Mattresses fall into a number of different
categories:
Open coil spring mattress– Traditionally these
are coiled springs held together by wires running through the top and bottom
edge of the individual springs. In the lowest price brackets the mattresses
tend to be either unframed or have a plastic edge strip. On the better quality
mattresses Round, heavy gauge wire with flat steel strip edging is used. The
flat steel strip edging is now more commonly used on open coil mattresses as
many are imported and roll packed for ease of transportation and storage. The
purpose of the strip edge is to provide extra support on the edge of the
mattresses, which is subject to extra wear because people tend to sit on the
edge of their beds.
Twin open coil spring mattress- Consist of two
shallower depth open coil units stacked one on top of another. Whilst this
gives the mattress extra height and provides a softer feel, the mattress
however can suffer from side sway. In our expert view open coil system
mattresses are good, robust and are perfectly suitable where a firm feel
mattress is required at a lower to middle price point. We are not great fans of
twin spring open coil mattresses, simply due to their side sway
characteristics.
Continuous wire spring system mattress- One
length of, generally thinner gauge, wire, which is woven into one big spring
unit in the mattresses. Certain manufacturers have developed this system.
MIRA COIL, exclusive to Silentnight Beds and Posture Springing, exclusive to
Slumberland Beds. In addition there is Multilastic continuous springing and
Flexiform continuous springing but in our expert view the best version of
continuous coil spring mattresses within the industry are those supplied to us
by Silentnight Beds where more wire is generally used than on open coil
mattresses, which gives better durability and the springing generally gives
better moulding characteristics. Our expert opinion is that, overall,
continuous wire spring system mattresses provide good medium to firm support.
Pocket springing- Regarded as the best type of
mattress due to each spring being independent of the other, allows movement to
cope with different weight centres of the body, therefore moulding to an
individual’s body shape irrespective of that person’s size and weight. A
further advantage with pocket sprung mattresses is that, because the springs
are individual, there is less tendency for people of different weights to roll
together. The quality of the pocket spring mattress is generally graded on an
actual individual spring count where, for example, the lowest pocket spring
count in mattresses is 600, which compares to 288, the lowest spring count in
open coil mattresses. By varying the dimension of the spring, up to 1600 can be
accommodated and by stacking smaller height springs one on top of another, up
to 3000 springs can be achieved in a mattress.
Generally pocket springs are held together by the
waist through gluing, and on the higher price ranges, some springs are hand
tied. Calico material is used at the top end of the mattress ranges to encase
the springs but the man made fabric is perfectly suitable and more widely used.
Silentnight Beds have combined their MIRA COIL spring system with a mini pocket
top in some of their mattresses, which has proved to be very popular and
extremely comfortable. These are called MIRAPOCKET mattresses. Rest Assured
have combined, on their Sanctuary mattress range, the standard pocket spring
units with a mini pocket topper, which gives the mattress an extra luxurious feel
and this has proved to be popular. Our expert view is you should not to go for
less than 800 springs in a pocket sprung mattress. With the higher spring count
mattresses, softness and luxury are very achievable and improve as the price
rises to the very top of the range. Our advice is to buy a pocket-sprung
mattress; the very best bed you can afford.
Having described the foundations to a mattress the
next stage is to explain the comfort systems or the upholstery. Invariable
there is very little, if any, dusty upholstery materials now used in
mattresses. Gone are the days of using coir fibre, (coconut husk), as an
insulator in mattresses. Nowadays cotton or woollen materials are compressed
into a firm covering where very little dust can be released. There are lots of
new materials, which have been specifically developed for this use, and these
are mainly variations of polyester fibres. Whilst previous polyester fibres
could settle very quickly - you only have to look at any polyester pillow,
which can soon lose height and shape - the new generation of polyester
upholstery fillings in mattresses are excellent and provide fantastic support
and great durability. Polyester is a completely non-allergenic material, which
makes it an ideal insulator for mattresses.
If you are a naturally warm sleeper perhaps you
should look to a spring mattress with latex foam upholstery. Latex is a more
natural product originating from rubber trees and is probably one of the best materials
to sleep on. It is supportive, very comfortable and luxurious and is
consequently used on the higher price range mattresses.
With the advent of new polyester materials, the
many various foam options and the natural anti allergenic properties, natural
upholstery fillings are now not as common in mattresses. However we do still
continue to use natural fillings such as layered cotton and wool in the better
beds, but we, and our customers, have been very happy to keep a preference for
anti allergy materials in our mattresses.
The mattress upholstery layers and top fabric are
either sewn together through panel quilting or micro quilting, which basically
keeps all the fillings in the mattress from moving sideways. The purpose of the
fillings sandwich is to provide the comfort layer to the mattress. The more
upholstery layers and the deeper they are the more luxurious the feel and, of
course, the higher the price of the mattress. Within our wide range of
mattresses we offer some with deeply micro quilted finishes. Hand tufting also
features quite extensively in our mattress range; this is where the top
upholstery sandwich of the mattress is connected to the bottom by using ties
with tufts either side. This tufting stops the upholstery from moving and also
provides a generally firmer feel to the mattress.
The surface fabrics of mattresses fall into only a
few categories. Stitchbond is used on starter mattresses and is a plain white
fabric with a pattern printed on. Damask is a traditionally woven fabric and is
used on more expensive mattresses. The majority of the damask fabric
manufacturers are based in Belgium and the quality of the damask is dependent
upon the fibres used and the amount of picks per square inch. Mattresses with a
starter price damask surface will have a stiff feel whilst those with a top
quality damask surface will feel very soft to the touch. This is similar to
linens where the best linens have high pick counts. We love knitted stretch
fabrics because they add a new dimension to mattress comfort and are
intrinsically warm and feel great. Lots of varying qualities are available and
these are judged by weight. We have a minimum weight specification on our
mattresses to ensure each and every one has the benefit of the great advantages
of knitted fabrics.
Our ideal specification for a mattress is pocket
springing, encapsulated in foam with upholstery including latex and a knitted
fabric. These mattresses are available within different price bands and in
varying levels of firmness and there is bound to be a mattress that will suit
every individual taste. Even the firmest mattress in these ranges will be very
comfortable and so you can buy your bed with great confidence