I've been in the mattress industry about 5 years now, and the #1 question I hear from folks is 'What type of foundation should I use with your memory foam mattresses? Now, as most of you know, a foundation is basically the support base or support mechanism that sits underneath a mattress.

There are two basic types of support bases for mattresses in the mattress world today, box springs and foundations. Box springs are, for the most part, a combination of wood and steel springs that act like shock absorbers for a traditional innerspring mattress. Foundations are a more solid structure, for use with memory foam or latex mattresses, and are typically a solid wood top or wood slatted system with a cover Now, older box springs, typically ones that are over 10 years old, have too much give with their spring systems, and are not a good support base for memory foam mattresses. If you have an existing box spring, and is less than 10 years old, and still in good shape, test the box spring by pushing against the springs in several spots, to make sure the entire box spring has the same consistency in feel, and if it’s rigid and firm, with an inch or less of give, then it should be OK to use with our mattresses or any memory foam mattress. If not, then you’re going to have to purchase a foundation. Typical foundations on the market today, come with a nice zippered cover, and a solid, wood top or even tacked cardboard. They are ideal for memory foam mattresses, because they provide a solid, uniform bottom for the foam cores of these mattresses.

Wood slat foundations are great for memory foam mattresses too, as long as the slats are close enough together.  We like to see the slats no more than 3” apart or less, (preferably 2” apart), so you’ll need to measure or make sure with a retailer that the slats are close enough together to support a memory foam mattress.  Otherwise, you’ll need to put a ½” to ¾” cut plywood or pressboard over the slats to create that solid, uniform bottom (these boards will typically be in two cuts that you’ll butt together, the bigger the mattress you have).