The Test

I picked 5 top brand inflatable mattresses for under $300, then slept on each for a couple of nights, picking the overall best value and returning the rest. Since I didn’t have my garage handy when I am traveling, it needed to have a portable air pump included. Also, since traveling means trucking around all our stuff along with my family, I also wanted it to be relatively portable and not take up too much of our valuable trunk space. I graded each inflatable mattress with 10 points for comfort, 5 for portability convenience, and 5 points for ease of set-up and tear-down.

Here is a summary of my findings:

• Aerobed Full Size Classic Plus $149.99
  • Points: Comfort: 8, Portability:3, Ease:3, Overall:14/20
• Coleman Queen Size Double High Quickbed (with pump) $84.99
  • Points: Comfort: 3, Portability:4, Ease:4, Overall:11/20
• Wenzel Flocked-Top Insta-bed Airbed $64.89
  • Points: Comfort: 5, Portability:4, Ease:2, Overall:11/20
• Simmons Beautyrest Sky Rise Express Air Bed with Pump, $109.49
  • Points: Comfort: 8, Portability:4, Ease:4, Overall:16/20
• Home Trends Raised Air Mattress With Built-In Pump $59.82
  • Points: Comfort: 10, Portability:3, Ease:4, Overall:18/20
• AeroBed Premier Raised Queen $275.99
  • Points: Comfort: 10, Portability:2, Ease:5, Overall:18/20

Details:

Aerobed Full Size Classic Plus $149.99

Points: Comfort: 8, Portability:3, Ease:4, Overall:15/20

So I was a little nervous about sleeping on these beds and possibly sacrificing some quality sleep over the course of the experiment. But I was on a mission to avoid my parents hide-a-bed this year. To my surprise, this air mattress had a lot of promise. It inflated quickly in a matter of a minute (and consequently was even faster during deflation) with absolutely no hassles. The firmness could be controlled via the remote which made it easy to find the right support level. There was no air leakage in the morning and I felt pretty good. Getting out of it was a pain however as it only sits a few inches off the floor. Since I can hardly move in the mornings, having to get up from a low position like that provides a challenge, one in which I felt I was paying to avoid.

Being the first one I had tried, I was optimistic that I would find a good one. I thought that the price was reasonable for what I was getting, I just wished it sat a bit higher off the floor. It also didn’t store very well which encouraged a slightly lower score on portability.

Coleman Queen Size Double High Quickbed (with pump) $84.99

Comfort: 3, Portability:4, Ease:4, Overall:11/20

This is a very compact inflatable mattress and would have been very easy to transport around. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent on my first night that my sleep was going to be sub-par.  You can buy it with or without the pump, I bought it with the pump (for an extra $15 of course) which took under five minutes to inflate. The little bag attached is pretty easy to fit the mattress back into and it deflated pretty painlessly. I just couldn’t get comfortable on it as there seemed to be support in all the wrong places. Everything was great with it, except the main thing… comfort!

Wenzel Flocked-Top Insta-bed Airbed $64.89

Comfort: 5, Portability:3, Ease:3, Overall:11/20

The air pump that it comes with is battery operated which is nice so you don’t need to find a plug in. It inflated really fast (2 minutes or so), and also had a reverse switch to deflate it.  I wondered what would happen if you forgot to pack extra D sized batteries though, and although it says it can fill and deflate up to 20 times on one set, an optional AC adapter would be nice.

The sleep itself was better than my previous night on the Coleman, but it certainly wasn’t premium. I woke up with a sore back and grumpy. The other thing is that it didn’t come with a storage bag. So I would have to get a seperate duffel bag to carry it around. That annoyed me. I would rather sleep on my parents broken hide-a-bed than this.

Simmons Beautyrest Sky Rise Express Air Bed with Pump, $109.49

Points: Comfort: 8, Portability:4, Ease:4, Overall:16/20

It’s Simmons right, so it must be a pretty decent bed, right? Well, it wasn’t bad. For the price tag, I thought it was really a good value. My sleep was similar to the Aerobed that I tried the first night and it was pretty easy to use. It comes with a duffel bag and repair kit which is a benefit since my kids will likely come and come on the bed when I’m not looking. Really easy to adjust the firmness level for finding the right support and all in all, it was the best mattress I had tried yet. Since I didn’t want to spend too much on a mattress if I could avoid it, it was certainly top of my list at this point.

Home Trends Raised Air Mattress With Built-In Pump $59.82

Points: Comfort: 10, Portability:4, Ease:4, Overall:18/20

When I was at Wal-Mart picking up the Simmons inflatable mattress, I happened to come across this Home Trends mattress which was super cheap. I pulled out my iPhone when I was there to see what I could find for reviews on it and low and behold, there were some very positive reviews for it. So I picked it up out of convenience and to my great surprise, this is one hell of a mattress. Comfort was comparable to my permanent latex mattress and everything from the pump to the height was spot on with what I was looking for. Ease of operation was fine once you figure out how the dial works and the portability was easy for folding up and came with a little carrying bag.

For the price, this was taking the cake hands down. I was pretty confident that this would be the one, and in the end, it won out.

AeroBed Premier Raised Queen $275.99

Points: Comfort: 10, Portability:3, Ease:5, Overall:18/20

So I had really liked the first bed I had tried, the AeroBed Classic Plus, and I thought I would give the brand another chance to see how good they actually could get. After all, I did want to find the best inflatable mattress and I really thought that this one looked promising. All I can say is wow. This bed certainly is comfortable. Similar to the Classic Plus, it had the firmness adjustment device which was easy to calibrate to support requirements. But, why does it have to be so cumbersome to set up and transport? If I was using it as a guest bed, I would probably have gone for this model. It was really easy to use and superior in comfort. The other factor was the price. For one quarter of the price, I could keep the Wal-Mart special which was also comfortable and convenient for travel.My wife really liked this AeroBed model and we debated whether the extra price was worth it.

Conclusion

In the end however, comfort, portability and price were the winners for the Home Sense inflatable mattress. We’ll see how it goes over the holiday’s. My only concern is whether the Home Sense inflatable mattress will be as durable. Mind you, I doubt I will go through four of them which would justify paying the premium for the Aerobed Premier.

I hope this helps you pick the right inflatable mattress for you!

Let’s look at the best prices for cheap bunk beds on the internet. To buy a new bunk bed, the cheapest you are going to find is around $200 with most costing $500 or more. Ikea has a cheap bunk bed called the Mydal which costs $159 for the bed frame only. The Sultan Snarka is an accompanying mattress for this bed, each mattress costing around $35. This would mean a total cost of $230 for a complete set.

Most cheap bunk beds are going to be closer to $500. These will be better quality and probably last longer, and if you can really afford it, it might be worth it. However, if you can’t the Ikea Mydal will last you for a while. If you have some handy skills, cheap Ikea furniture can last with some minor repairs, but these pieces of furniture should be inspected on occasion to ensure that no problems will be caused due to parts becoming loose.

Another good option is to find a quality used one. There are many second hand stores like the Salvation Army which often have furniture. If you have time but not so much money, finding a quality bed in these stores is often possible. Expect to replace the mattress however as these are often worn out being repair. The Ikea mattresses (which are relatively low quality and rather uncomfortable) can provide a place to sleep in a pinch, however if you can afford a bit more, get a better mattress. If you do buy a low quality mattress, you will be able to upgrade with an additional foam or mattress cover which can add a significant amount of comfort at a later date.

There are also sites like Kijiji which is making it much easier to find quality used furniture for reasonable prices. Often times you can get excellent prices simply because the previous owner no longer has room, needs to move, or the children have outgrown the old bed. You’ll even find free stuff being given away if you can pick it up fast. The mattresses may even be salvageable, but expect to at least need new mattresses. If you are on a tight budget, find a bunk bed which may be more then you are willing to spend in the advertisements. Take a look at the bed in person and offer them a little less then you have to spend. Research how to dicker and you will be surprised how good of a deal you can get if you ask for it.

Found on Kijiji for $50.

God knows it is tough to make ends meet and provide everything your children needs as they grow. Almost everywhere you look online will expect that you have loads of disposable cash or are ready to go into debt. I’ve had to go through periods when I was scraping enough together to buy a kid’s bed. If you are on a tight budget, your best bet is to buy it used. The Ikea furniture, although some higher quality are good, their cheap products do not last long. There are lots typically available on buy and sell websites like Kijiji, sometimes even for free. Expect to pay $50 for a good used bed, plus the cost of mattresses.

Good luck and God speed!

In a previous post regarding king headboards, I talk about looking for the best match for your bedroom on these internet sites which will assist you in knowing what to look for at your local retailers.

There is also the option of building your own headboard which is a lot easier then you might think. There are a number of materials around the house or readily available from local suppliers which can help you in easily building a headboard which provides you with a comfortable environment in your room to relax at the end of the day.

It is important to go over this process with your bedroom partner to make sure that they will also like the outcome. A headboard is often the center piece of the room and can create the overall feel of the bedroom. Depending on what you are looking for, you will find that the feeling in a room can produce a mood you will wake up with. During my undergraduate degree in psychology, a professor taught about how individual surroundings can effect the actions of people in their day to day life.

There are a number of factors that can produce different feelings from innate objects. The components of this has to do with color, size and shape. I will briefly go over some factors with respect to a headboard.

A grand majestic king size headboard will create a confident association with your bedroom. There is a sense of grounding associated with it, providing a feeling of immovability. The larger the headboard, the more safe a person tends to feel and sleeps can be more sound. If a person feels powerless in their day to day life, a headboard like this can help to empower the individual.

However, this is not always best for all people. Some people may feel overwhelmed by the looming headboard above them. In some people, this might produce a feeling of belittlement and insignificance. A smaller headboard would be better for self consciously smaller individuals who want to feel bigger. Often, teenagers like the feeling of seeming big. This is a good example of where a smaller headboard functions well. Smaller females who struggle with feeling belittled in their careers or at home may also feel oppressed in an oversized headboard.

If a person is feeling disorganized in their life, simple designs are a great way to reduce the cluttered associations with their day. For extremely busy people, a flat uncomplicated design creates a refreshing space.

These things should all be taken into consideration when planning your headboard. Take a look at creating your own headboard as well as some recommended headboards for ideas on what you might want in your life.

The easiest way to determine the best headboard for your space, is to look at what you feel is unbalanced in your life. From there, you want to neutralize those feelings by counteracting them.

Good luck! If you have any questions with respect to this, please feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to your particular need. Thanks and happy hunting!

In these recession times, it is easy to make your own king headboard by using materials either around the house, or by purchasing materials for cheap that can be used. In a previous post, I demonstrated how many techniques can be used to make your own, including using old doors, fabric tiles, art, and quilts. These are all great methods for making the perfect king headboard for your bedroom.

There are also a number of other headboards that are available for purchase on the internet that will ship directly to your door. Overstock.com has a number of great headboards that are relatively well priced.

This king headboard has room for storing various bedtime materials such as books, kleenex’s, candles, picture frames among other things.

It comes in a variety of colors that can fit into any bedroom scheme. Whether you are looking for a wood finish or a particular color, overstock.com is a great place to find the perfect headboard for your room.

The next one is a great decorative king headboard with a subtle floral design. It comes in a few different colors, including white and red.  Although it doesn’t have storage build into it, a complimentary knight stand can definitely provide all the necessary storage required.

This wooden king headboard is a great example of a more exquisite classic headboard that can really add the majestic flare you might be looking for. Although it is quite expensive, feeling comfortable in your room is definitely worth something. The wrought iron incorporated in is a nice addition to the rich wood color.

There are numerous other king size headboards available at overstock.com. For a great selection and the lowest prices on the internet, I would definitely recommend it for at least getting some idea’s of what you might be looking for. From there, you might be able to find a similar idea at a local retailer, or another place online.

The other thing that is great about browsing around is that you can often get ideas on headboards you can build yourself. Check out my post on building your own headboard for some additional ideas for do it yourself headboards.

Whether you purchase your headboard or build it yourself, creating a bedroom which lets your relax at the end of a day is a great asset to have.

Good luck!

The fun with headboards is how versatile you can be with them. Perhaps one of the most exquisite headboards I’ve come across was two old oak doors. They had been re-stained a beautiful deep red and where eight feet tall. There was a small gap down the center between the two doors where shelves were fixed at regular intervals. Then, it was back lit from behind the headboard.

Although you can easily purchase a headboard from many furniture retail stores around the country, for a quality custom look, here are a few ideas to inspire you to create something completely original.

1. 

   The Kiss, Klimt

   Use a large piece of artwork: A hanging tapestry or painting can add that certain feeling to the room. Gustav Klimt is one of my favorite and I have a seven foot copy of his painting “The Kiss” in our spare room for the queen size headboard. An exquistite hanging quilt can also add tons of warmth to a room. The interest of patched colors can really bring a bedroom to life.

2. Use old windows: Leave either the frames as is with rustic old paint to create an authentic old fashion look, or repaint. You can add items of interest on the back of the frame to create depth, or scenes directly on the back of the windows.
3. Use a Fabric Tile: Although something like this looks difficult, it really is simply a quilt cover that has been attached to foam covered sheet of plywood.  This is perhaps one of my favorite queen headboards I have seen.
   

   Fabric Tile Headboard

4. Old Fencing Pieces: Wrought iron or wood can add a real rustic appearance to a room. If there is any antique aspects of the room, these can add the perfect area of interest for the room.
5. Use an Old Door: As mentioned before, there are tons of different ideas you can go from this starting point. Different colors, stains and even patterns can be used. Use multiple doors set vertically, or one horizontally.
   

   Door Headboard

6. Find old architectural pieces: Arc’s, columns, trellises and other eye candy can be utilized brilliantly to create exquisite queen headboards. The picture attached shows one of my favorite uses of an architectural throw away. You’d be surprised what you can find when you look around.
   

   Entryway Headboard

Good luck in you creations!

Several pictures courtesy of Mind Your Manors.

With most adults getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night, a good 6 or 7 hours would add great benefit. Unfortunately, there are too many people not getting good sleeps since their mattresses are garbage.

The primary problem really exists in the durability of the discount mattresses. In the short term, an expensive and cheap mattress seem quite similar. The major problem is how fast the discount mattresses tend to wear out. Most people only replace their beds once every ten years or more! A quality mattress should be replaced every ten years, but this is often unfortunately put off for 15 or more. With a cheap mattress, the bed could be shot in as little as 3 years leaving the sleep quality to constantly degrade causing back problems, restless sleeps, and ultimately a poorer quality of life.

But most people can’t afford the expensive mattresses on the market right now, which can run greater than $2000! However, there are ways to avoid paying a high premium and still end up with a quality bed.

These are your best solutions:

1. Get a Futon Bed – These beds are becoming exceptional with the new technology being infused into them every year. They are well priced, provide good back support (the quality futon mattresses) and can be found for $500 or less including components to modify your current bedframe (allowing the futon to breathe better).
2. Buy a bare bones, but quality discount mattress. Forget about the pillow top’s, memory foam toppers, or any of the bells and whistles. Find a mattress with a good (high) spring count. If you want the extra’s, you can always purchase mattress toppers later that will add the memory foam or other comforts. Try to stick with the 3 big name (Simmons, Serta, Sealy) manufacturers. Almost exclusively, there beds are superior.
3. Know how to barter with the sales persons. Mattress stores are absolutely insane with their mark-ups and notorious for making you feel like you are getting a “once in a lifetime deal”. You may be surprised how cheap you can actually get mattresses for (many times 40% or more off the sticker price). They will often guide you to the mattress they want you to buy so you must be very careful to not end up with the most marked up bed (but cheap quality). Never buy the mattress on the spot. Write down the make and model of the mattress and do some homework. Check reviews online (and prices!). They will give you the same (or better) deal no matter what they say to seal the deal immediately. They know that the chance of making the sale decreases substantially if they let you walk out the door. Look up the product and be patient. You’ll be surprised how much you can save by seeming really uncertain and uneasy about the price!

Ultimately, buying a bed should not be haphazardly chosen. Consider that you spend nearly one third of your life in bed. Spending 5-10 hours to select the best mattress that you are able to afford will be time exceptionally well spent.

Good luck finding a good sleep! Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

First of all, what the primary use of your futon?

1. Is it a futon sofa bed for your living room, or;
2. Is it a permanent futon bed in a bedroom.

This makes a big difference on what type of futon frame and mattress you will want to select.

Futon Frames

Futon Bed Frames

If it is a permanent bed, you can select almost any kind of regular bed frame you like. There is only the requirement of allowing the futon to breath. This means that the frame will need the ability to have wooden slat’s under the futon to provide support and allow breathing. You should not have the futon on a solid flat surface like a floor for long periods of time. Aside from that, any bed frame can be used.

Of course, there are specifically designed futon frames that can be used, but you should not feel limited to those.

Convertible Futon Frames

This is one of the dominant benefits of futons in that they are quite easily convertible between a sofa and a “hide-a-bed”. In bedrooms these can be used to provide additional space as well and are not limited to living rooms. In fact, spare bedrooms are a great candidate for these types of frames as well to allow for the room to be used as a sitting room when it is not being used by guests.

There are 2 groups of convertible frames:

1. Bi-Folds

Bi-Fold

These are fold in the middle designs and are typically easier to convert between the bed and the sofa configuration. These can look like regular sofa’s and come in a wide variety of designs for converting between the sofa configuration and bed configuration. Wood frames and metal frames are available however, wood frames tend to be a bit pricier. Most frames require you to move it away from the wall prior to folding it down, however, there are models called “wall huggers” which can fold down directly from the sitting position without sliding it out.

There are a few different conversion mechanisms.

1. Ratchet – This is controlled from the front of the futon which lets you push against a spring to fold between sitting, reclining and sleeping easily
2. Kicker – This is essentially a small wedge at the back of the futon from which lets you slide the sofa into a bed position with relative ease. A bit more work then the ratchet design.
3. Sliding Pivot – This is primarily used in the “wall hugger” designs which allow the sofa to sit directly against the wall and does not require moving the frame away from the wall during conversion. If you are planning to convert often, this mechanism would be worth the premium.

2. Tri-Folds

Tri-folds are one of the original designs. These require the frame to be folded twice in two places rather than one like the bi-folds. Many of these frames sit directly on the floor and can be really cheap if you are looking for a inexpensive solution. These designs allow for the beds to be larger since the futon is often folded onto itself. So the width of the couch can be the width of the bed rather then the length. There are similar mechanisms as listed above. However, the designs which sit directly on the floor often require the futon to be completely removed. These are not recommended if you plan to convert between a bed and sofa frequently.

Futon Mattresses

There are many different kinds of futon mattresses with varying factors. The cheapest mattresses is likely the lowest quality, however the opposite is not necessarily true. A good Cotton/Foam futon mattress can be relatively inexpensive and rival the most expensive models available.

There are essentially 5 types of futon mattresses:

1. 100 % Cotton Futon Mattress – This was the original design. Although extremely flexible it will certainly begin to sag in a short period of time and compresses the cotton making the be much more firm as time goes on. High levels of maintenance is required to keep it in good shape for regular sleeping. These are often a bit cheaper. It is only recommended to use this if it is not to be a frequently used bed. They are also very heavy and hard to move.
2. 

   Cotton/Foam Build-Up

   Cotton/Foam Futon Mattress - This is a better alternative than the 100% cotton mattress since it will resist sagging because of the foam. This is probably the most common futon mattress. It is quite economical but still adds additional life span and continued support with lower maintenance. There are several different combination’s and construction methods depending on foam location, density, type of foam (ex. Latex).

3. Cotton/Wool Futon Mattress – Wool is quite soft and allows for a softer mattress without the compaction over time and sag issue like the 100% cotton mattresses. It also has antimicrobial properties to avoid mold and moisture wicking characteristics which allow you to have a better sleep. This is a bit more expensive but might be worth it if you are sleeping on it regularly.
4. Cotton/Polyester Blend Futon Mattress – Like the 100% cotton, it has a greater tendency of sagging over time. However, it is considerable lighter and will last longer than a pure cotton futon.
5. 

   Inner Spring

   Innerspring Futon Mattress - There has been quite a bit of advancement in inner-coil technology into futons in recent years. Many of the big mattresses producers like Simmons, Sealy, and Serta are all making different versions of these trying to combine the best of both worlds of futons and spring mattresses. As a general rule, you will not be able to use the tri-fold design with any of these mattresses as they do not fold as well. They are quite a bit more expensive, but probably the most comfortable of all the futons.

Futon Covers

There are lots of different materials available for futon covers. Typical ones are cotton, corduroy, stain resistant, faux suede (usually made from polyester). You will want to ensure that whatever you buy is machine washable and has a strong stitch. Ripping of the covers can be quite common during moving of the futons since the cover is often what is used for leverage.

There are thousands of places to buy futon covers on the internet making it easy to match the decor of any room.

Additional Details

No matter what kind of futon you get, there will be some maintenance that you will need to do.

1. If it is a regular mattress that you sleep on nightly, the futon mattress should be flipped monthly to reduce the likelihood of sagging and compaction.
2. Periodically (once every year) hanging it somewhere and beating it like a rug will enliven the comfort and maintain freshness.
3. Try to allow the mattress to get as much open air as possible. This means taking the covers off completely for an afternoon to let any moisture dissipate. Each morning, leaving the covers off your sleeping spot will also help.
4. Use a futon cover to protect the mattress.
5. Protect the bed from moisture. If it does get wet, allow lots of air circulation with a fan to let it dry out.

Futon mattresses have a typical lifespan of about ten years if cared for properly. This is similar to coil mattresses. Most quality manufacturers will offer a warranty, however, it is a fight to claim the warranty just like the coil bed market. However, try to find a mattress with at least a year warranty which will protect you from primary defects. The mattress warranty is almost impossible to claim, but the frame should not have any problems.

Recommended Futon Bed and Mattresses

If you are feeling a bit over-whelmed, check out the following suggestions to help you with your search.

Recommended Sofa Bed assemblies:

The first one is a modern Bi-Fold that has a convenient storage space under the frame. This is perfect for blankets and pillows for making it up in a hurry. This is a perfect Futon sofa bed for a condo or as a space saver. It is for a pretty good price as well, listed for approximately $500.

Storage Sofa Bed

This is a simple futon set with Serta Mattress. It’s cheap (~$400), good quality and should last for a long while.

Serta Bi-Fold Cotton/Foam

Recommended Futon Mattresses:

This is a quality 8″ Loft Cotton/Foam Futon Mattress for ~$175. It has a double foam interior to reduce the time related sag.

Cotton Foam Mattress

This one is a Loft Pocketed 9″ coiled futon. Independent springs allow for the “do not disturb you partner” technology found in modern spring mattresses. This one retails for approximately $300.

9" Loft Coil Futon Mattress

Another exceptional design is this premium inner spring mattress.

Evolution Spring 2

Good luck and Happy Hunting!