Are you saying you just have a mattress on top of their bed now? No box springs? If that's the case, that alone may be the problem.

You could try buying a box spring, but usually platform beds are designed to hold an all-in-one mattress (combination springs and cushy mattress on top) and the profile/height of that bed will change. And there's no telling if that Ikea bed will be able to hold the even-slightly-additional weight of the box spring as well.

Yes, in my opinion it is a design flaw. I have a platform bed from Room & Board, and it is constructed with 10-12 steel slats running horizontally across the bed frame. And that design is not costing me any sleep or giving me any back pain (it has an all-in-one mattress, also from Room & Board, atop it).

Two make-do options:

(1) Get a piece of wood cut to the size of the bed frame and put that atop the slats and steel bar. For it to rest flat, you would need to put some wood "bumpers" atop the wood slats so everything is level with the steel bar. (Alternatively, you can buy folding bed boards in stores, but if I recall from the old one on my parents' board, they're kind of cardboard-y. But that was 20-30 years ago.)

(2) After you buy your new mattress, buy a separate mattress topper, either the fluffy puffy featherbed type or the thick memory-foam type. (I wouldn't buy the kind of mattress that has the attached pillow topper--that topper will get flat in a short time, according to many people who have posted on decorating/mattress forums).

Yes, the mattress rests on the bed slats. A box spring would make the bed much to high and spoil the contemporary look. The bed is not designed to accompany a box spring, however it should not be so uncomfortable, it is a bed after all.

I'm wondering if a sheet of plywood instead of the slats would help then? We don't have Ikea around here so I've not seen the bed, though if I wasn't in such pain/on meds I may have realized that part of a platform bed idea is to do with out the box spring. Sorry.

Techinically a platform bed is solid - not slats. The platform solves the issue you refer to. Do as suggested and get a sheet of wood to put over the slats.

You say you may get new matress so shop accordingly making sure your new one is thick and firm enough for comfort.

I do have a question.......when you say you have a mattress, might you actually be using a futon? A lot of people refer to futons as "matresses" and they are quite different in construction. With a futon used on the bed frame, the slats with the frame are designed to 'give' a bit since there are no springs. It's part of the design function.

Thank you pammyfay, justgotoabme and dilly_dally for your very helpful responses.

The slats are supposed to be 'adjustable' and have some give so I am a little reluctant to replace them with a flat board. The problem is in the center. I wonder if the installation of the bed could be incorrect? I am trying to contact Ikea.

My current mattress is an inner spring and unquestionably needs to be replaced; it is so old, am ashamed to say. I had been looking at a Kluft pillow-top mattress on sale at Bloomingdales that felt comfortable but after reading comments online have concerns that the pillow top may sink as pammyfay suggested. I tried so many and this was comfortable so hate to start from scratch again. Has anyone had experience with Royal Pedic? Kluft? This one is the low end. I am going to a store today to have a look. I am in NYC and will go to Room and Board as well.

I'm wondering if you need one of Ikea's mattresses since I would assume they are made to work with their beds. Good luck! I know how important a good nights sleep is.

Since you are going shopping don't be afraid to grill the sales persons for information on the mattress and bed frame issue. They work on commission so they should be knowledgeable and willing to spend time with you expalining all your options and the pros and cons of each type of set-up.

Also check out solid memory foam matresses. There is a lot of discussion here at GW on them and pleanty of reviews online. I have a memory foam matress topper and I am very pleased with the improvment and it was way cheaper than buying an entire memory foam mattress set.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kluft

This is just an IKEA thing. I am NOT sure any other mattress but an IKEA one would work. I do know for my kids who have IKEA beds we had to buy them ikea mattresses for them to work :(

Thanks again justgotabme, dilly_dally and modernmommy,

I have tried the memory foam and do not like the feel in general. I would really hate to have to buy an Ikea mattress as I do not think that the quality is very good but you may be right and I will have to go to Ikea and talk with them. I would almost rather throw the bed out than get an Ikea mattress. I am fed up with them as their 'customer service' is impossible to reach! I am old and want something that is good quality and will last.

You might be surprised by the Ikea mattresses.
They used to have some models (probably "firm" or "extra firm") that were really wonderful. My sister bought a few for guestrooms, and for someone like me, who needs support for my, ahem, "big bones" (!), it provided a really good night's sleep. The mattresses (I'm sure they had to be at the top of the price scale) were paired with Ikea bed frames.

PS: I love wandering around Ikea (tho never on weekends!) and I've spent a bit of money there over the years. But I sometimes wonder what "Ikea" means--it's not "Will Last"--I'm sure it's more like "It'll Do For Now"!!

Since I've not had the opportunity to shop IKEA I cannot attest to the quality, or lack there of, of their products. I did however find out, at least according to Wikipedia, what the name stands for....

Here is a link that might be useful: Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd

It sounds like a design flaw. My fold out sleeper sofa has a bar that is felt through the mattress when it is we use it every so often. I used plywood underneath mattress and it helped. Is the height of the metal bar adjustable? Maybe it is set too high. As for mattresses, I recently got a latex mattress, it is not memory foam, really like it. I purchased it at the Original Mattress factory. The sales people there were real helpful, maybe you should go talk with them about some alternatives. Or maybe one of those air mattresses, I have heard they are really nice. I looked at some while shopping for my mattress, just too expensive for me.

Am considering an online order of a chair that Bloomingdales has for $1840 and they have for $1050 delivered and no tax but have found that they do not return phone calls. Too good to be true? They have stores in North Carolina. Does anyone have experience dealing with them?

The chair is a contemporary design recliner, made by 'Comfort Design,' which is a division of Kaussner Home Furnishings.

Any information would be appreciated. I have never ordered furniture online. (Also worth noting, They are in North Carolina and I am in NYC.)

Thanks, any information would be greatly appreciated.

Bought a platform five months ago. Then we started sinking to middle. Platform bed is pb stratton. Matteress is tempur-pedic. Is it the design of platform without circulation in the middle causing it to sweat and forming mold in the center of matteress. It didn't happen on outside were drawers are, just dead center. Oh yes the center boards did warp, crack. Have heard pb stratton does this to futtons and others also. HAs anyone else had a issue with this.