Platform Beds in General

[Wayniackc]

Does anyone here own a platform bed and what are your experiences with it? The reason I ask is because when I look at the drawing of the bed Marc is working on, my first thought is that I am going to need shin guards to get in and out of it. It just seems like that wooden "lip" (for lack of a better term) sticking out past the mattress would be uncomfortable if you're trying to sit on the edge of the bed, and could get in the way when your climbing in/out. The other question is do you not use a box spring with the platform bed? Does it take a special kind of mattress?

Having said all that, let me just add that I don't mean to come across as critical of Marc's design and/or the client's taste in beds. Based on the pictures he's posted so far the bed and especially the headboard are beautiful. I'm just kind of curious about people's experience with them in everyday use.

[thewoodwhisperer]

Well not all platform beds feature the wide rails. But for the ones that do, there is clearly a shin issue. But if you really like the look it's probably something you overlook and learn to work around. You are correct in that there is no need for a box spring. The bed frame itself will have a support system so all that is needed is the mattress. And a regular mattress is all that is needed. Although I'm sure there are certain mattresses that make better candidates for a platform bed than others, but that's a little outside my wheelhouse.

You definitely aren't the first person to bring up the shin banging issue and it's a perfectly valid criticism. If the bed were mine, I might be concerned about it. But this client knows exactly what he wants and is fully aware of the drawbacks.

[Lifesaver2000]

If you go mattress shopping, you will find that some beds will have an actual box springs under them, that is part of the system. Others will have what they call a foundation, which if you look closely is just a framework with a solid top, and all it does is give the mattress a solid support surface. These latter types would probably be better candidates for a platform bed.

Some mattress store sales people will tell you that the mattress warranty is void if you don't purchase both pieces together of either type. At better places they will tell you that if you ever have a problem with the "foundation" type mattress, and you can prove that the bed provided appropriate support then they will still honor the warranty.

My next project is a bed that will have a mattress only, so I've been checking on this stuff for a while and that is what I have found in my area.

[CessnaPilotBarry]

I've built two king sized platform beds for others...

As for the shins, I can see that being an issue with wide rails, but you can always make them smaller and tuck them in. Both that I built had 9" wide maple rails that overhung the drawer base and mattress a good 6" all around. I didn't get any complaints, but in both cases, the end user chose the design.

As for box springs... Both beds were built to not require a box spring. I still see both beds 10-11 years later. One used a standard mattress from a local dealer, without a box spring, with no complaints or apparent issues, and no pressure from the mattress dealer.

The other used a high-pressure Tempurpedic dealer who insisted he MUST use a foundation, even on a platform. For $500 extra, of course. His ridiculously high mattress stack covers all but about 6" of an incredibly beautiful birdseye maple headboard. The second didn't bother to check with Tempurpedic directly, or other dealers.

So... along Lifesaver's tip... Shop around for the mattress.

[Steve Lyde]

Some friends of mine have a platform bead they purchased from a local "modern" furniture dealer. Their bed also has the wide shin getters but I guess they like it. It doesn't look nearly as nice as what Marc has built and is made from painted mdf and they paid $5000 for it.

[Lifesaver2000]

Thought I would post a follow up to the discussion here on mattresses.

 

I completed my bed a few months ago, and decided to purchase a Simmons Beautyrest mattress.  Even though some dealers would tell me that the warranty on the mattress would be honored without the purchase of a foundation, I found that the Simmons was the only one whose written warranty specifically allowed use of a platform bed with no box springs or foundation, as long is it met certain criteria.  I checked the written warranties on Sealy, Serta, and a few other traditional mattress brands, and they all REQUIRED the use of a new foundation unit for the warranty to be valid.

 

Since the price on the Simmons was as good or better than any of the others, and the reviews were also, I decided not to take a chance and purchased the Simmons.  Very glad I did too.  Been sleeping better the last few months than I had in a long time.