Mattress Related Articles

Mattress Construction

Springs

There are basically four types of spring structures used today:

Offset		Bonnell		Continuous		Pocketted

The Offset is arguably the finest coil used in the bedding industry, and found within finer mattress sets. The Bonnell style coil runs a close second, incorporating construction features similar to the Offset. The Continuous style coil is one of the newest coil styles and is produced using smaller gauge wire and fewer turns per coil, and therefore less steel. Remember that steel is brought and sold by the pound and if one can produce a coil that uses less steel, that coil will cost less money to produce. The pocketed coil, although interesting in theory, has shown to have assembly-related durability problems.

Ask to see the coil being used within the mattress set. Make sure an Offset or Bonnell style coil is used.

Coil Count

Although coil count is important it does not tell the whole story, a good rule of thumb pertaining to mattress size is:

• Twin 240
  
• Full  336
  
• Queen 416
  
• King  513

(Note: Be skeptical of ultra high coil counts.)

Make sure there exists a happy median between coil count, coil gauge, and turns per coil.

Insulators

An Insulator should be in the form of a Flex-O-Lator and/or Enduralator and act as barrier between the coil structure and filling material. A quality mattress should incorporate at least one of these forms of insulation (preferably two), which keep the filling material from settling into the coil structure. A combination of the two prevents “pocketing” and aids in the elimination of premature body impressions.

Make sure the mattress set incorporates at least one form of insulation.

Filling Material

There are a variety of filling material options available to the manufacturer when considering the best method of constructing a mattress. Unfortunately, in the mass-produced mattress industry, concerns about cost supersede concerns about quality, and the consumer ends up paying a premium price for (at best) an average mattress. This is directly related to the filling material found within a mass-produced mattress. This material is known as low-density polyurethane foam, and is the most predominantly used filling material in the mattress industry today. Although Polyurethane foam does have an important place within the family of materials used in the construction of a mattress, it should be used sparingly and should be high density. The following are some density numbers guidelines to use in mattress evaluation:

• .8 to 1.2 density – Foam of this density is usually found in low to mid-priced mass-produced mattresses and is representative of an inexpensive filling material.
  
  
• 1.5 to 2.0 density – Foam of this density is noticeably better than the above, and used in mid to high-end mass-produced mattresses.
  
  
• 2.0 to 3.4 density - Foam of this density is noticeable better than the above, is representative of a quality piece of polyurethane foam; however, it should not be used as a filling material in a median to hegh-end mattress.
  
  
• 4.0 to 5.5 density – Visco-Elastic and Latex rubber foam share density numbers within this range. These products are unlike typical polyurethane foam, and are amazing products when used correctly. Materials such as these are found in ultra premium mattresses sets.
  

Cotton Batting – Newport bedding uses only 100% natural cotton batting as the filling material in all our mid, high, and ultra premium mattress sets. Cotton batting is, hands down the finest material available to fill a bed. Cotton batting has been used in the mattress industry from the beginning, and is found only in the super premium mattress sets of the major brands. Cotton breathes, which aids in the dissipation of body heat during sleep. This creates a more comfortable sleeping surface. In addition to body heat dissipation, cotton is also safer, more resilient, and does not deteriorate over time. Keep in mind: it is very easy to make a mattress feel comfortable on a showroom floor, and very difficult to make a mattress feel consistently comfortable year after year. In other words, by using cotton batting we have created a mattress that will look, as well as feel, consistently the same throughout the life of the mattress. At Newport Bedding Company, this enduring consistency and reliability is our goal. In Fifteen years, a mattress purchased from us will feel very similar to the way it felt during its first year of use.

Make sure the mattress filling is 100% cotton batting.

Button Tufting - is a process where a series of nylon ties are driven through the mattress tying ithe top of the mattress to the bottom. This serves two purposes, First, it keeps the cotton batting from shifting within the mattress preventing lumps and depressions. Second, it precompresses the cotton, which is one of the primary reasons why a Newport Bedding mattress feels consistently the same, as well as holding its shape, year after year.

Make sure the mattress is button tufted to insure consistency.

Boxspring

There are a number of different foundational styles used by mattress manufacturers today. The most popular styles are as follows:

• Platform Foundation - Used in lower-end mattress sets, this style of foundation is nothing more than a wood box covered in fabric to match the mattress.
  
  
• Grid Foundation - Found in most mass-produced, medium- to high-end mattress sets.
  
  
• Box Spring Foundation - Found in ultra premium, mass-produced mattress sets and all of Newport Bedding's low, medium, high, and ultra premium mattress sets.

Make sure the mattress ste you are considering uses a "True" boxspring and not an inexpensive substitute.