Individual comfort is key when deciding the right size mattress. Let us help you discover the many other factors that contribute to finding the perfect mattress to fit your room and your comfort needs. This is the most common size found in children's rooms, and is used on daybeds, trundle units and hideaways. The width of a twin mattress (39") is the minimal amount of space needed for a single person to lie comfortably each night. Full size beds are 15" wider than Twin beds and 5" shorter than a Queen bed. This size is a good option for a guest room or as a child's step-up mattress. Currently the dominant size bed in America, Queen Beds are 6" wider (and 5" longer) than a Full size bed. These added inches can make all the difference in comfort, but each adult still has 9" less than the width of a standard Twin bed. However, it's a good choice for guest rooms and smaller master bedrooms. Can use standard pillows or the slightly larger queen size pillows. Approx. width per person: 30" Learn More.
King beds are growing in popularity. King is about 16" wider than a Queen bed. Both are about 80" long. The Eastern King is the only bed to give each person the same width as a Twin bed. In fact you can push 2 Extra-Long Twin beds together to be the same size as an Eastern King. This is a good way to have a versatile guest room (use 2 twins separately or push together to make a king bed for couples). An Eastern King bed comes with one mattress and two half-width boxsprings to be more manageable when moving. Approx. width per person: 38" Learn More Twin XL, or extra long, is the most common mattress size found in college dorms. The additional 5" in length (compared to a twin sized mattress) accommodates taller sleepers. Twin XL mattresses fit comfortably in smaller rooms because they take up minimal space. California King is 12" wider than a Queen bed but adds 4" in length. This may be a better choice for taller adults. This size is sometimes known as the "Western King". Bedding may be labeled either "California King" or "Western King".
A California King bed set comes with one mattress and two half-width boxsprings to be more manageable when moving. Approx. width per person: 36" Learn More There are so many ways to stay supported, and the right foundation is the best way to keep your mattress in great shape for years to come. The foundation is the ying to the mattress’s yang. They just work better together. Find the foundation that best matches your mattress and your space needs. The standard profile box is the most common height for a foundation. 4 1/2" x 5 1/2"Approx. width per person: 36" Foundation consisting of two different boxsprings. Can be standard or low profile height. All king−size mattresses require split boxsprings for easier maneuverability. In these cases, two twin boxsprings are used. If you are moving a queen−sized mattress into a small living space, you may also require a split foundation ("custom queen").Must have center support in King and Queen sizes.Lowers height of mattress so as not to cover a low−sitting headboard.
Also makes it easier to get in and out of the bed. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FOUNDATION/BOXSPRING It is strongly recommended that you purchase a boxspring/foundation that is specially designed to match your new mattress. A mattress and foundation are engineered to work together as a set, and the foundation takes a lot of the nightly wear and tear, and contributes to the bed's overall comfort and support. Putting a new mattress on an old foundation, pairing it with a foundation it wasn't designed to work with, or adding a board between the mattress and foundation will impede comfort and reduce the useful life of your new mattress. It may also affect the manufacturer's warranty. WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED A SPLIT BOXSPRING Split boxes are foundations made up of two (2) separate boxsprings placed side-by-side, and are especially for delivery to places where a normal whole boxspring will not fit, such as through tight doorways, staircase or around narrow corners. All King size mattresses use Split boxsprings.
Queen size boxsprings are available in two (2) types: Whole and Split boxsprings. Split Queen boxsprings are two 30 inch X 80 inch boxes that equal the size of one (1) whole Queen. If you think you will require a Split boxspring, you should make sure to order your Queen mattress with a Split boxspring. This can be found in the size selection under (Split Queen Set) or (Custom Queen). Only order split boxes if necessary, since they cost more than a 1 piece box. ADJUST YOUR WAY TO COMFORT Whether you're watching a movie or responding to work e-mails, and adjustable base transforms your mattress so you can work, relax and play. If sinus pressure, back pain or a snoring partner is keeping you awake, simply adjust your bed with the wireless remote control. Based on your preference, you can raise or lower the base for premium lumbar support, or relax even deeper with a massage feature for your head and lower body. IF YOU HAVE A PLATFORM BED... Platform beds are a very popular style of bed today.
They are frames, typically with a solid platform or wooden slats across it for the mattress to rest on. They are relatively low to the ground, and do not require a boxspring/foundation. Because of the popularity of platform beds, more people are making mattress-only purchases than ever before. After my post about mattress shopping the other day, Garrison contacted me. “My home just flooded and due to renters insurance I was thrown into the market for a new mattress,” he said. “I called up my long-time best friend whose entire family is in the mattress business. I used his advice in my purchase and I’ve been completely satisfied.” Here’s what Garrison’s friend, Justin, had to say. I’ve written a lot here to help you buy a mattress. Once I started thinking about this, all sorts of information came back to me. Here are a few things to keep in mind: Make sure there is at least a 30-day trial period.
This is a deal-breaker and you should absolutely not purchase a bed without this guaranty, no matter what else they are offering. Most beds take 4-6 weeks of sleep to really break in and feel how they are going to feel long-term. Don’t give up on a bed after a few bad nights right away. Your body will have to adjust to the new bed. You should only use a bed about 10 years. Don’t pay more for a bed just because it has a warranty longer than that. The one exception would be a Tempurpedic-brand bed. Those come with long warranties and should last longer than 10 years. Remember that if you need to get rid of your old bed, a lot of places will do that for you if you have your new bed delivered.For a decent king size, you’ll spend anywhere from $1,200 to $4,000, depending on what you are willing to pay for. Realistically, I’d recommend closer to $2,000 than $1,000, especially for a king size. King sizes typically run about $300 higher than queens. Keep in mind that over 10 years a $2,000 bed is only like $15 per month, and you spend 1/3 of your life in bed, so it is probably the best “value” of anything you purchase.
You get what you pay for when it comes to mattresses. Ask for a “low-profile” box spring. They will make the bed 6 inches lower to the ground than a regular box spring and should be the same price. You usually have to specifically request that sort of thing. You might have to wait a few extra days to get the bed then. Remember that you will need a new bed frame for a king size bed. A frame is going to run about $50 at the low end, to $100 at the high end. I’ve never heard of a frame breaking, so I don’t know why you would need a high-end frame. The salespeople get bonus commissions on those though, so they will try to sell you one if they have them. They’re also going to try selling you a “mattress protector” or “mattress pad.” If it is a cushioned pad, then don’t bother; you are getting a new bed so why in the world would you need a pad for it, right? But, if it is a waterproof style that comes with a stain warranty for the bed, then it is worth thinking about.
We used to sell mattress protectors that cost $80, and they had a 10-warranty that if the bed stained through the mattress protector, they would give you the purchase value of the bed so you could get a new one. The reason this is important is because if the bed gets stained or ripped, you will lose the 10-year warranty and will lose the 30/60/90 day trial period. They won’t take back a stained or ripped bed. Also, you can take the protectors off and wash them and they prevent mold from forming inside the bed and get keep the bed fresher overall. They really are a good buy. Here are the brands to focus on: If you venture outside these brands, you are taking a chance. In my opinion these are the best four, and are considerably better than the alternatives. Serta is popular at the lower price points, but I don’t think they’re really worth their price, from a value perspective, especially at higher price ranges. Simmons and Sealy are better options at the upper ranges.
The most important thing is that you lay on the bed for a couple minutes in the store the same way you would lay on it at home. If you don’t like it in the store, you won’t like it at home (you wouldn’t believe how many people think they will like a bed better at home even though they don’t like it in the store). If at least one of you spends a lot of time sleeping on your side, if you go with an innerspring mattress I recommend a Simmons Beautyrest. The coils are uniquely designed and are great for side-sleepers because they are “individual pocketed” rather than all connected together like on most beds. Also, if either of you move around a lot and disturb the other person, the Simmons Beautyrest will cut down on that disturbance some. Second choice would be a a Sealy Posturepedic, which is what I have. It is a brand more designed for back-sleepers, but they make great beds. On the other hand, if you are willing to try something new, Tempurpedic or Stearns & Foster are great brands.
They aren’t innerspring though. [Note: The author says that Stearns & Foster does offer innerspring mattresses now.] Tempurpedic is made from visco memory foam, and Stearns & Foster is made from latex foam; no springs in either one. People either love them or hate them. They are very unique. They are fairly firm, but I know plenty of people who prefer soft beds who absolutely love these even though they are firm. Plus, you won’t feel the other person moving around on the bed at all. The Tempurpedic is the bed that has the infomercials where a person jumps up and down on the bed and the glass of wine doesn’t spill that is sitting on the bed. If either of you get hot during the night, then you will want “natural fibers,” like wool, silk, etc. Polyester is bad if you get hot. But, if you spend over a $1000, then all the beds at that price range are probably natural fibers. Dealing with a salesperson If the salesperson is any good, he will actually be your best resource.
Mattress salespeople are pretty good at finding the best fit for customers — if you are willing to answer their questions. If you return the bed they lose the commission, so they do want to find the best fit for you. They might try getting you to spend some extra, but if you stay firm to your price max then they won’t push it because they are all so desperate right now that they won’t want to make you leave. The more information you give them, the more they’ll be able to help. The worst thing that can happen is that you spend a few extra bucks and get an even better bed. If the salesperson starts talking about “coil counts,” they either don’t know what they are doing or are just trying to sell you on the bed. Coil counts don’t matter unless that is the only difference between two beds. The coil type and steel gauge are much more important. If you are looking at an innerspring mattress, ask whether the bed has any kind of “edge support.” The edge where you get out of bed is the first place that will break down, so the mattress should either have some type of heavier steel gauge for the coils or some sort of heavier foam around the edge.
The salesperson might want to do a “comfort test” with you by laying you down on two or three beds as soon as you get in the door, and the price might be really high on those couple beds. Go ahead and do it. It is just going to help him and you narrow down the options by eliminating a bunch of beds based on their firmness/softness levels. Here’s some advice about specific stores: If a store is willing to negotiate mattress prices, then they are overpriced, so make sure you get them down a considerable amount. Mattress manufactures contractually set minimum prices that they allow retailers to sell their mattresses at, so they either have to price them at that minimum or overprice them and negotiate. Most of the larger chains just price them at the minimum right away. Update: The author of this e-mail/article provided some follow-up in the comments below. J.D.’s note: I know it’s strange to post on the same topic twice in three days. But after I mentioned this e-mail in the comments of our previous discussion, I received many requests to share the information.