Do You Need a Foundation for a Mattress?

Posted by Mike bale on February 18th, 2020

What is a mattress foundation?

A mattress foundation is a supportive network that goes underneath the mattress. It is intended to hold the weight of the mattress, support all parts of it, and even out mattress wear and tear. A well-made foundation will extend out the life of your mattress. The link I have added shows all kinds of box spring alternatives.

Mattresses and foundations are intended to work as a unit, so it is by and large suggested that they be bought together (new bedding in addition to new foundation). At the point when you buy a mattress, the maker or retailer will suggest a few relevant foundations - pay attention to these. Wayfair has a bunch of great foundations for you to look at. Also, most warranties indicate that a mattress must be utilized with the suggested foundation or the warranty is voided - a few brands even state you should purchase a foundation from them for the warranty to be valid. Also, we found a few brands that explicitly stated not to utilize a box spring (see below).

Is a Mattress Foundation the Same as a Box Spring?

Bed foundations and box springs are different in how they are made and their studiness, even though they may appear to be identical.

A box spring is a wooden box with a lot of coiled springs that alleviate a portion of the pressure that your mattress feels. Likewise made with metal, a spring foundation works like a box spring, however rather than coiled springs it has torsion bars. Torsion bars are thick wire bars ordinarily twisted at 90-degree points. Both box springs and foundations are secured with cloth / upholstry so they look similar.

Box springs work really well with most customary innerspring mattresses, yet they aren't strong enough for modern mattresses made from memory foam, latex, or hybrid materials. Box foundations appear as though they are similar to conventional box springs, but rather than springs, wood or metal braces stretch out over the bed from side to side, making a surface that can more readily support heavier mattresses. A box foundation is usually upholstered just like a box spring, so it has a similar appearance.

Box foundations fluctuate in height. Most are 8" or 10" tall, however you can likewise discover 4" or 6" low-profile variants. These are convenient incase you have a tall mattress or bed and would like to still be able to get in and out of bed easily. A thick / tall foundation would make the bed too tall. You can put a foundation directly on the floor, or on a frame. 

Figure 1. Is this a box spring or a mattress foundation? Modern designs look really similar!

Would I be able to Put a Mattress on Slats?

Current foundations are made with dispersed braces (usually wire braces)  in a wood or metal frame, secured with upholstery. You can likewise discover similar bed frames with slats that will support your mattress. To use a slat-based base, you need a supportive bed frame with several slats that are separated by a maximum of two inches. Also, these slats need to be able to support heavier weights; don’t purchase cheap slats. 

Another option that you can try is a wood slat that can be added onto an existing metal bed frame. This allows the metal bed frame to be converted into something similar to a platform bed. However, these slats fluctuate significantly in quality. Some are designed to provide additional support for a box spring and bedding set, while others are designed to help a mattress with no other base foundation. Simply make sure to check which type of slat base you are buying, and read your mattress documentation to be certain that it will be sufficient.

Figure 2. Be careful about what slats you buy. Some are designed as addons for existing foundations and others are meant to replace your foundations.

Does a Mattress Need a Foundation?

You might not have any desire to utilize the foundation that is prescribed with your mattress  since you intend to utilize a platform bed. Or you may be wondering if you truly need to buy another foundation when your old one looks fine.

Before you choose not to buy the foundation suggested by the producer for your mattress, you should check the mattress warranty. Most determine that platform beds or another strong surface are fine. Some mattress’ warranty, however, will be negated if you don’t use the right kind of mattress foundation.