Sprung base like a marshmallow with no support
Hi,
Firstly, thank you for the informative aspect of your website, and it has been very helpful.
I have a dilemma, and for the past 10 years I have successfully slept on a solid slated Kingsize bed with a Hypnos Regular sprung mattress. Having completed a re-design of my bedroom, I purchased a new fabric bedstead from DFS with a sprung slated base, and clearly for me it was like sleeping on a marshmellow with little support and sagging to the middle of the bed.
I visited your website and took the knowledge to invest in plywoood panels to rectify the issue of the sprung slated bed, and I took the photo (T shape board) above to the timber merchant with a request to supply 6mm plywood – is this the same as MDF to place the T-Board on the sprung slated base. i.e is MDF more rigid compared to plywood?
I still can’t sleep and feel the firmess has only slightly improved, but nothing to what my solid slates offered, with a good night’s sleep, and now I am waking up with backache which is affecting my neck and alignment of my whole posture; I weigh 11 stone.
What do you advise, and do I need to cover the entire 5ft sprung slated frame with plywood or MDF, and possibly increase the size from 6mm to 9mm, which another blogger has mentioned?
Sleep deprivation is no fun, and soon I will be visiting the physio if I can’t rectify the bed situation. I welcome your advice on how I can rectify to gain better firmness of the sprung slated base.
You mention a possible change of the sprung slated base and to install rigid slates and a base board, and where would you gain such a service to achieve this design?
Regards,
Tracey
Hi Tracey,
We would recommend that any covering of the slatted base should be over the entire area providing a uniform surface upon which the mattress can sit.
MDF or plywood, there is little difference in firmness, although the thicker, the firmer, but we say generally 3-5 mm is adequate.
Additionally, all mattresses will soften over time and although you have slept well on it for 10 years, it may just be that it has reached the end of it’s life.
For your body weight, I would never recommend a firm tension and despite the folklore of if you have a mattress-for-a-bad-back/” title=”bad back”>bad back buy a firm mattress, this has proved in recent times to be incorrect as this can cause more problems than it can solve.
| Bodyweight | Spring tension |
|---|---|
| Upto 16 Stone / 50-101kg | Medium (1.4mm) |
| 16 Stone / 101kg Upwards | Firm (1.6mm) |
| Available in Bespoke Products (Please Call) | Soft (1.2mm) |
As far as the replacement of sprung slats with solid ones are concerned, have you enquired of DFS to see if they can supply solid slats to fit your current base or point you in the right direction?
I hope that this helps, If you require any further assistance please call the office on 0161 437 4419.
Kind Regards Gary
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