Futon as a full time bed?

[sora]

Hi,
I want to buy a wool mattress and need a slatted frame to put it on.
Do you find futon frame comfortable enough as a full time bed?
Or should I go with a proper bed such as platform bed.
I don't really see a difference except that futon frames fold but I wonder if the very feature makes a futon less comfortable as a full time bed - not enough support?
Thanks so much!

[TeaghansMama]

i slept on a futon with a nice 8" thick mattress for years as my only bed. i have horrible back problems from a bulging disc and found that it actually helped me.

in fact, there are many nights even now i wish i had my old futon instead of my very expensive, plush, pillow top mattress.

oops... i just re-read your question and you are asking about the frame, not the topper. i think the futon frame would give good support. i wouldn't think it would be that different from a platform bed....??

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I have a futon frame that is ment to be a full time bed. It is a slatted platform and doesn't fold. It's very comfortable.

[snanna]

We sleep full time on futons on the cheap folding wooden frames-- they are fine, as long as you don't stand or jump on the bed a lot. The slats are not very strong. Though I would suppose this would be the case with any slatted frame, not just the folding ones.

[lightheart]

we have a very inexpensive futon and frame, comfort it is wonderful!

problems we have had are the kids have bounced on the bed and broke 2 of the slats, had to replace them, not a big deal, easy to do, and not real expensive for the wood, but had to do it.

also ours is really low to the floor which was nice when the kids were little about them rolling out of bed but now that they are older I wished the bed was higher so that I could use the space underneath for storage. Also with it so low it is a pain to clean under so we have a bunch of dust bunnies living underneath.

[Inquiringmind]

Maybe I've only slept of cheap futons, but I don't think I could sleep on one long term. I don't find them very comfortable.

[sora]

Originally Posted by lightheart

I wished the bed was higher so that I could use the space underneath for storage. Also with it so low it is a pain to clean under so we have a bunch of dust bunnies living underneath.

Very good point. I also find that sleeping low to the ground is cold in winter. In Asia, we used to sleep on a thin futon on the floor but our floor was toasty warm.

I also found out that spacing between the slats in regular beds is less than the ones in futon - so I can guess that regular slatted beds would be more comfy.
Thanks everyone for your advice.

[Owen'nZoe]

I slept on one for 2 or 3 years, and it was fine - not great, but fine. If you have a folding frame, though, don't be tempted to fold it up during the day...that is why I finally had to get rid of mine, because after being folded into a couch during the day for several years, a permanent crease slowly formed in the middle, making it horribly uncomfortable.

And I totally agree with the PP who said she would take a futon over a pillow top any day. Our pillow top was the biggest waste of money!

[alegna]

We have a king sized futon on a platform bed as our full time bed. We LOVE it.

Got it at a local futon store, that sadly has since gone out of business

-Angela

[miss_sonja]

Love love our futon! We've slept on futons since college and still it's my fave type of bed. We got ours from Soaring Heart Futons http://www.soaringheart.com/ , their local for us, but their site has a lot of information on sweat (yeah, they're a little obsessed with that), and how to care for your futon.

[fork]

How you ladies can do it, I have no idea. I had to sleep on a futon for a week when I was very sick and had to be in the cool basement as opposed to the 95 degree upstairs and it was so terrible. I could feel every slat and gap and they just dug into me. There was a pretty thick mattress on it too, a good 8in I'd have to say. I still have nightmares about that thing. I'll be living in Japan for a year and I'm really afraid of the futon, but maybe the mat being on the floor will be more comfortable.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by fork

How you ladies can do it, I have no idea. I had to sleep on a futon for a week when I was very sick and had to be in the cool basement as opposed to the 95 degree upstairs and it was so terrible. I could feel every slat and gap and they just dug into me. There was a pretty thick mattress on it too, a good 8in I'd have to say. I still have nightmares about that thing. I'll be living in Japan for a year and I'm really afraid of the futon, but maybe the mat being on the floor will be more comfortable.

My futon is WAY cushier than most spring mattresses. We picked it because of how soft it was.

-Angela

[cloudswinger]

Originally Posted by fork

How you ladies can do it, I have no idea. I had to sleep on a futon for a week when I was very sick and had to be in the cool basement as opposed to the 95 degree upstairs and it was so terrible. I could feel every slat and gap and they just dug into me. There was a pretty thick mattress on it too, a good 8in I'd have to say. I still have nightmares about that thing. I'll be living in Japan for a year and I'm really afraid of the futon, but maybe the mat being on the floor will be more comfortable.

Futons in Japan are nothing like futons in the US. They're more like glorified comforters, because they can be folded up every day and put away. But the floor is generally a tatami mat, so that's not hard anyway. I didn't think it was that bad. But then again, we sleep full time on a futon here in the US, on one of those slatted frames.

[cloudswinger]

Originally Posted by fork

How you ladies can do it, I have no idea. I had to sleep on a futon for a week when I was very sick and had to be in the cool basement as opposed to the 95 degree upstairs and it was so terrible. I could feel every slat and gap and they just dug into me. There was a pretty thick mattress on it too, a good 8in I'd have to say. I still have nightmares about that thing. I'll be living in Japan for a year and I'm really afraid of the futon, but maybe the mat being on the floor will be more comfortable.

Futons in Japan are nothing like futons in the US. They're more like glorified comforters, because they can be folded up every day and put away. But the floor is generally a tatami mat, so that's not hard anyway. I didn't think it was that bad. But then again, we sleep full time on a futon here in the US, on one of those slatted frames.

[moderngal]

we slept on one for years. it wasn't awful, but I would never go back to one now. we have a platform bed with a really good mattress now- I love it- sleep is much better and my back feels better on it.