Mattresses
Mattresses are the heart of a good bed and the essential element in getting a good night’s sleep.
Mattresses fall into a number of different categories:
The open coil spring mattress typically has 288 springs, which are traditional coiled springs held together widthways by helical wires running through the top and bottom edge of the individual springs. In the lowest price brackets the mattresses are either unframed or have a plastic edge strip. Round, heavy gauge wire with flat steel strip edging is used on the better quality mattresses. 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 a 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. Higher spring count open coil systems are available but are not commonly used.
Twin open coil spring mattresses are available, consisting of two shallower depth open coil units are stacked, one on top of another in a deeper mattress. 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 mattresses are exactly as the name implies, it is 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 is generally regarded as the best type for mattresses. This is simply down to each spring being independent so consequently it can move to the different weight centres of the body and the mattress, therefore, moulds 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 the 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.
We have been instrumental in the development of pocket sprung mattresses, which are encased in a foam surround. This gives the threefold benefit of individual pocket springing, firm substantial mattress edges, which can withstand a lot of sitting, and extra durability through the combined support of high grade foam and high quality spring systems. These foam encapsulated mattresses also allow the full width of the bed to be used; there is no roll off the edge potential so you can sleep right up to the outer edge of the mattress and not roll together in the middle due to the individual pocketed springs.
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 our range of spring mattresses with latex foam upholstery. Latex is a more natural product originating from rubber trees and is probably one of the best mediums 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
