Advice wanted on buying new bed,Please

maria340

At last we have decided to buy a new bed as ours is very old and uncomfortable.
I'm looking for a Kingsize divan with mattress and end drawers but there is a massive difference in price.
It's going to have to last many years so it has to be half decent.
I'ld like to know if there is a big difference between a platform or sprung base (beside the price)?
Husband says he wants a firm mattress as he gets back problems. so would a platform base be better idea?

What should I look for in a mattress?

Is there such a thing as a mattress with a removable/washable top layer?

Could anyone recommend a good bed make or a good seller?

I've had a bit of a look online and prices vary so much!
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

bagpuss_fan

Is there something wrong with your old base? why don't you just get a new mattress?

After many years of feeling like "the princess and the pea" and having springs sticking in me through two duvets under my bottom sheet we got a new mattress, and it's excellent. It's a Relyon foam mattress (not memory foam, just foam). It cost £299 and was worth every penny! It's not very deep, but doesn't need to be it's firm but also very comfy! We've had it for 3 years now and it feels exactly the same as when we bought it.

My son actually managed to break his bed the day before yesterday (he's always wanted a memory foam mattress). I went to the local bed shop and bought him a "continental" memory foam matress which is half spring and half foam ontop.

It was £250 for a double, and the shop had loads of "odd" bases which we could choose from. We got one that almost matched (although it didn't need to coz it's covered with a sheet!). The prices on the bases depended on whether they had draws but started from £80 for one without. I even managed to get another £20 off for "paying in cash"!!! - money saving madness will be in the dictionary next year!

For washable covers, I've got "mattress protectors" on all my beds, they're just cheap cotton quilted ones (primark etc), but do their job well.

Bet you can't wait to wake up NOT feeling like you've been hit by a train!

Make sure you take your man to the bed shop and lie on them all. x

bcl999

Bed opinions are very subjective - what one person thinks is wonderful, the next thinks it's not. For what it's worth, I like a firmish bed too. I bought a Millbrook bed 10 years ago from Bensons, pocket mattress and sprung base with 4 drawers, and it's been great. I really have never slept on a more comfortable bed.

edwara

I agree it is a personal thing which bed you like best but a couple of things I was told when bed hunting by my osteopath

If you are a hot person at night do not go for memory foam apparently is retains heat or something.

If buying a sprung matteress go for as many springs as you can afford.

We just bought a new bed and it is the best nights sleep we have had. It is so comfy. Went for sprung can't rememebr make but got the most springs we could afford.

Happy hunting

maria340

Thanks for your comments.

I would just get a mattress but our base has had it really. Extra storage will be handy.

So, basicaly, I'll get what I pay for with a mattress and could save money on the base.

I'm just making sure I do my home work as a friend once said to me
'most people spend more time choosing what to have for dinner, than they do a bed they are going to sleep on for the next 10 years.'
I dare say she's right.

Tim_Deegan

As a few people have said, the right bed for you is a very personal choice, although it has to be a compromise between you and your hubby.

One reason for the huge difference in prices is the huge mark ups that many retailers put on beds (I've seen 500% mark up in the past).

We often get asked what is the difference between a sprung edge base and a platform top base. Well there are actually three main types of divan base including a 'firm edge' base, but these aren't as common as the other two:
Platform Top Divan Base
The base has a hard top. This type of base is the cheapest, and will give a firmer feel than the other types of divan base.


Sprung Edge Divan Base
This type of base has a layer of springs on top of the base that go right to the edge giving the base a softer, more sumptuous feel.


Firm Edge Divan Base
This type of base is more expensive to produce than the other two types, so some manufacturers will charge more for this option. This base gives a similar feel to the sprung edge base whilst providing extra support around the edge of the mattress. This type of base is ideal for people who are prone to rolling out of bed.


A sprung base can increase the life of you mattress, but as long as you look after it then it shouldn't make a great deal of difference.


Your hubby says his wants a firm mattress because of back problems......well the advice used to be to go for a firm mattress if it was open coil sprung. However with pocket sprung mattresses you should go for what you find most comfortable because the springs will contour to your body and give your spine the support it needs.

There are a couple of reasons that some people say that memory foam makes you too hot:
a) some manufacturers use very deep layers of memory foam, and tell people that the deeper the foam the better. The truth is that the optimum thickness for memory foam is 2" to 2 1/2". Less than this and it won't be enough to contour to your body. If the foam is too deep, then you will sink into it, and it will wrap around you making you too hot.
b)mattresses with Reflex foam and memory foam don't allow air to circulate under the memory foam to remove the heat. This obviously isn't an issue with pocket sprung and memory foam mattresses. Memory foam does actually absorb heat from your body which then reacts with it to soften it. So as long as the heat can then disperse there is no problem.
Personally I find that I sweat less with my memory foam mattress than I did with my previous one.

Memory foam is not suitable for people who like a soft mattress, as it must be high density to work properly.

Instead of a removable cover for your mattress, you would be better off with a mattress protector. Then if it becomes worn you can just replace it.

Tim_Deegan

Sorry, I forgot to mention the pocket springs:

You wouldn't believe the sales hype that some reps give in bed shops. One of the things that they will try and tell you is 'the more pocket springs in a mattress the better'. Well to be honest this isn't true.
800 springs in a king size mattress is enough to do what pocket springs are designed to do. If a mattress has too many springs (I have seen 3000 in a king size mattress), then the springs have to be made so small and weak that they can easily be damaged.

maria340

I had come to the conclusion that I wanted a platform base 2 drawers+2 half drawers with pocket sprung (8/900 spring) mattress.

Excellent, Thanks Tim, Just what I was after (in a nut shell)!

Now the hunts on for a bargain...

Tim_Deegan

maria340 wrote: »

I had come to the conclusion that I wanted a platform base 2 drawers+2 half drawers with pocket sprung (8/900 spring) mattress.

Excellent, Thanks Tim, Just what I was after (in a nut shell)!

Now the hunts on for a bargain...

The half drawers are called continental drawers. They usually cost a little more than standard drawers, but don't pay more than £30 extra.

mjgiorgianni

Have You Tried To Google It For Reviews?

Tim_Deegan

mjgiorgianni wrote: »

Have You Tried To Google It For Reviews?

You need to know the name of it to find reviews. Unfortunately I can't advise on actual models because I sell beds, and it would be viewed as advertising.