Bed Foundation - Am I missing something?

I have two mattresses that need a foundation. Looking at them online, they're around 100 dollars each. However looking at how they're built, it appears they're just some wood slats on a simple frame. Am I missing something as to why they're so expensive?

Here's the woodworking part. If I do build one myself, does the thickness of the slats make a difference? I'm considering just using 2x4s, as they're good enough and cheaper than 1x material at my local store.

I have a metal bed frame, so just need something for my mattresses.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper
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The mattress provides the comfort, the box spring provides the support for the mattress. I agree with you that any hard surface will suffice for the mattress. It's function is to prevent the mattress from sagging.

Search online and you'll find many ideas people have used to support their mattress. I was just viewing pallet projects and a few used them for their bed.

Reply to
Hawk

A box spring is a foundation, but a foundation isn't necessarily a box spring. In fact, most foundations these days don't contain springs.

A decent explanation can be found here:

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Reply to
DerbyDad03

If you are looking at the cloth covered type, $100 doesn't sound "expensive". Some of the better ones use Douglas fir or even harder woods. Then there's the fabric, the labor, etc. $100 seems reasonable.

You don't say what size mattress you need to support. At $100, is it safe to assume twin? I've used 3/4" plywood for twin beds. Think "platform bed".

I've also used 1x4 slats to which I've stapled cloth strapping to make them easier to lay out and move.

2x4's will certainly work, just make sure there are no splinters that might rip the mattress or cover it somehow. However, the ends may show above the metal bed frame.

This full size, knockdown college dorm bed used nothing more than

1/2" MDF, but the center support helped.

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When I built this bed, I used 2 oak slats and a store bought full size bunkie board. I think I paid about $100 for the bunkie board.

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Lots of info here:

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Reply to
DerbyDad03

OR, if you are looking for a firmer bed, just build a torsion box the size of the mattress.

Reply to
Dr. Deb

Box spring came to mind as that's what the most common foundation for a mattress is. That's why I indicated any hard surface will suffice...as long as it provides mattress support and eliminates sagging.

Reply to
Hawk

My only concern is that the term "box spring" tends to make people think of the old style mattress support that actually contained springs. The more modern term is "foundation" which encompasses just about any type of mattress support, especially now that "box springs" are almost a thing of the past.

I found a website (us-mattress.com) whose description of a "foundation" used these words:

"A foundation (box spring) is a bed base with a wooden frame and either springs or metal rods that provide support to a mattress."

I used their chat facility and asked if their foundations actually contained springs. Here is their answer.

"99% of box spring will be made of wood with wooden slats. Only certain luxury brands actually have springs in the box springs nowadays."

So their own definition is wrong and their reps still hang on to the term "box spring" when in reality there is nary a spring inside their foundations.

I feel that is my duty to drag everyone into the present and ensure that the term "box spring" is only used when appropriate. ;-)

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Have you noticed how furniture is marketed? No payments for a year and no interest for 10 years. Free stuff is not cheap.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

The springs are mounted on wood slats. They're not suspended in air. ;-)

The "foundation" we bought a few years ago has springs in it (they advertised the number and gauge of the springs). What we're told, anyway, is that the "foundation" makes the mattress last longer than a board. There is a difference in the feel, too. A board is, well, a board. If you put a sheet of plywood between a mattress and a "foundation", you'll know it's there. Platform bed feels a lot different than a good mattress/box spring set.

Reply to
krw

As if the termite barf is going to last ten years.

Reply to
krw

One of the first things I built when I got my shop set up was a bed for myself. I designed it to use a standard box spring but it turned out that it was too high for comfort given the extremely thick mattress over a thick box spring so I trashed the latter, raised the support cleats it used to sit on and installed solid 7/8" plywood instead: three wide slats for easier handling with a stiffening rib glued/screwed below. It has worked fine for 20+ years with no downside that I've detected.

The bed is nothing exciting to look at but it is definitely serviceable:

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Reply to
John McGaw

1X or 2X work good. Space about 6 inches apart, or a foot or so apart and cover with 3/8" plywood.
Reply to
Clare Snyder

And there are still "bed salesman" who claimthe mattress waranty is void without the "matching box spring" and they advertise the mattress at $199 (with purchace of matching box spring @ $799)

Reply to
Clare Snyder

Was yours one of the "certain luxury brands" as noted by the rep from US-mattress?

Reply to
DerbyDad03

If you want to be fancy about it, you can use some birch slats, maybe

1/2 inch thick by 1.5 inches wide--enough of them that they're about an inch apart. I have an expensive Scandinavian bed that is made that way--the slats have a little bit of "give" and serve a function similar to a box spring.

If you don't want that, some 2x4s would be fine I think. Just want enough of them that the mattress won't sag between them.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Don't put yourself down--that's nice work.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Sure but there were _many_ brands with springs.

Reply to
krw

I disassembled a mid-grade box spring one time and found a sturdy wood frame at the bottom with sturdy wood cross slats that had sixty-four very stiff springs mounted to the slats, the top end of the springs are mounted to a flexible metal grid with a stiff wire perimeter wire. All this covered with passes cloth. It is a box, with springs.

I did this because I needed the stiff wood frame to make a platform for a foam mattress. I covered the frame top and bottom with 3/4 inch plywood and a good coat of oil based paint. That thing weighed several hundred bounds and served me well for decades.

Reply to
isten

er springs or metal

in luxury brands

Yes, I'm sure there were. Probably still are. At the same time it, just abo ut every source I've found while looking for information about foundations includes verbiage sim ilar to this.

"These days, the word ?boxspring? is somewhat of a misnomer , because most don?t use springs. The term ?foundation? is a more apt description. This has c hanged in the past decade or two. Up until the early 2000s, most boxsprings used actual springs in them and a cted as a shock absorber for the mattress. Now, most mattresses use foundations that are ju st sturdy, inflexible boxes that support the mattress. These can be made of wood or metal."

Note the word "most". The 20 year time frame seems to be consistent also.

Besides, puckdropper is specifically talking about a wood slat foundation, not a box spring.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

IME, "slats" are what goes under the box springs to keep it on the bed rails. Mattresses are connected to the box springs and the box springs are connected to the slats and the slats are connected to the rails and the rails are connected to the head/foot boards and the head/foot boards are connected to the floor and the floor is...

Def: Mistress - Half way between a mister an a mattress.

Reply to
krw

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