Mattress Forum

The slatted base has 42 slats.  Of those slats, 15 have double slats.  When the two slats are adjusted to be held tightly together, they are firmer.  When you adjust the slider so that the slats are apart, it's softer.  I can't say if the foundation will make the mattress itself firmer.  However, the IKEA base is more firm than the Costco base.  So, by changing the base I did adjust the firmness of the overall combination.  The firmest possible would be to put the mattress on a concrete floor, but that's not really good for the mattress.  But, doing that would tell you how firm the mattress itself is, I guess.

Hi Thanks so much.

I am technically challenged.

How hard is it to put the IKEA bed together?

and what about the slats? How do you put them together and how do you attach them to the bed if they do not come already attached to the bed.

Thanks.

calliaz, how sturdy is that slatted base? Does it look like the slats might fall out of the rubber holders any time soon? Also, how does it fit onto the frame you got? Is your frame just a frame or does it include a wood foundation? What I'm looking to find out is if the slats could just sit on top of the foundation I already have.

Roy,

It's not mentally difficult, just time-consuming.  First, you build the frame.  It's just the four sides with a metal rail you screw into pre-drilled holes.  You also have to put on some tension rods and 2 brackets to hold the center bar. That part took no more than 45 minutes. Then, you open the foundation box and get to work. First, you screw together 4 pieces (king is like making 2 twins, so you do everything twice). This makes a big rectangle.  Then you have to insert these rubber holders all along each side. Next, you have to take each of the slats (84 for the King) and thread it through a fabric ribbon.  Then you have to put the ends into the rubber holders on each side.  Some of the slats are actually doubles held together with slider clips. Once you have the foundation together, it just sits inside the frame on those metal rails.  For the king, you have to screw on two additional support pieces that hold the two pieces of foundation together.  The foundation took about 2 hours. It didn't require special tools or a lot of thought, just time.

Cynical,

I think it is very sturdy.  You really have to push to get the slats in and most of it is held together with tension.  I don't foresee any of them coming out. The slats themselves are strong birch. The foundation, when assembled, is like a unit.  The slats and everything are attached to it's own frame.  So, you could likely set it in any frame that has rails.  I am not sure about setting it on a solid surface.  The salesman seemed to indicate that would not be wise, but since we weren't planning to do it, I didn't ask.  The foundation sits on rails set along all the frame sides and the center rail that came with the frame (king).

Too much trouble. Don't want it.

Also, I'm very interested in how SS fireproofs these mattresses.  The website states "Meets the requirements of 16 CFR Part 1633-Federal flammability (open flame) standards".  I know many manufacturers use silk wool or other materials, but the majority use formaldehyde or similar chemical mixes.  Any idea what SS is using??

Thanks for any info,

Grounded

Hi again everyone, well I wrote to South Bay International with a few questions and they responded very quickly.  Below I have pasted the reply to my question.  I am thrilled to hear that it is a non-chemical solution to meet the fire-proofing requirements.

Hello:

Thank you for your interest in our product.  We use a Fire Retardant muslin fabric on all of our mattresses to meet the 1633 Flammability requirements.  This is a non-chemical solution for fire retardant.

The FR Muslin cover is sewed around the mattress and then we put the zip on silk/micro sued cover on top of that.  Our mattress cover is removable and washable, where as the muslin must be stitched on to specifications to meet the 1633 requirements.  All Costco typically has us put on the marketing is that we meet 1633.  I will bring up your suggestion.

Thank you,

Customer Service

South Bay International

1)  The tag on the mattress states that it is 126 pounds.  The costco site says that the queen mattress is 143 pounds.  Is anyone's mattress tag weight much less than what is stated at Costco?  Is a 17 pound difference significant when you are dealing with latex?  (My mattress manu date is May 2010.)

2)  My mattress height is 9" on side side, and almost 9 1/2" on the other.   Is anyone's mattress less than 10"?  (Or do manufacturers normally 'round up' to 10"?)

3)  When I sit on one side of the bed and stand up, I hear a whistling sound.  it actually scared my dog!  Does anyone's mattress do this?  (I'll have to rotate the mattress to see if it makes the same sound on the other side.)

I really, really wanted a new bed and was pretty disappointed after my first night sleeping on it -- I woke up several times during the night cause it felt hot (the room temp was only 62 degrees) and my back was aching.  I actually woke up with a lower back ache, which is unusual for me cause I can usually sleep on anything without a problem.  My husband didn't have any problems last night.  I may have to try the firm side.  (I'm 5'2" & 130 pounds, my husband is 5'8" & 180 pounds)  The foundation is a little creaky, but no worse than my old boxspring.

I really want to love this bed so I'll give it more time.  But I may have to return it to costco if it continues to not meet expectations.

Just wanted to give an update...

RE:  1)  I emailed SouthBay Intl customer service and questioned the weight discrepancy.  They replied that the stated weight of 143 pounds is just an estimate and that the Costco site will eventually be updated to reflect that.

RE:  2)  After a few days, the mattress height leveled out.  It's about 9.5" tall on both sides.

RE:  3)  I think the whistling sound was caused by the seams in the foundation's plastic cardboard top.

In less than two weeks, the foundation began to make loud creaking sounds, especially on one side.  We checked the screws underneath and everything was tight so there was nothing we could do to fix it.  So we started the return process with Costco on returning the foundation only.  (This did not go smoothly, but it worked out in the end.  I think.)  After another week or two, the foundation started to make loud creaking sounds on the other side too so the sounds were getting worse.

So we put the mattress on our old boxspring and frame.  We didn't add any additonal support because our boxspring seems to have adequate support all around.  And I'm happy to report that, since we started using the old boxspring, the mattress isn't hot anymore!  I wonder if the foundation's plastic cardboard top made the mattress retain body heat whereas the boxspring's fabric cover allows it to breath? 

We are now really happy with this mattress!