Box spring vs. platform beds

[purbeast0]

so i moved this weekend to a new home. i currently have a king size bed with box springs. i purchased a w-hotel heavenly mattress 2 years ago and it has become a bit saggy, and after our move i was going to get a new one through our warranty. i am also a fan of more low profile beds, but with the box springs that isn't happening.

i already have lower back issues so saggy beds definitely don't help and I can feel it when i wake up sometimes.

saturday i took my bed apart. i noticed that the box spring on my wide of the bed was a bit bent, and it was very obvious that my side of the bed was saggy and my wifes wasnt, when we normally sleep. i didn't think much of it at all though.

since saturday i've been sleeping with my mattress simply on the floor in our new house, because i didn't want to put our bed frame together since we're getting a new set. over the past 3 nights i've noticed that i definitely have less and less back pain when i wake up. usually it's not excrutiating or anything, but i just feel a bit stiff.

last night we looked at some beds and saw some low profile ones that we liked and want to get. i noticed you CAN put a box spring in them, or you can simply put the wood platforms which will keep the lower profile.

randomly this morning it all clicked - i think my mattress was sagging more due to the box spring being saggy and not the actual mattress, and i think that going with the platform bed is what i'm going to do and screw the box springs and just toss them. it makes sense that it provides more firmness on a platform, since they CAN'T sag, and if the wood beams did sag or broke, simply get new ones.

so i'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced BOTH of them and if they have noticed a difference between the two.

 

[IronWing]

Yes, we switched to a platform bed years ago and it is much better on the back.

 

[wirednuts]

have you thought of putting a piece of 3/4 plywood between your box spring and mattress? ive never done it, but always thought it would help cheap box springs...

 

[Jeffg010]

I'm not sure how box spring beds became the norm worst beds ever.

 

[Spungo]

I switched from box spring to wood planks because it was too much effort to move the box spring from the old apartment to the new apartment. I can't tell the difference between them. Mattress on the floor was the most comfortable. Try looking for a bed frame that has a solid wood bottom and not require a box spring or planks

 

[purbeast0]

have you thought of putting a piece of 3/4 plywood between your box spring and mattress? ive never done it, but always thought it would help cheap box springs...

i have heard of this as well, but chances are I'm just done with box springs. i would have to replace at least 1 of the box springs (king size beds use 2 box springs each covering 1/2 the bed).

 

[blackdogdeek]

functionally, i'm not sure i can tell the difference because we use a really thick thermapedic-style mattress topper. however, aesthetically, our platform bed looks much better in our bedroom with our low ceilings.

 

[IronWing]

have you thought of putting a piece of 3/4 plywood between your box spring and mattress? ive never done it, but always thought it would help cheap box springs...

I tried this. It works but a platform is better. If you go this route, tape the edges of the plywood to protect the matress.

Our first platform bed was a bunch of milk crates and a sheet of chip board. It worked but was a dust magnet.

 

[Capt Caveman]

have you thought of putting a piece of 3/4 plywood between your box spring and mattress? ive never done it, but always thought it would help cheap box springs...

My parents did this and say it made a huge difference. Essentially, they turned their box spring into a platform.

 

[MontyAC]

I used to have a platform bed. It was nice and firm and didn't make noise when you're bouncing around. ()

 

[actuarial]

i have heard of this as well, but chances are I'm just done with box springs. i would have to replace at least 1 of the box springs (king size beds use 2 box springs each covering 1/2 the bed).

I use plywood instead of boxsprings.

We got it because with a very tall mattress my wife we basically jumping into bed. It also looks nicer with the lower bed and more distance to the ceiling as mentioned above.

We'll probably be doing it for my daughter's first bed so that she's closer to the floor in case she falls.

 

[blackdogdeek]

I used to have a platform bed. It was nice and firm and didn't make noise when you're bouncing around. ()

doesn't help with headboards hitting walls though

 

[Rastus]

Switch sides with the wife. Only go over to her side to bang her. Sleep on the good side. Note: on a cold night, bang her on your side of the bed so you have a nice warm wet spot to sleep in.

 

[IronWing]

 

[roguerower]

I've never slept on a bed with a box spring for a prolonged period of time, only a platform bed. That said, I love my Ikea platform bed.

 

[nace186]

Love platform bed. Try rotate your mattress every month. That should help too.

 

[purbeast0]

I've never slept on a bed with a box spring for a prolonged period of time, only a platform bed. That said, I love my Ikea platform bed.

that is actually one we were looking at - a lower profile one from ikea. i am however kind of skeptical about the quality of their stuff in general (their dressers are definitely flimsy as are their tables) but the bed frame we were looking at seemed very sturdy and solid.

my typical test for ikea furniture is to try and wiggle it and see how flimsy/loose things are. it's very apparent on their dining room sets how wobbly and flimsy the tables are just by grabbing a corner and shaking it.

with dressers my test is to open the drawers and wiggle them back and forth. pretty much all of them are loose as hell.

the bed however, was very heavy and the wood was thick and seemed durable. we were going to buy it last night but it wouldn't fit in our car.

 

[Capt Caveman]

doesn't help with headboards hitting walls though

Never thought to have the bed a foot away from the wall?

 

[mvbighead]

Wife and I upgraded to a foundation and memory foam bed via Amazon. Much cheaper than Tempurpedic, and similar concept.

Platform:
http://www.amazon.com/DynastyMattres...+foam+platform

Mattress:
http://www.amazon.com/LinenSpa-Tripl...ds=lucid+linen

Wife normally has had back pain, and I have too. We both love the new bed, and, at $700 for the two pieces, it was easily worth the trial investment.

Actually, new headboard, frame, and all, came in under $1000 for a complete new california king bed.

 

[radhak]

At first they had cotton mattresses. These became lumpy and hard and misshapen.

Then they made inner-springs mattresses to retain shape and uniformity of the mattresses.

Then they said it had become too hard and inflexible again, so the box-spring was invented to distribute weight and act as a shock absorber.

And we live with that legacy today - following the mindless tradition of a mattress on box-spring, which is fairly okay in the beginning, but very soon produces back-ache where none need be.

The Platform bed is the best first-step you can take towards caring for your back. And it'd also give you more storage space!

But also, take a second look at your mattress too - the real cheap ones will have very fewer coils (inner-springs) made with inferior stuff, making a mess of your back; but that doesn't mean the mattress has to cost a fortune. My queen-size cost me $600 7 years ago, and I think I should be replacing it in a year or so. Consumer Search has some good advice.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I picked up a set of IKEA bed slats to go with a platform bed. The really nice thing about the bed is that it holds the mattress up high, leaving room for storage underneath. The bed has huge pull-out drawers that can easily hold extra clothes and bedding (our closet is very small).

 

[alkemyst]

Sounds like you guys are buying shitty mattresses. A mattress is either designed to be used with a box spring or a platform. There are also sprung platforms for those that don't want any extra height on a bed as well as half-height box springs (which I use since my wife is all of 5' tall and bending her over a taller bed would be ackward).

 

[agent00f]

I use plywood instead of boxsprings.

We got it because with a very tall mattress my wife we basically jumping into bed. It also looks nicer with the lower bed and more distance to the ceiling as mentioned above.

We'll probably be doing it for my daughter's first bed so that she's closer to the floor in case she falls.

I did this too. Just put the plywood right into the metal support frameworks, and sheets of varying density latex/memory foam on top.

Protip is to get good discards/leftover plywood at the HW store, because quality whole sheets are surprising pricey compared to a boxspring.

 

[sttubs]

That was a crap mattress if it only lasted 2 years. My king size got a good 15 years out of it, but now it is getting saggy. Maybe I can get a platform bed and give it some new life, or just get another mattress <that's what I should do.

 

[smackababy]

I'm not sure how box spring beds became the norm worst beds ever.

Because back in the day, mattresses were just a sack stuffed with hay or something similar and had zero support. You needed a box of springs to give it some kind of flex. It is a legacy of shit mattress design from like the turn of the century.