches high (I think - I'm at work right now). It was cheaper than the regular box spring, and it comes just up to the top of the side/foot rails. The mattress shop said that this would stop the slats messing up the mattress. Maybe we were had. They also tried to sell us a 'care package,' involving some kind of antibacterial spray, which we refused (it was an extra $150).
posted by carter at 10:49 AM on March 14, 2005

There's been many a mattress thread on AskMe, which just goes to show what a befuddling process it is. (My mattress question is here). We ended up going with the Original Mattress Factory's Orthopedic model. We've been very pleased with the purchase. If you go into the store, you can see a cutaway view of a Stearns and Foster compared with the Original Mattress factory comparable product.
posted by Otis at 10:59 AM on March 14, 2005

We just bought a 100% latex mattress for our slat bed, and we love it! We bought it from a factory in Phoenix that has the lowest prices. Latex beds have been around a long time, are very popular in Europe, and have some great advantages: they don't sag over time, never need flipping, and don't give off a nasty odor or retain body heat (like Tempur-pedics do). We bought a king size and it came as a kit where you put the two halves into a mattress cover, which allows for "his and hers" sides to be different firmnesses. You can't feel the seam between them at all. Free delivery right now, and 30 day money back guarantee.

Resources: there's a great forum about mattress choices. If you go the latex route, read up on the different types (Talalay is best) and the firmness measurement (called ILD). If you want to "translate" all the different brands' model names and see how they correlate, go to this site
posted by nancoix at 11:09 AM on March 14, 2005

I've never understood the box spring thing. I'm convinced its a manufacturer's gimmick that took in the American marketplace and never went away. I've had regular and foam mattresses (but not latex) on top of slats like you describe as well as standard platforms with no problem.

Current arrangement is a Temperpedic (sp?) on top of solid platform and it is the best sleeping experience I've ever had. Temperpedics can be found in most Brookstones and are carried by many back care stores and they have a 90 day return policy. While they are bit expensive (roughly equivalent to high end mattress/box spring combos), there is more-or-less standard pricing on them so you don't have to deal with the mattress store nonsense.
posted by krtzmrk at 11:09 AM on March 14, 2005

Box springs are useless. Really. Open one up sometime and see what you're paying for.

But do I have a suggestion. Last year I purchased a queen platform bed with the same type of spaced slats (actually about 3.5" center-to-center, hardwood) you describe. Supposedly, it's okay to put a matress right on there... but after looking at my mattress with someone laying on top, and seeing it squishing though the slats, I decided it wasn't a good idea (for comfort or mattress lifespan).

So I went to the local lumber yard, and got two 4'x8' sheets of 1/4" smooth surface pegboard (the kind with a grid of holes across it's surface, like you might hang on your garage wall to organize tools), and had them ripped down to size (each 30" wide by 80" long). Covered the edges with some duct tape, to prevent scratching or any wood dust rubbing off, and slapped them down over the slats. It's been great. The boards keep the mattress from deforming on the slats, but still gives some (it's only a 1/4", and still fairly bendy), and the holes allow for ventilation so that your mattress doesn't pick up any 'no so fresh' qualities.

No input on the latex beds. I still prefer the springy kind.
posted by zeypher at 11:42 AM on March 14, 2005

How to buy a mattress
posted by fletchmuy at 11:44 AM on March 14, 2005

My suggestion is to get a foam cutout. I haven't done this, but think it would be as good as any commercial mattress.
posted by xammerboy at 2:45 PM on March 14, 2005

I have a platform bed, no box spring, and a Stearns & Foster firm mattess with a padded, but not pillow, top. It's going on 2.5 years now, and no complaints. Just make sure that the center support of your platform bed is set at the right height to keep the mattress parallel to the floor, or you'll find yourself rolling toward the middle (or the edges)! (Email is in my profile if you need more details.)
posted by hsoltz at 3:26 PM on March 14, 2005

I second krtzmrk's comments on Tempurpedic above. I was skeptical when I purchased one a few months ago. I've changed my mind. You get a 90 day trial. Most places let you defer payment for 6 months. There is a 20 year warranty. And, the mattresses are CFC and formaldehyde free. No need to increase your body burden.
posted by quadog at 3:27 PM on March 14, 2005

We have a queen platform with slats, and a regular mattress.

We turn it once a week, endwise, over, etc, on order to keep it wearing evenly. . .we have had it several years and so far so good. .my first mattress. . .
posted by Danf at 3:40 PM on March 14, 2005

Foam out-gasses a metric ton of poisonous fumes and chemicals. I strongly recommend not getting a foam cutout.
posted by five fresh fish at 3:45 PM on March 14, 2005

I too have a platform bed w/ a Simmons pillowtop. Their box springs are completely rock hard so what would the point of it be? So, box springs are a rip off. If I had it to do all over again I would buy a Pure Rest mattress, the one that's rubber surrounded by wool.
posted by scazza at 9:45 PM on March 14, 2005