This is a choice many people face when it comes time to buy a bed.The question arises: why buy an orthopedic base when you can get by with an orthopedic mattress?
In this article we will answer this question and tell you what the advantages and disadvantages of foundations are, and what to pay attention to when buying.
Content
Types of foundations
There are two categories of beds: flat solid and orthopedic slatted.
1) Flat solid is a surface made of planed boards, plywood or chipboard (made from pressed wood chips). It is treated with protective and decorative agents, attached to the frame. A solid base is heavier than an orthopedic one, less mobile. And most importantly, it does not allow the mattress to reveal all its orthopedic characteristics and capabilities. Thus, sleep worsens.
2) An orthopedic slatted bed base consists of a metal or wooden frame with a lifting mechanism and legs, wooden slats that are attached to it using slat holders.
Lamels can be made from the following types of wood:
- Birch;
- Beech;
- Nut.
Birch lamellas are the optimal material. They perform their functions well and are cheaper than lamellas made of other types of wood.
Standard slat sizes:
- Thickness from 6 to 8 mm;
- Optimal width 63 mm;
- Length according to the dimensions of the base;
- The distance between the slats is 70-80 mm, this distance allows to improve the orthopedic effect;
- The optimal number of slats is from 11 to 13 pieces.
Such sizes of lamellas allow to make the bed lighter. They give it elasticity, harmonious interaction with the orthopedic mattress, which allows to achieve maximum comfort.
All orthopedic bases undergo all mandatory strength tests.
Features of the design of a bed with an orthopedic base
In addition to the listed advantages, this design allows the bed to be more mobile, which will significantly save space in the car when moving, and will facilitate unloading and loading.
Sleeping structures with such bases can be disassembled and assembled without much effort; the following elements are separated from the frame:
- Sleeping place;
- Legs;
- Upper base with slats;
- Lower part, with drawers for linen.
Such structures are equipped with a lifting mechanism and have the ability to compactly store things and bedding.The legs are detached and the slats are pulled out slat holders, there remains a metal frame with a mattress.
The structures are produced in 2 types:
1) Without stiffness adjustment;
2) With adjustable firmness (a very important, yet convenient function for double bed structures).
With the help of adjustment, you can adjust the rigidity of the orthopedic base individually for each person lying on it. There are 7 points of the hardness zone:
- Head,
- Shoulders,
- Back,
- Pelvis,
- Hips,
- Knees,
- Feet.
To the base of the bed, it is important to choose the right mattress. Orthopedic mattresses are made with different fillers. Basically, these are springs, horsehair, coconut coir, natural latex.
Dimensions
The length of the base should be 20 cm longer than the height of a person, the width of a single base should be at least 80 cm. Such dimensions allow you to comfortably lie on the bed.
The legs are made of high-strength metal, the most convenient length of the legs is 24-25 cm. The height of the base depends on them. The stability of the structure is ensured by the number of legs (there can be up to 7 pieces on the frame).
The total height is 27-28 cm, depending on the manufacturer. The slatted lattice serves to properly distribute the weight on the mattress and extend the life of the mattress.
Choosing an orthopedic base
When choosing, you need to pay attention to the following factors:
- Quality of the lamellas (they should not have large knots or cracks);
- The base should not creak, as creaking causes discomfort;
- The metal frame must be free of rust, chips and scratches;
- Wooden bases should not have loose fastening holes or sharp, untreated edges;
- Completeness of fittings;
- The slats must not have chips;
The details of the slat fastening affect the price and quality of the bed. The slats are attached to the base – slat holders.
The slats are attached with the convex side facing up. They come in rubber and plastic. Rubber ones are more elastic and expensive..
Orthopedic bases are produced with a lifting mechanism. The mechanisms are divided into several types.
- The manual mechanism is reliable and has a longer service life than all the others, but it is inconvenient, because when opening it, you have to hold the base and the mattress at the same time.
- It is spring-loaded and difficult to lift, but it does its job well. Over time, it has to be replaced because the springs stretch.
- Gas shock absorbers open smoothly and silently, mainly used for lifting heavy bed structures.
- The lifting mechanism is electrically driven and easy to use, and is set in motion by a remote control.
The legs are made of high-strength metal, have a comfortable height, are easily detached and attached to the bed frame, provide stability to the entire structure and additional mobility of the bed.
Orthopedic base with adjustment
There are two types of adjustment.
1. Regulation of slat rigidity.
2. Adjusting the upper and lower parts of the base.
Such functions do not reduce reliability and durability, as manufacturers take into account all necessary aspects during testing.
To sum it up
The advantages of classic beds with a solid base are thatThey are designed to support a greater weight of a person than those with an orthopedic grid and are more stable due to their weight.
Beds with orthopedic bases also have a number of advantages and disadvantages.
These beds have many more advantages than disadvantages. They aredesigned for weight up to 150 kg, llight in weight, mabundant, bare quickly disassembled and assembled. There arethe ability to adjust the firmness of the bed individually. There is a large rvariety of designs, wwide price range.The frame can be used independently of the bed. Beds equipped with a lifting mechanism are easy to use.
The only disadvantages are that such bedsdesigned for less weight.
Useful tips
If the sleeping person weighs more than 90 kg, then narrow slats should be used, wide ones are suitable for people with less weight. Some manufacturers of bases also produce mattresses. It is recommended to choose mattresses and bases from the same manufacturer.
Pay attention to the completeness; some manufacturers require legs to be ordered separately.To experience the full effect of an orthopedic mattress, first buy a mattress, then a base for it. If you don't have enough money to buy a suitable option, you can get a loan in many stores, thereby making a long-term investment in your health.
To replace a broken lamella, you can always order a product of the required size or buy it in a store.Many sellers offer free shipping on foundations to their customers. — This is another nice bonus.Sellers and manufacturers who value their reputation always meet customers halfway and exchange goods in case of manufacturing defects.
VIDEO: Assembly instructions for a bed with an orthopedic base.
Beds with orthopedic base – 50 photo ideas:
Another paid article about the benefits of orthopedic bases and the uselessness of a hard base. They just forgot to write that the supporting properties of a quality spring mattress and many of its orthopedic qualities will completely disappear if you put it on an orthopedic base. Ask yourself: “What will happen if you put a spring of one rigidity (a mattress spring) on a spring of another rigidity (on a slat)?” - the softer spring will work. And how many people, refusing orthopedic bases, put the mattress on a hard surface and discovered its true properties - there are countless of these people.
What is 10-15 thousand? A bed made of low-quality materials? In the first six months, 3 slats cracked, I weigh 70 kg and sleep alone. Now I need to buy a new base, the cost is 2-6 thousand. It is difficult to find beds with a solid base on sale, they are all slatted. I got a serious back injury, the repairman asks for 4000 plus the cost of plywood to change the slatted base to a solid one (plywood). So, if you have back problems (50% of the population has them), only a solid base is suitable for you, no slats. Do not believe this obvious advertising. A slatted base will ruin your back and requires constant repairs.
I completely agree with Mitya!!!!
I completely agree with Andrey.
I completely agree with Vitka!
I completely agree with Sanek.
I completely agree with Pashko.
Mityai took the words right out of my mouth! All these slats fly out to hell in a couple of years, an article to increase sales of these disposable slatted beds! Only a solid base!
I completely agree with Galina.
Lamel bases come in different varieties. There is waste from TU, discounted, defective lamellas that remain after being sent for export (yes, there are three state-of-the-art factories in Russia that manufacture lamellas and cover the needs of 60% of the European lamella market, including the German market). Look for manufacturers that use lamellas according to GOST, the export version – you will be happy.
The analogy with springs is correct, only if one spring has a rigidity of 100, and the other 5, then the softer one will work - naturally. B is also correct - there are such mattress manufacturers who recommend using only a flat bottom or straight slats made of solid wood. BUT they are very expensive, these are premium mattresses, which in Russia are bought by 5% of the population at most.
For the general population, slats will help significantly. An inexpensive mattress with weak orthopedic characteristics with the right slats will work as a mid-range mattress. In turn, a mid-range mattress will feel more expensive, and so on. Slats work together with the mattress, allowing you to extend its service life.
In a design where one spring or two similar ones work - which one will last longer? Or returning to the analogy with cars, in the design of the car suspension there is both a spring and a shock absorber strut - they have different purposes and they complement each other. So the base with slats and the mattress - work in pairs.
P.S. Mityai, the correct slats are harder than the mattress springs and work after the mattress has taken the load
PSS Comment from the heart, not from money, I can't watch calmly while someone on the Internet is wrong
Lamels cannot extend the life of a mattress! Why drag in all this marketing nonsense? The larger the support area of the mattress, the longer it will last. This is an axiom. There is a decent distance between the lamellas, some of the independent springs hang in the air - there is no support! As a result, the mattress becomes wavy, it is not for nothing that manufacturers advise turning it over every three months. With a monolithic base, these problems do not exist by default. At the same time, any orthopedic mattress on a monolith will work better, because all springs have a stable base. Lamels are just marketing.
I don’t recommend a slatted base to anyone.
I worked in the field of selling beds and mattresses and I know that it is created solely to increase the price and give the appearance of a higher-quality bed. In fact, the mattress works much better without them. We were constantly asked to replace individual parts of these bases. After some time, they can start to creak. I advise not to overpay for the base, but rather to throw this money on the mattress.
I once worked in Moscow in the production of beds and mattresses. The material with which the mattress was covered was indeed imported, but our mattress was domestic. They would cover it with imported material and say that it was imported from Italy or somewhere else. And they would sell them at three times the price on Leninsky. That was the story. So be careful when buying such things.
Only solid!!!!!!