If you've ever been curious about what a boxspring is actually for, or you're trying to determine if your platform bed or existing boxspring will work with one of our mattresses, this guide is for you!
What is the purpose of a boxspring?
Today, the boxspring sold with a mass-produced mattress is meant only to provide a raised surface for the mattress to rest on. A typical modern boxspring no longer has "spring" - it is usually a rigid platform made of a thin grid of metal wires built on a lightweight pallet bottom, typically with a thin layer of paperboard or even cardboard as insulation over the metal wires.
This differs from a high-quality sleep system, such as our offerings from Berkeley Ergonomics and Harrison Spinks. Each of these mattress makers offers functional suspension foundations which are designed to provide enhanced ergonomics and additional pressure relief. How? These foundations have movable components, which absorb and dissipate energy. This extends the life of the mattress, as they work like a vehicle's shock absorbers to reduce wear and tear.
Critically, our suspension foundations are also breathable, allowing optimal air circulation. This reduces the risk of mould or mildew forming between the mattress and box and helps prevent overheating.
When we consider the three most important attributes of creating the ideal mattress, we can easily see that a suspension foundation is critically important to achieving these goals:
- A mattress must provide correct spinal alignment.
- A mattress must provide adequate pressure relief.
- A mattress must regulate temperature and humidity.
Will I void my mattress warranty if I do not buy the boxspring?
Not necessarily. Mattress stores often suggest that not buying the matching boxspring automatically voids the mattress warranty. This is simply not true. However, in our experience, the most common cause of comfort and support issues with the mattresses we sell is using them on incompatible box springs, slats, and bed frames. This guide will walk you through the steps to determine if your platform bed or boxspring is adequate for your mattress.
How do I determine whether my existing boxspring will work?
If you are going to be placing a new mattress on an existing boxspring, there are two simple things to look for:
- A flat, rigid surface without any sagging or dipping
- A non-flexible, rigid construction (push on the edge of the base; if it moves down, it's probably not the right type for most modern mattresses)
- Sufficient surface area to support the mattress properly - the heavier and more flexible a mattress is, the narrower the gaps in support ought to be
Although we talk about suspension foundations being the best type, you'll want to avoid a box with actual springs, at least if you're buying a natural rubber, latex, or memory foam mattress. A box with flexible springs is best suited for a spring mattress, and even then, only if the spring systems in both components are engineered to work in tandem. Harrison Spinks mattresses are a great example of a spring box providing superior performance versus a rigid box or slats. The Harrison Spinks Premium True Edge Base acts as a shock absorber for the mattress.
In most cases, we recommend buying the matching boxspring when buying a new mattress. If, after reading this guide, you decide a simple rigid foundation will suit your needs best, our Berkeley Ergonomics standard slat foundation is universally compatible with all mattress brands. We also have an excellent option made for us by Spring Air in multiple heights; they have made these bases very heavy-duty with only a 1" gap between slats.
Platform Beds
Platform-style beds are designed for use with a mattress only. Instead of a boxspring, the platform will often have wooden slats or a board to support the mattress.
If you have a platform-style bed, these are our basic criteria for a good support system:
- Rigid, flat wooden slats ideally made of spruce or poplar at a minimum (pine isn't usually the best idea). In a perfect world, the slats would be a hardwood such as beech or oak.
- Space slats no more than 2" apart for heavier natural rubber or latex mattresses; 3" spacing is usually fine for a memory foam mattress.
- Queen and king platforms must have at least one centre rail or beam that runs head to foot, which is also supported by legs extending to the floor. The more legs, the better!
- Queen and king platforms, which do not have a centre beam, should have T-slats - a flat top board, with a heavy-duty support. A good example of this system is from Copeland Furniture.
- Double platforms should have a centre beam, and a set of slats with 3 legs extending to the floor is also usually adequate.
A platform bed support system should not be as follows:
- A solid platform, without ventilation, although with our Berkeley Hybrid / Harrison Spinks mattresses, this is not a major concern, as the mattresses have an amazing capacity for airflow
- Slatted without any sort of centre support or centre legs (twin beds are usually fine when designed this way).
- Slats which are spaced too far apart (ie, more than 2 ½") - foam mattresses in particular will follow the gaps and sag easily into these openings.
- Bowed slats, unless they are the genuine European beech wood variety, with extra slats in the middle and bushings for proper suspension.
In our experience, most bowed slats are not designed correctly. They look pretty, but often sag easily under the weight of any decent mattress. An easy way to test this is to press down firmly on the bowed slat. It should go flat; if it extends below the frame's level plane, it will not provide adequate support. This is because most bowed slats are mounted in a simple rubber sleeve but have no suspension or reinforcement of their own. This allows a heavier, more flexible mattress (very normal with TMASC) to compress the slats into a concave rather than convex shape, creating a hammocking effect.
The best bowed slat support systems are made of laminated hardwood - and most importantly, they will be mounted on top of suspension-style anchors, which allow the ends of the slat to compress and the entire slats to pivot and contour with the weight of the sleeper. These will also ideally have extra supports in the middle of the bed so heavier parts of the body are better supported without hammocking.
Examples of Poor Slat Designs
These photos show examples of poor, inadequate slat designs. Avoid these slats with any heavier, higher-quality mattress. All of these systems share a simple plastic sleeve that is hard-mounted to rigid surfaces. This means all the flexing in these systems comes from the wood slats themselves; under heavier loads (particularly with heavier, high-quality mattresses that are more flexible), these slats can go from convex to concave. Giving the perception of lying in a trough.
Slats are spaced too far apart and are missing the "third slat" beneath the top layer.
These are some of the worst-designed slats that we have ever encountered. Three sections mean each sleeper is now sleeping on the rigid spine in the middle of each suspension portion.
Example of Correct Slat Designs
These Berkeley suspension slats correctly incorporate the "third slat" beneath the top layer. These slats must be under the heavier parts of our body to provide adequate support. The rubber bushing system allows the slats to pivot, helping the mattress contour to the body. These bushings also reduce give in the slats, preventing them from becoming concave even under heavy loads.
The slat spacing at the head and foot of the bed is still very tight, although the third slat is not required in these portions of the bed. You can adjust additional rubber bushings in the middle section of the base to better control your weight distribution and help correct potential posture issues.
IKEA Platform Beds
If you have an IKEA platform bed, we do not recommend their LEIRSUND, LURÖY, or LÖNSET bowed slat foundations for any heavy foam mattresses, including most latex and some memory foam models. The LEIRSUND and LÖNSET slats are generally fine for hybrid spring mattresses for lighter sleepers. We recommend adding additional slats to keep the gaps between slats to a minimum.
In our testing, we find that heavier mattresses, especially our natural latex mattresses from Berkeley Ergonomics and Obasan, simply do not work well on the bowed IKEA slats. Our customers have reported sagging and dipping of their mattress, in some cases after one night.
Well-engineered bowed slat systems, such as the suspension slat model we offer from Berkeley Ergonomics, work perfectly as a replacement for the IKEA slat system. Alternatively, Berkeley Ergonomics also offers a low-profile version of the standard slat foundation that fits IKEA platform beds.
Our TMASC-designed Spring Air Sandcastle Foundation is also offered in a low-profile version for platform bed frames.
Platform Beds from Furniture Stores
We strongly recommend investigating the included mattress support. While many platform beds are well-made, our experience over the years has shown that many of these beds, no matter how much they cost, include substandard slat systems, since this component is often an afterthought or may not be shown in product photos.
Mattress & Sleep Company will gladly advise on any mattress support system and its positive or negative impact on our mattress offerings.
