In a regular plush top mattress, all of the padding and upholstery layers are pulled down to one tape edge. In a pillow top mattress, additional layers are added and pulled down to a second tape edge. This top “floating” layer creates a softer feel by allowing the padding to contour to your body. mattresses are available as either a one-sided or two-sided mattress. Tip: A one-sided mattress only has padding on the top side and cannot be flipped over. A two-sided mattress, on the other hand, is padded equally on both sides and can be flipped to ensure long term comfort and durability. Our Classic mattresses and box springs offer good support and durability at an affordable price. The Classic EuroTop features a Bonnell innerspring system and real working modular box springs that provide support and shock absorption. The Classic EuroTop has pillow top padding on one side only and cannot be flipped. Our Regency Sapphire EuroTop mattress and box springs offer excellent support and durability, featuring an offset innerspring system and handles for ease of turning.
The real working box spring features an additional wood slat for extra support. The Regency Sapphire EuroTop has pillow top padding on one side only and cannot be flipped. Our Orthopedic mattresses and box springs offer superior comfort, support and durability. Each Orthopedic mattress features our best offset innerspring system, which is made exclusively for The Original Mattress Factory. Our Orthopedic mattresses also have a two-sided design, stitched cotton padding and handles for ease of turning. Our top of the line Orthopedic box springs feature four-fold torsion modules with additional wire, an additional wood slat and offer superior support and shock absorption.What we think of as modern-style mattresses date back to 1900. All were ‘flip’ or two-sided design, no matter what was packed inside as upholstery padding and/or ‘springing’. In regular use, body imprinting or impressions was found to be a normal function of all upholstered cushioning including mattresses as the padding is compressed.
For two-sided mattresses, maintaining uniform wear was accomplished by both flipping over and reversing the mattress several times a year. This helped to even-out and restore the mattress upholstery padding of the mattress by way of each flip cycle of its maintenance. Later, all the pocket spring and other innerspring mattress or foam mattress designs continued to be built as two sided, ‘flip’ mattresses. That remained the physical standard right up until the early 1990’s when ‘no-flip’ single-sided mattresses were introduced in North America by one major manufacturer. The no-flip design concept gradually was embraced by most manufacturers here and abroad, gradually becoming the dominant form of mattress making. Although the greatest percentage of mattress producers in North America make only no-flip mattresses, there are a few that either make both formats – flip and no flip; a very few produce ‘flip’ alone. Marshall Mattress produces both types and flip represents at least 80 percent of residential bedding it produces each year.
By nature, flip mattresses have the greatest ability to maintain uniform, even support and comfort. As both sides are equally- finished, there arises a moderating effect on the ‘mattress feel’, not quite duplicated by no-flip designs. Flipping and reversing the mattress surface offers the greatest amount of even, cushion-wear recovery (of normal body outline imprinting) as the minimum maintenance required restores the mattress sleep surface. Flip mattresses require some physical effort but the results ensure the greatest value in terms of mattress useful-life. No flip mattresses require less maintenance than flip types. None the less, more even wear is ensured by periodic rotation that reverses the mattress from end to end every few months or, 4 to 6 times per year. However body imprinting (or impressions) is an expected normal wear pattern for no-flip mattresses. The manufacturer describes this fact in its warranty, where it states the anticipated maximum allowable measured depression-wear that is standard for service under warranty.
Premium no-flip mattress designs, especially those made with higher grade Soy-foams, Soy Memory Foam and natural Latex are more resistant to non-recovering cushion wear and related impressions. This class of mattresses demonstrates heightened performance and useful life that is comparable to flip-style mattresses. The once significant difference is that a flip mattress by virtue of its two-sided design and maintenance regimen is more able to maintain a consistent sleep surface recovery than a no-flip mattress. In all cases described comfort and support benefits are rarely at risk in the types of flip and no flip products described whether they are Tight-Top, Pillow Top or Euro-Top in configuration (Marshall’s design is referred to as Comfort Top).When looking to buy a new mattress, people often ask how long a mattress will last. For many years, the mattress industry stated that the average life of a good mattress set was in the 8-10 year range. Now the industry and the Better Sleep Council recommend replacing your mattress every 5-7 years.
It is difficult to say what is the more accurate guideline because the life of a mattress is influenced by several factors: the quality of the materials used in the product, whether a mattress is padded on one side or two, the weight of the person(s) sleeping on the mattress, whether the person is a side/back/stomach sleeper, how much the person moves while sleeping, whether a box spring is used and the type of box spring (e.g. working modules or straight wire foundation). At The Original Mattress Factory, we primarily make two-sided mattresses, giving you the option to flip and help extend the comfort life of your mattress by sharing the wear over two sides versus concentrating the wear on only one side. We also use modules that bend and flex in our box springs to provide better shock absorption. These construction elements are designed to offer greater durability than what is commonly found in the marketplace today. Mattresses today can be constructed in a few different ways.
First of all, in terms of basic construction, they can either be one-sided or two-sided. A one-sided mattress only has padding on the top side and cannot be flipped over. A two-sided mattress, on the other hand, is padded equally on both sides and can be flipped to ensure maximum comfort and longevity. As far as the padding design is concerned, mattresses can have a tight top, pillow top or eurotop as depicted in the drawings below. In a traditional “tight top” mattress, the top upholstery layer is pulled down and attached to the mattress with one tape edge. In a pillow top or eurotop, the top upholstery layer is attached as a separate “floating” layer. The purpose of a box spring is to provide support and act as a shock absorber for the mattress. It should therefore have some “give” to it in order to adequately relieve pressure from the mattress. A poor box spring can be too soft, too firm or inconsistent in support. A good box spring will consist of base frame, insulator pad, fabric cover and shock absorbing support elements, as shown below:
There are four different types of support elements: Shock absorbing modules absorb pressure, reduce wire fatigue and side-to-side sway and increase durability. This design provides a good balance between shock absorption and stability. Shock absorbing cone-shaped coils deliver a softer feel than a modular style box spring and are typically used by hotels due to their ability to resist abuse. The design results in more side-to-side sway and motion than a modular box spring. Straight wire-welded cage offers zero deflection and was originally developed by manufacturers to compete against low cost wood platform foundations found in low end products. Today, this is used by most major manufacturers in products of all quality levels. Low cost, zero deflection platform that is typically comprised of a wooden box covered with cardboard and fabric. There are few different materials and techniques that may be used when constructing a box spring. These are defined below for your information.
Pad used to prevent the metal grid-work of a box spring or semi-flex foundation from poking through the fabric surface and possibly damaging the mattress. Refers to the method of sewing that provides an overlap of fabric material from the side of the box spring over the top edge, intended to create a more finished look to the product. This may also be used by the manufacturer to improve FR (Fire Retardant) performance of the box spring or mattress and box spring set. Refers to the method of sewing that attaches the top panel to the decorative side border material using a decorative binding tape on the edge. This is used to create a slightly more finished look when compared to the blind seam method since the tape edge is used as a guide to appropriately align the cover to the box spring / foundation. Refers to the method of sewing that attaches the top panel directly to the side border material. This is considered the most efficient way to sew a box spring cover, but does not provide as cleanly tailored a look as the Tape Edge or Continental Edge style covers.