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Beds and Mattresses
If you purchase a foam mattress, make sure it is made of laminated foam cores, and not just a slab of foam. They provide better support than a foam slab, and the cores aid in air circulation. A good quality foam mattress can be as expensive as an innerspring mattress. Both innerspring and foam mattresses require a box spring foundation to help support the mattress. A good quality box spring should be made of heavy guage coils or shaped torsion bars. Springs should continue to the edge, and there should be no sideways motion. Flotation beds should have interior baffles, foam cells and water filled cylinders to reduce motion. The covering should be heavy, durable vinyl, encased in a solid wood frame. Softside flotation beds should have high density polyurethane foam frames covered with thick padding. High quality soft side beds have an outer ticking that gives the appearance of a conventional innerspring mattress. All three mattress types are available in twin, full, queen and king size. When selecting a mattress it is important to select one that is long enough and wide enough to allow one or two people to rest comfortably. A good quality mattress should spring back when you get up, and should not form a depression or sag when you get up or roll to the center. Be sure to spend plenty of time "testing" the mattress for comfort and support before you leave the store. Read the tags and labels, and ask questions about the construction. Remember that once you get it home, you will be sleeping on it for at least ten years. If you don't get a good quality mattress, that's a lot of sleepless nights! - Back - |
There are many
choices when it comes to bedroom furniture. In addition to the usual dressers, beds and
nightstands, bedroom furniture now includes wall units and armoires that conceal
televisions and computers. However, the best investment you can make in bedroom furniture
is a good quality mattress, and a bed that is long enough and wide enough to allow you to
sleep comfortably. A good quality bed will have side rails that fit snugly into the
headboard and footboard without falling apart when moved slightly, and rails that form a
sturdy support for the box spring and mattress.
There are three types of mattresses available: innerspring, foam and
flotation. A good quality innerspring can be either coil spring or open spring. Springs
should be tempered to return to their original position after being compressed. In both
types of innerspring mattresses, coils should be made of heavy guage wire, and have center
and edge reinforcements. A good quality mattress will have approximately 500 to 1000
coils. The more coils, the better the quality. The coils should be covered with an
insulating pad or netting which is in turn covered with cushioning made of urethane foam
or cotton felt. The entire mattress should be covered in a good quality, durable tick that
will withstand years of use. Since it is impossible to actually see the inside of the
mattress, the quality of the covering sometimes indicates the quality of the workmanship
of the mattress.