Mattress Forum

The SmartBase steel foundation will replace the rails and slats of the bed as well as the box spring. I'm concerned about the height because my Mom's current mattress is about 8" thick and the "box spring" (it's actually just more foam) is about 8" thick and 8" off the floor. That makes 24". The SmartBase is 14" high and the Flobeds mattress is 11.25" high. So you're right, it's not a big difference for getting in and out of the bed. But it may look a bit odd when combined with my Mom's headboard/bookcase, especially if I would want to add a topper, if the level tops the bottom of the bookcase. It's not a deal killer, just something to take into account. I'm going to have to put everything together by myself and it'll have to earn my Mom's approval .

More of a concern is getting Talalay when what I wanted was Dunlop, and getting the best configuration for my Mom. If I can indeed get split cores for a Full/Std that's a huge plus. Neither SleepEz nor Savvy Rest, the other two mattresses I've looked at, offer split cores for anything less than a Queen. Throw in the $200 off sale price and the much-praised customer service /return policy and I can overlook the fact that I can't get Dunlop from Flobeds. (Especially if I feel there might be room for a Dunlop or some other topper)

I would want the combination of split cores that would offer the most/best permutations of softnesses. I'll probably talk it over with Flobeds vaunted customer service, but I was interested in getting feedback from the forum. For example, although my Mom wants a soft bed, if I should try to work in a firm layer for one side of the bed. Maybe (soft | medium) with (soft | firm) instead of (soft | soft) with (soft | medium).

And how does an exchange work? For example, if I can take a layer back to a UPS store, approximately what would it cost for an exchange?

Philly888

I called Flobeds and spoke to a very nice guy named Mike. I wasn't planning on ordering right away - thought I'd wait until Monday - but in the end I did order the Flobeds Posture Zone-on-Point Talalay Latex Mattress in Std/Full. The fact that it has the split cores and the SleepEz and Savvy Rest do not clinched it for me. For my 105 lb Mom (soft | medium) on both sides was recommended. I could configure a side to (soft | soft) or (medium | soft) or even (medium | medium) if I wanted to. Plus, there's the floating zone-on-point layer and the generous exchange & return policy for added flexibility/insurance.

My fingers are crossed that my Mom will like this bed. In favor of her liking it is that she has never slept on an inner spring mattress, so she has no nostalgia nor preference for inner spring. Also, if she can be relatively happy sleeping on a 30-year-old PU foam mattress, she's probably not especially picky. But of course it will be a change, and my Mom at age 80 doesn't like change, so that worries me. Which is why I wanted multiple configuration and exchange options and even the option to return it. On those things Flobeds is superior to every other latex mattress maker I've looked at.

Philly888

Thanks for all your help, Lynn2006; your experiences were a guiding factor in my decision-making.

Now I'll just have to wait about 10 days for the mattress to arrive, and hope the Full/Std Smart Base steel foundation gets here by then too. You wouldn't believe how much trouble I've had trying to get that. Simply Beds had a great price, but then told me they were out and the projected restocking date was November 6th! They were happy to charge my credit card right away, though. I cancelled that order, of course. Everythingfurniture via Amazon looked like they had it, but when I went on their site they had it listed as out of stock until June, and now the Amazon link to that seller is removed. Then I emailed a place named Bed2floor, and was told that their supplier had seen the steel prices rise 40% and was no longer stocking it. Finally I managed to order an older model from an outlet store, but I have yet to receive a shipping confirmation. So I could end up with a mattress with no foundation. Perhaps I should have given up on steel and looked for an inexpensive wood foundation.

If everything goes as planned, sometime during the second week in April I'll actually have a new mattress/foundation for my Mom. Then it'll be a matter of seeing how she likes the Flobeds mattress. I've already told her that it might feel strange at first and take some getting used to. But she's starting to get excited by the prospect of getting her first new mattress in 28 years. And even that mattress wasn't really *new* - my sister bought it and used it for 3 years before she moved to Nevada and gave it to my Mom. I've asked my Mom when was the last time she slept on a brand new mattress - 40 years? 50 years? - and she can't remember!

Philly888

First, shipping. I ordered the mattress by telephone on a Saturday, and the mattress arrived Fedex about 9 days later on a Monday. So only 5 business days from CA to PA. Not bad at all. I was impressed by how fast my order was processed and shipped. The Full/Std mattress arrived in two boxes. Both were in excellent shape, well-taped, and had green stickers saying what was in each. The total shipping weight was about 85 lbs. One box was relatively light; one was heavy and I used a dolly to move it from living room to bedroom.

Second, unpacking. When I opened the first box, the first thing I lifted out looked like a very large latex pillow double-wrapped in thick plastic. Except it weighed about 12 lbs. Turns out it was a vacuum-packed piece of latex. Since the layers are split that means I was sent seven of these latex "pillows", the seventh being the soft convoluted egg-crate layer that is half as thick as the other layers but is not split. For my 105 lb Mom what was recommended by Flobeds' online "Comfort Advisor" was (Zone | Soft | Medium), so the other six "pillows' were two each of those. I should explain that the Zone is really just another layer of Soft but it includes a 12"-14" zone of Medium in the area where your ribcage rests. Thus your pointy and heavier hips and elbows/shoulders sink into the soft part while your ribcage is held up by the (medium) zone, keeping your spine in alignment. At least I think that's the theory. Also in the boxes was a set of instructions (available online in PDF at http://www.flobeds.com/pdf/LatexOwnersInstructions.pdf) and the mattress case. Oh yeah, and a real latex pillow and set of 300 TC DreamFit sheets I ordered too.

Third, putting it together. The first thing you do is put the empty mattress case on the foundation. (I had previously bought a SmartBase steel foundation). I had read some negative comments about the mattress cases some people had received from other sellers, e.g., that the case was hard and had a plastic feeling. The case from Flobeds couldn't be any more different. It is extremely soft, so soft one could almost sleep directly on the mattress case. The top of the mattress case zips completely off. I did that, laid the rest of the case on the foundation, and pulled its sides down as instructed. That is, one practically pulls the case inside-out so that one can simply lay the latex pieces on a flat surface. The next step is laying the latex. I started with one of the vacuum-packed "pillows" of Medium. It's way cool when you open them - it's like you've pulled the handle on an inflatable life raft. I got my first good look at the Talalay latex. It's beautiful looking, no discoloration or crumbling, and so soft. I couldn't resist squeezing it and thinking of that old "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" commercial. Laying down layers went very quickly. I made both sides (Zone | Soft | Medium), put the convoluted layer on top, then pulled the sides of the mattress case up and zipped its top back on, being careful to push in the flap that protects the latex from the zipper. Voila, instant mattress. Then I put my Mom's Martha Stewart mattress cover on the mattress case to protect it, followed by the sheets and spread. Getting the oversized sheets and the damn dust ruffle on correctly was actually harder than putting the mattress together. Done! Took about 30 minutes.

Fourth, impressions. After the first night my Mom said she thought the mattress was too soft. So I switched the layers around from (Zone | Soft | Medium) to (Medium | Zone | Soft). Big difference. My Mom slept on this configuration for 2-3 weeks without complaint. But I pressed her for her impressions. She hinted that maybe it was still just a little too soft. So I made one side of the bed as firm as could be with the layers I had: (Medium | Medium | Zone). Whoops, too firm. So I switched to (Zone | Medium | Medium). Just right! For the past month my Mom has been sleeping on that configuration w/o any complaints. However, I was bothered by the fact that this leaves the other side of the bed as (Zone | Soft | Soft) - essentially all soft. So I decided to take advantage of Flobeds much-praised layer exchange policy. This past Monday I called, explained the situation, and asked for one piece of Firm. My thinking was that instead of getting two more pieces of Medium to make the whole bed (Zone | Medium | Medium) I'd make the other side (Zone | Soft | Firm). But I was advised to exchange both pieces of Soft for two pieces of Firm. I could then make the entire bed (Zone | Medium | Firm). This is supposed to be only 7% firmer than what my Mom is sleeping on now. Plus, it gives more/better configuration options if heavier relatives come to visit and are given this bed to sleep in.

Final words (for now). I'll start by explaining the way the Flobeds layer exchange works. They'll send the two pieces of Firm and charge $100 security deposit for each piece plus $35, for a total of $235. Included with the two pieces of Firm is a prepaid shipping label in the amount of $35. To pack the two pieces of Soft I'll use a vaccum cleaner and the plastic they came in to vacuum pack them myself. Then I'll use the box and the prepaid shipping label to send the Soft back. When Flobeds gets it they'll credit me the $200 security. Thus the cost for the exchange of two latex pieces is $35. (This mattress is a Full - the cost for other sizes may vary). So it's not free but still much easier and cheaper than what other sellers offer. Also, the 90-day layer exchange period and the option to return the entire mattress are better than what other sellers offer. Both were very important factors in my decision to go with Flobeds. We'll have to see how this process works out (I'm waiting for the Firm to arrive) and what my Mom thinks of the new configuration. The most important thing is that my Mom is sleeping comfortably. She never wakes up with knee or hip pain like she did on her old mattress. I give Flobeds mattresses a big thumbs up.

Philly888

How does you mother like the latex pillow and sheets?

Please keep us updated.

I was not planning on buying any sheets, because I was already over-budget, but I was a little worried that my Mom's old sheets wouldn't fit this Flobeds mattress, which would have meant having to run out and buy new sheets on the day I got the mattress. Also, I wanted my Mom to have maximum comfort on her new mattress, and her old sheets are cheap percale or something like that, bought in the days before anyone had ever heard of "thread counts". She might have even gotten the sheets free from a bank or been given them by a relative. Who knows? She couldn't remember buying them. I had read a positive review of the 300TC DreamFit sheets at http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/be-df-sheets.html?id=3 that said they come out of the dryer less wrinkled than most other high thread count sheets, and that after trying a high TC set of sheets most people never want to go back to their old sheets. Lastly, Flobeds offered to throw in the soft standard size latex pillow if I bought the sheets with the mattress. That did it for me.

My Mom loves the sheets. She was worried they might be too satiny, a feel she doesn't like, but these DreamFit sheets have just the right feel - soft and cool but cottony and not like satin. Our only complaint is that they're too generous with the size. The deep pockets of the elastic fitted bottom sheet have to go way under the heavy latex mattress, and that's too hard for my Mom to do. Also, the top sheet is so long that the bottom hangs all the way to the floor, so again there's a lot of material to tuck under the heavy latex mattress. Fortunately she has me to change the sheets for her. It turns out, btw, that her old sheets would fit this 11.25" thick mattress just fine, but so long as she doesn't have to put the DreamFit sheets on the bed herself, she much prefers these high quality sheets. (Next, I'll have to buy her a good new set of flannel sheets for winter. She has a cold bedroom and loves flannel sheets).

The soft latex pillow is super super soft. My Mom decided she prefers her memory foam pillows from QVC and gave it to me. A bit too soft for me, but perfect for cushioniing my left hip when I'm watching TV.

Philly888

My sheets fit my bed perfectly and are not too short or too long since I have a Queen Bed and three layers with a topper.

I also love flannel sheets in the winter time.  Thanks for posting the update.