When you are out shopping for new furniture for your home you may not think it but your bed and mattress are the most important pieces that you buy. More specifically your mattress. Why is your mattress the most important thing that you will buy? Because this is where you spend most of your time. On average adults spend eight hours every day sleeping, we spend more time sleeping than we spend on anything else. Over a single year we sleep for four months. It doesn’t feel like long because we are asleep but it is. So if we don’t have a mattress that is right for us we can end up with serious back and neck problems.

Buy Cheap Or Buy Expensive?

When I was brought up my mother always told me to buy quality items, she used to say “buy cheap, buy twice” or “when I was young we couldn’t afford to buy cheap items”, basically trying to tell me that while I might be saving a bit of money right now over the longer term I would end up spending more than if I had just bought the more expensive, higher quality item in the first place.

This isn’t to say that everything that is cheap is poor quality but there is a difference between buying something for less and buying something that is cheaply made. If you don’t have the money available to buy expensive mattresses you can these same items but at discounted prices. If you have a look in clearance stores and even the big box stores you can find quality, cheap mattresses for sale. Mattresses made by big brands such as Sealy, Simmons, Tempur-pedic, REM Sleep and so on. You can pick up really high quality mattresses that don’t cost the earth.

Another place that you will find cheap futon mattresses that while being cheap are of the highest quality is in Ikea. Ikea do of course have cheap mattresses for sale that are not too great, but once you get to the mid range they are really good. You get a lot of mattress for your money. Personally I use their Sultan Hamnvik mattress at home and have done for a number of years and I love it, I shopped around for a long time looking at mattresses that were over $1,000 and they were no better than this Ikea mattress. So if you want a cheap mattress then be sure to check out what Ikea has to offer.

When it comes to cheap mattresses that are low in quality you may be tricked into thinking that they are perfectly acceptable. When you first try one out it might feel quite comfortable and as if you could use it all the time, but more often than not you will find after a short period of time the internals of the mattress start to wear, in a lot of cases they will start to sink and droop where they have been used the most, this is not ideal for a comfortable nights sleep. The only place where I would consider using a cheap mattress is in a guest room where it will only be used once in a while and for only a night or two at a time.

What Do Mattresses Cost?

You might be thinking “I know cheap mattresses should be avoided, but what is a cheap mattress?”. I suppose this is quite a tricky one to answer. But personally I would stay clear all of any brand that only sells cheap mattresses, say $300-$400 or less and nothing that costs more. I feel that big brands like Sealy who sell $1000-$2000 mattress use their knowledge of quality mattresses in their cheaper items. The same goes for Ikea and all the other big brands. As a general rule I wouldn’t pay less than $400 for a mattress, anything less than that will probably need replaced in a year or two and leave you with a bad back. I would expect a quality mattress to last seven to ten years and the really expensive ones to last twenty years at least.

So in short, stay away from the cheap mattresses, $400 or less and if you want a quality mattress but want one for less then look at what Ikea has to offer.

If you intend to change your old futon mattress with a new and comfortable one, you have to know that on the market there is a wide range of models that you can choose from. A mattress should first be able to make you relax in peace. Over time, mattresses have evolved and manufactures have produced different categories in order for you to choose the one that you think will be most comfortable.

If you didn’t know, futon products that are an important part of this sleep category, have also evolved. What used to be considered more of an item for a teenager or college student is getting more and more likely to show up in modern homes. Initially, a futon mattress was simply a cotton and foam pad, essentially. The major transformation of futons happened sometime in the 1990s on a wider scale, when manufactures decided that was time to infuse the cotton futon with different combinations infill materials. This included things like coiled springs and other foams.

Of course, the technology continues evolving and so is the futon mattress. Manufacturers try to make them more comfortable and more durable by using high quality materials. The most important thing about a futon is that they use a very flexible material that molds perfectly on any platform. There are a wide variety of products made based upon this type of futon frame. Things like futon chairs and chaises are also available. Who would have known, right?

These types of futon mattress can still be found in teenager’s bedrooms and college dorms but only because they are so flexible and inexpensive, it isn’t because of poor quality. But before you purchase this type of mattress, it is good to keep some details in mind. A futon bed has some specific points worthy of mentioning; key to these are durability and size. It is most common to find futon beds in sizes like fulls and twins. It is possible to find them in queen sizes, but you will have a very hard time finding a king-size futon.

About the durability. While the materials and manufacturers are producing a quality product, it is still possible that you will find a traditionally made mattress will likely outlast your futon. This is due to a variety of reasons. One reason is that synthetic materials are often used to make traditional mattresses and frames. They also utilize a different spring structure and padding. However, you will likely pay hundreds more for a traditional mattress, so the cost-benefit will often favor a futon. There are, after all, certain applications where a traditional bed and frame will simply not be possible or convenient to use.

Also, before you make any decision to purchase a futon mattress, you have to think how you will use it. In other words, where will it be going in your home; a home office, guest room or your primary sleeping arrangement. The answer to this question will have a big influence on the type of mattress that is recommended for you to order. If you think that the futon will only be used as a primary sleeping bed, you are advised to find one with a thick mattress and more supportive springs or memory foam. Thinner mattresses, while still useful for other applications may cause you an uncomfortable night’s sleep. You might be interested to learn that the traditional Japanese futon is made of two different parts, the bottom part and the top quilted portion. These combine to make the style used in many Asian countries – they don’t use them as sofa-sleepers.

If you think that the futon that you intend to purchase will be used as a sofa-couch most of the time, you have to take into consideration that the mattress has to be very flexible. That’s because it will be folded very often. In this case, you might be more inclined to purchase a futon with a thinner mattress profile with a cotton or wool and foam infill mix. Mattresses that have different types of foam in their composition can also be easier to keep their shape with continuous opening and closing. This type of mattress has the property that it can conform very fast to the different shapes.

There are many companies from which you can purchase a futon. Even the big names, like Beatyrest™, Simmons™ and Airlay™ just to name a few, are in the futon market, so you shouldn’t be timid about making a purchase. These mattresses range anywhere from $120 USD to upwards of $500 USD or more. Some, on the lower end of this range do not include a bed frame, so that is something to consider as well. You can purchase them directly from the manufacturers in many cases or a simple search online will reveal sources as well. As you might imagine, places like Ebay and Amazon can be great places to read reviews and even make your futon mattress purchase.