Why you shouldn’t use a mattress on a bed frame (most of the time)

Over the years we have seem numerous counts of damage and excessive wear to the mattress due to an improperly design bed frame or a bed frame with insufficient support for the mattress.

Mattresses have inbuilt support for the person sleeping, but also need support themselves. In general a mattress will reflect the underlying surface that it is placed on – meaning if the surface underneath has big gaps or is not flat (like bed frames with posture slats) then over time the mattress will reflect the gaps underneath or curve/dip to reflect the surface underneath. This means the user will feel a dip or sagging in certain parts and excessive softness in regions where the mattress springs may fall through the gaps between the slats.

What kind of bed frame should I choose?

Generally speaking you should choose a bed frame with solid flat slats that have slats that are at least 6cm thick with no more than 8cm gap between them. The slats should be properly secured to the bed frame and should not move when pushed with your hands. The slats should also not bend or buckle by applying pressure with two fingers. We only recommend using a mattress manufacturer recommend style of bed base on your mattress such as the SlumberSense Ensemble Bed Base or the Boston Bed Base Range.

Using an improper bed base or foundation (normally an American word for bed base) will most likely void your mattress warranty.

Below is an example of a SlumberSense Bed Base with a proper mattress support system.

What is the worst kind of bed frame style?

Mesh or metal slat bed frames or flat pack bed frames that come in one tiny box. These are the worst by far and come with support bars/slats that are barely over 1-2cm thick. When mattress springs are 4-6cm in diameter, you ask yourself how something only 1cm thick can support a springn unit that is 6cm wide? All that will happen is the bending of the innerspring support unit of the mattress and eventually the springs will pop through the mattress. Below is an example of a pocket spring unit system. As you can see the spring in this case are held together by woven pockets. If there isn’t adequate spring support, then the springs will merely pop out of the pockets and ruin your mattress. THIS IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. A lot of people purchasing over the internet put their $600-800 mattress on a $200 ebay or amazon bed frame – this is an absolutely terrible idea most of the time as many cheaper bed frames do not offer adequate support for your mattress.

Can I just put my mattress directly on the floor?

NO.

No.

No.

In the short term whilst you’re waiting for your bed frame delivery yes, but no longer than 2-3 weeks. Mattresses end up holding a lot of moisture while you sleep. A proper bed base allows a mattress to breath by allowing air to circulate underneath via the bed bases ventilation system. By placing your mattress directly on the floor this will prevent any moisture from escaping and your mattress to start to grow mould. This will void your warranty.