Everyone needs a good night sleep and mattress foundations are a great replacement for expensive furniture since they can comfortably hold mattresses, and even create convenient under-bed storage. They provide great mattress support and are very easy to assemble to start using right away. To make an informed decision, you can also explore our extensive collection of Mattress Reviews which provide detailed assessments of various mattress brands and models.
Mattress Foundation – Top 8 in 2023
Our team of experts has researched the mattress foundation options currently available on the market and has picked the top choices so you can shop with confidence and know that you are getting the best product to meet your needs and preferences. You will be able to review very useful information about the top models, key features, pros/cons, and you will surely find what will work best for you!
1. Zinus 14 Inch SmartBase Mattress Foundation – Expert’s Choice
Compact, sturdy, easy to assemble and with several points to support the body, the Zinus Smart Base Mattress Foundation substitutes bead frames and spring boxes without you even noticing. Made of steel, with several horizontal bars and vertical lines, it offers strong and consistent support for foam and spring mattresses and average-weight people. To increase its stability, it features numerous contact points with the floor that are covered with plastic caps, these increase the life of the SmartBase by adding stability to it, and the life of the mattress on top of it by preventing it to sag. It also takes care of your floor by preventing scratching and/or staining.
Zinus has built this Smart Base to make it easy to use, accessible and adaptable. One could join a headboard to it by simply using headboard brackets. As it comes in Queen size, it is made of two detachable parts, each of them folding on their own so it assembles and disassembles in a snap without needing any tools for that. Although it is 14 inches high, there are 13 free inches below to enhance storage space under the bed. Delivered to your front door, it includes a 5-year limited warranty.
Features: Zinus 14 Inch SmartBase Mattress Foundation
- Product Dimensions: 60 x 80 x 14 inches
- Item Weight: 34.2 pounds
- Height: 14”
- Clearance under the frame: 13”
- Manufacturer: Zinus Inc
- Item model number: SM-SC-SBBK-14Q-FR
- Warranty: 5 years – limited
Pros: Zinus 14 Inch SmartBase Mattress Foundation
- Affordable
- Quick-snap assembly
- Sturdy support for your mattress
Cons: Zinus 14 Inch SmartBase Mattress Foundation
- Makes the mattress feel firmer
This Elite SmartBase is very sturdy, lightweight, extremely stable, quiet, easy to put together and to move around. Its tall 14” frame spares you 13” of under bed storage, and it features several extra thick beams of steel throughout that allows it to support an evenly distributed weight up to 4,400 pounds providing maximum support and stability to your body. It also prevents foam/spring mattresses from sagging.
Engineered to be silent and safe, it features plastic caps to cover the multiple points touching the floor, and the joints of the foldable parts of the frame. Its recessed legs prevent hurting the lower body when passing close to one’s bed, and its finish is attractive.
Smartly design, this heavy-duty frame arrives at the front of your door, being lightweight a person could carry it by itself, with its innovative folding presentation it assembles without tools in no time, its compact package lets you handle it with ease through the stairs and doorways while it makes it simple to rearrange the layout of your bedroom or to move away. Great value for money, it is an innovation one cannot miss. To make sure, it comes with a 5-year limited warranty.
Features: Zinus 14-inch Elite SmartBase
- Item Weight: 46.9 pounds
- Product Dimensions: 80 x 60 x 14 inches
- Item model number: SM-SC-PRSK-14Q
- Product height: 14” off the floor
- Weight capacity: 4400 lbs distributed weight
- Assembled Height: 14 inches
- Assembled Width: 53 inches
- Assembled Length: 75 inches
- Warranty: 5 years
Pros: Zinus 14-inch Elite SmartBase
- Affordable
- Quick-snap assembly
- Sturdy support for your mattress
Cons: Zinus 14-inch Elite SmartBase
- Makes the mattress feel firmer
With an innovative design, great capacity and a silky finish, Knickerbocker has brought up the concept of a bed frame to an entirely new level. Its design includes the longest side rails in the industry (76.25”) to provide extended seat-edge support for your mattress, hurt-free contoured side rails that prevent sharp edges and corners getting your skin, integrated sturdy brackets to attach your headboard to it, and a steel frame that holds a weight capacity of up to 2,000 pounds.
Its finish is sleek, safe and quiet. The final layer is made of Embrace´s own polymer resin, and advanced coat with a soft feel that is hygienic and low maintenance. Forget about squeaky bedtime as the resin also acts as a complete sound muffler by absorbing the contact pressure between the bed frame and the mattress. The tapered legs bring a final touch of elegancy, further stability, offer glide movement and enable the safe use of the frame in hard and soft floors.
This bed frame is suitable for contemporary, modern and minimalistic styles. It is available in four colors (white, black, gray and brown) to go with your home decoration, and is tool-free, easy to assemble.
Features: Knickerbocker Embrace Bed Frame
- Color: black
- Item Weight: 72 pounds
- Package Dimensions: 80 x 16 x 11 inches
- Assembled Height: 7.5 inches
- Assembled Width: 60 inches
- Assembled Length: 76.5 inches
Pros: Knickerbocker Embrace Bed Frame
- Extremely Sturdy
- Easy to assemble
- Glides on the floor easily
Cons: Knickerbocker Embrace Bed Frame
- A bit pricier
Beautiful, uncomplicated, and remarkably strong, this Mellow Rocky Base is a treat. The base is made of steel, it features nine patented wide heavy-duty planks which are held together with Velcro to offer further support to your body and mattress. Moreover, it comes with six 2.4” legs, each of them attached with three screw bolts and fitted with a rubber grip to create a reliable anchor to provide exceptional stability and to look after your floor.
Ideal for small spaces and minimalistic style, this is a platform 14” tall bed base that leaves 11” free under it for storage purposes. Its sleek design includes clean lines and neat edges, and it comes with slots for a headboard which offer a great combination of functionality and style. The base is available in a flawless white color, and in six sizes (Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King and California King), please check out the dimensions to get hold of the best fit.
Beyond looks and functionality, this base strikes the perfect balance between endurance and lightness. Its solidity prevents the bed from squeaking while it is easy to assemble, collapse and move. Additionally, it includes a 5-year limited warranty
Features: Mellow Rocky Base E 14″ Platform Bed Heavy Duty
- Product Dimensions: 79.9 x 9.1 x 9.1 inches
- Item Weight: 49.8 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 51.8 pounds
- Manufacturer: Mellow
- ASIN: B072LRRD7W
- Item model number: BP-E-BKT
Pros: Mellow Rocky Base E 14″ Platform Bed Heavy Duty
- Patented Wide Steel Slats
- Heavy Duty Steel Base
- Under Bed Storage
Cons: Mellow Rocky Base E 14″ Platform Bed Heavy Duty
- The frame is quite large so check the dimensions carefully to make sure that it will work for you
The Olee Sleep T-300 is a light, tall, no shift and no creek bed frame with and incredible quality even in the small details. It is 18-inches tall that allows using it with or without a spring box, and it frees 16.5-inches underneath for a storage space large enough to fit in chunky suitcases. Its heavy-duty steel frame, featuring nine supportive slats and nine legs, offers strong support throughout the body, prevents your mattress from sagging and ensures an extended life span of the frame.
As superfluous as it might seem, its bolts are top-notch quality which do not break or strip, which enhances the capacity and stability of the frame: it can hold an evenly distributed weight of up to 2,000 pounds. The design includes raised bars to prevent the mattress from wobbling or sliding and comes with slots to attach a headboard to it.
Despite its sturdiness, it is a very light frame, it arrives neatly packed in a small box to your front door, and it is simple to assemble with diagram and tools included. This also makes it portable and easy to take with if moving out.
With a proven wonderfully responsive customer service, this is a bed frame you can rely on.
Features: Olee Sleep T-3000
- Product Dimensions: 81.5 x 77.5 x 18 inches
- Item Weight: 55.2 pounds
- Item model number: OLM18BF04K
Pros: Olee Sleep T-3000
- Unique and Sturdy
- Easy Assembly
Cons: Olee Sleep T-3000
- The mattress may slide on the frame
This bed frame is functional, portable, will save you effort and loads of space. Its practical design features a heavy-duty stainless-steel frame that includes a metal support system made of horizontal slats and vertical wires that enables it to support up to 1,300 pounds without bending or creaking. Besides, it prevents spring, foam and hybrid mattresses from sagging. For extra stability and support, it comes with six pairs of legs encased in non-marking foot caps.
A classical camp bed, The Modway Horizon Full Bed Frame is ideal for regular usage in the main bedroom, the kid´s rooms, to receive visits, host a pajama party, and even to take it with on a camping holiday. It is available in twin, full and queen sizes in a variety of vivid colors to brighten up and energize your space, and it is multi-purpose. Being 14-inches high, it turns the spring box into an option while allowing considerable underneath space for storage. Light, foldable and detachable, it can be moved from the bedroom to the living room or the studio with ease, and it can be safely stored in a small space. Moreover, the queen size could be used as two twins.
Features: Modway Horizon Full Bed Frame
- Product Dimensions: 54 x 75 x 14 inches
- Item Weight: 40 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 44 pounds
- Manufacturer: Modway Inc.
- Item model number: MOD-5428-GRY
Pros: Modway Horizon Full Bed Frame
- Modern bed frame
- Extra strong
- No box spring
- Foldable bed
- Spacious storage
Cons: Modway Horizon Full Bed Frame
- Frame may slide on hardwood floors
For a stylish and sturdy frame for your mattress, you can rely on Mantua´s Premium Platform Bed Base. The sturdy metal bed base consists of a frame reinforced in the mid junction, a mattress support system, and twelve legs finished with plastic caps. Squeaking-free, it will prevent mattresses from sagging, and it supports a maximum evenly distributed weight of 2,000 pounds per base (the Full XL with two bases holds up to 4,000 pounds) ensuring a safe and comfortable sleep.
At 14” high, it turns the spring box unnecessary for most people while making it a convenient option for tall ones. Under the frame, one will find plenty of space for storage, to keep your pets near but outside your bed, or simply to keep it empty to improve ventilation and a larger sense of space to your room.
This platform is highly adaptable. It can be used independently as a bed frame, it can be placed inside an existing bed frame to enhance the support for the mattress, and -with extra corner brackets- one could attach headboard and footboard. Please check out dimensions before ordering to ensure a perfect fit. Foldable, lightweight, and easy to set up, it will be ready for you to rest in no time.
Features: Mantua’s Premium Platform Bed Base
- Product Dimensions: 41 x 27.5 x 7 inches
- Item Weight: 39 pounds
- Item model number: PB46XL
- Assembled Height: 14 inches
- Assembled Width: 54 inches
- Assembled Length: 80 inches
Pros: Mantua’s Premium Platform Bed Base
- No box springs needed
- Free up under-bed space
- For full XL mattresses
- Quick, easy assembly
- Sturdy and reliable
Cons: Mantua’s Premium Platform Bed Base
- While it is sturdy and reliable, it may not be great for very heavy people
This is a great alternative to traditional bed frames. Although low-cost, it is durable, supportive, and will modernize the look of your bed by replacing the traditional spring box with a contemporary metal bed foundation.
This foundation is made of a heavy-duty steel frame, several vertical wires and thick horizontal bars throughout, and 12 contact points to the floor to make it support up to 1,200 pounds of evenly distributed weight in a stable and safe way. This allows the frame to be used either as a stand-alone foundation or inside another frame to improve mattress support. Either way, it offers incredible sleeping comfort while enhancing mattresses ´lifespan as it prevents them from sagging. It also features caps on the legs to protect your floor and 13-inches of under-bed storage.
The Classic Brands Hercules is available in black in all standard sizes to ensure the best fit for your needs. Backed with a 3-year warranty, it comes straight to your door in a 28-pound small package –(which happens to reduce the carbon footprint!), it is easy to move around even through narrow hallways and staircases, it does not require tools to be assembled, and it will be a breeze to put together.
Features: Classic Brands Hercules
- Product Dimensions: 39 x 38 x 4 inches
- Available Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Full XL, Queen, King, California King
- Supports Any Mattress: Yes
- Profile: 14”
- Under Bed Storage: 13”
- Solid Construction: Yes
- Material Composition: Metal
- Headboard Compatible: Yes (Brackets Sold Separately)
- Easy to Assemble: Yes
- Item Weight: 24 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 28.1 pounds
- Manufacturer: Classic Brands
- Item model number:125001-5010
Pros: Classic Brands Hercules
- Compact
- Under Bed Storage
- Supports memory foam or inner spring to hybrid or latex mattress
- Heavy duty steel frame construction provides superior support
- Foldable platform metal bed frame with durable and rigid surface
- Sleek, contemporary look
- Toolless assembly
Cons: Classic Brands Hercules
- While it is sturdy and reliable, it may not be great for very heavy people
For those of you who like to do your own research, our experts have written a comprehensive Mattress Foundations Buying Guide. This can help you review a lot of useful information, and select the best Mattress Foundations to meet your needs.
if you’re in the market for a new mattress, our Mattress Buying Guide offers expert advice and considerations to assist you in finding the perfect mattress for your sleep needs.
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Sturdy, affordable & holding up great after a few months. It’s common sense that the Zinus 14 Inch SmartBase Mattress Foundation is going to move around a little, along with the bed skirt- just look at the frame. So that shouldn’t be an issue to take a star away. It’s exactly what I wanted & the quality exceeds the price. It folds up well, was super easy to tighten up the few bolts and was ready to sleep on in 15min. I had planned on putting it in the corner of the room, so I wasn’t concerned about any shifting of the mattress. I’ve stored a lot of items under it & at 14 inches my dog can still get in the bed & I can use a standard (not extra long for tall beds, still a twin size) bed skirt to hide my stuff. I’m really enjoying the bed frame, it’s holding my memory foam mattress really well, without sagging and I feel supported all night long.
After considering several different frame options, I purchased this frame to go with my 10″ green tea memory foam mattress, which is also made by Zinus. the mattress does slide a bit and is slightly difficult to keep a bed skirt in place, after some experimenting, placing a rug gripper pad underneath the mattress works wonderfully.
This was delivered in a compacted box (about 36″x24″) and extremely easy to unpack and assemble. It took less than 5 minutes to set up, even without reading any instructions beforehand. I would advise purchasing a small package of metal washers from your local hardware store to increase the stability of the wing nut screws but it also works well without them.
I love the storage space underneath, and the placement of the frame’s legs make it so it can be placed flush against a wall without using a headboard, even with obnoxious baseboard heating systems like my apartment has.
The one downside to this frame is that after a few weeks it did start to creak a bit when I sit on the bed, which is the reason I removed one star from my review.
All in all this is a great bed frame for the price and I would purchase again.
I loved zinus bed, I put it together myself in under 40 minutes, the instructions are so easy to use and you don’t need any fancy tools to put it together. I did have a few issues where the velcro ripped on the metal beams but that’s only to keep it in line, I just eyeballed it and it worked perfectly. The only thing that bothers me is my mattress slides from side to side every once and a while. I have a bed skirt on my bed and I was told to put yoga mats in between the bed skirt and the metal frame to keep from sliding. The box that this comes in is very big, and I live on the 3rd floor of a walk up, that was the worst part. Now that I have had it for some time now, I love this and would recommend it to anyone else. It offers a lot of under bed storage which is great for my small NYC apartment.
As advertised, Zinus frame arrived in a reasonably compact package that could have been taken up stairs and around corners easily. I chose to open it downstairs and carry the two halves up one at a time. Assembly was easy. Open the half, attach the struts on the bottom to secure the end legs, and join the two halves together. I needed no tools. I was short two wing nuts, though. One was int he box, and they had a spare with the bag of hardware.
The platform is a good height for me. It gives much better clearance above the floor as well. I noticed an immediate substantial increase in the firmness of my mattress. YMMV.
I have discovered two design issues that I did not think about prior to buying but wished the designers did. The first is the placement of the legs. They are all the way out to the edge of the platform. That makes it easy to stub your toe on them. The center one on my side of the bed is giving me a lot of problems. So far, it has been with a shoe on, but I am certain that I will do it without shoes soon. Ouch!
The second design issue is that there is no lip on the top to secure the mattress or box springs in place. I flat out gave up using box springs after one try. As soon as I tried to slide my King mattress into position, they slid off the other side. You probably can do a Twin mattress by picking it up and dropping it onto the box springs, and you might be able to do a Full mattress as well. Queen and larger are out unless you have a crew to lift and move the mattress into place.
After reading all the reviews, I took a chance on this product, and I’m so glad I did! Setting it up took less than 10 minutes, and while I was initially concerned about its height, it turned out to be perfect with my mattress, reaching waist height. After using it for a few nights, I’ve come to love it! Our apartment is on the smaller side with limited storage, so this purchase was a game changer. We can now open our closets without anything falling out, and there’s still more space available. I’m definitely going to buy a second (albeit smaller) frame for my son’s room!
I purchased a Milliard trifold mattress (single size) and needed a space-saving, easy-to-set-up frame for travel to my daughter’s. This was exactly what I needed – no assembly required. Just unfold the legs and lock them into place. The frame is only slightly larger than my mattress (75″x25″) but doesn’t bother me at all. It also folds flat and fits in my car. I bought the white one at almost half the price of the black. A great buy!
We bought Zinus 14 Inch SmartBase Mattress Foundation in white from Amazon Prime as a temporary bed while we’re moving. Considering its price, it’s pretty great and we think that we’ll keep it after the move.
Pros – easy to assemble. It took one person less than 30 minutes to put it together. The slats stay put on a nifty velcro system. It has slots for a headboard, we re-used one of ours with no assembly issues. Only one person uses this bed; he’s fit and light weight, and it’s completely stable/sturdy for him with a regular 14″ inner spring mattress. Frame & mattress together make for comfortably high bed.
Cons – the mattress slides around on this bed. The slats are even with the frame instead of slightly dropped in; there’s no frame edge to hold the bed in place. We hope that the mfg decides to make the frame a little deeper as a simple fix for this problem. Although we put a bedskirt on top of the slats, it’s a kludge. If the mattress moves, so does the bedskirt.
All in all, worked for our needs. We can see how this might not be a permanent bedding solution because of the above.
Super solidly build and went together in a snap. I bought 2 Zinus 14 Inch Foundation to make a set of guest room beds/corner day bed/couch type thing so I wanted something that was not too expensive but still relatively comfortable, and they fit the bill.
So I saved myself quite a bit of money on a couch as well as a couple of beds, and the under-bed storage is quite a nice feature in an office/guest room that isn’t really what you’d call huge.
When guests have stayed over they’ve been very complimentary on how comfortable the beds are, and as light as it all is, we can move them together to make a king if people want it that way.
Have Knickerbocker Embrace Bed Frame in the Queen size – works great for extra storage. We found it was a tiny bit too soft with our mattress on one side (heavier partner) but just picked up a thin piece of plywood for under that side and now it’s perfect. Don’t forget to order the corner pieces if you want to attach a headboard easily. By the way – not complaining about adding the plywood – cheaper and easier than the toppers we usually have to add to make the mattress softer. Pretty sure not the only ones who feel like Goldilocks always trying to get it “just right” lol.
I bought Zinus bed a couple of months ago so we have had time to evaluate its performance. First, it was easy to put together. No tools really needed. Just open it up, fold out the legs, put the two sides (full xl has two pieces) together and tighten the wingnuts. My son is over 6′ tall and 200 pounds and moves a lot when he sleeps, but it doesn’t squeak or feel unstable at all to him. We have a different brand’s metal frame bed for my our daughter’s twin bed and it squeaks so I was looking for better quality this time. Also, the space underneath is great. I did have a question about attaching a headboard and the company was very responsive with my questions. I would recommend this product.
I ordered the King-sized 18” which provides 16.5” of clearance under the frame for storage. The shipped weight was 54 lbs according to UPS. It was very simple to assemble. No written instructions, but pictures with letters cross-referenced to the bolts on the parts card. Everything arrived without more than a slight scuff and all the parts lined up.
They did screw up in packing and only sent me one of the headboard frame pieces with slots — so I will try to track down a phone number or email for customer service which is conspicuously absent…. Usually you get something that says “Stop – Missing Parts? — Please call us before returning to merchant”, but nothing like that here.
I used some blue LocTite on all the bolts to hopefully address complaints that things came loose after use. The feet have plastic inserts and all the legs fit flat on the floor so I feel pretty good about not scratching the floor. I may add some felt pads just for added insurance. The metal frame at knee level is definitely different and I see what people were talking about with the center support leg on the sides of the bed being a toe-stubber. I’ll probably add the pool noodle or some HVAC line foam insulation as others have mentioned. So far – so good!
I bought Zinus SmartBase Mattress Foundation a couple of weeks ago when I realized how bad the box spring I was using was.
No issues with shipping damage on either.
Appears to be very sturdy and so far I haven’t heard any squeaking even with movement 😀 We have it on a carpeted floor.
I think it softened the mattress a little compared to our box spring which could be good or bad I guess.
I had originally bought a black version of this Classic Hercules bed frame (not the same vendor, but same style) which broke when I was moving since I got a way to nuts with it. It was for my daughters bed and she lobbied for the pink when I told her I needed to buy a new one. It was little more the original black I had purchased, but her room has a lot of pink in it and she was really unimpressed about moving so, you know, the things we do for love….Anywho, its cute, its sturdy enough for the purpose. It holds my weight and my kids fine together which is probably about 300lbs combined. Sometimes the middle leg gets crooked which I don’t love, but it hasn’t seemed to affect the use. The bed also slides around a little on it, I’m always having to push it back into the correct place, I already knew that would be a thing but if this is your first time investing in a bed frame, FYI.
Love Zinus SmartBase Mattress Foundation! Easy to assemble, very well packaged, good instructions. I was able to move the box into the bedroom by myself (average sized female) and assembly couldn’t have been easier. Hint: don’t tighten all the screws completely until it’s put together and squared up, then tighten each one. This goes for most assembled items. Your life will be easier.
I love the 18″ of storage space below the bed! My hubby and I are active and hobbyists and have diving gear, ski equipment, and crafting/sewing supplies to store. This was perfect for us.
Some things to keep in mind: your mattress thickness. We have a solid foam mattress, which we love, but it’s rather thin compared to most of today’s mattresses. It looked too low on the frame. Using the old wood box springs, it took a running jump to get into the bed and was way too high. Feeling like Goldilocks now, I ordered a 4″ low-profile metal folding foundation which nested perfectly in this platform bed frame, gave added support to our mattress (not a design flaw of this platform bed, just needed with our mattress type), and gave us exactly the height we wanted.
This platform bed is sturdy, no squeaking like the old wooden bed and box springs, easy as pie to disassemble and move when it’s time and I can choose whatever headboard I want (or not at all). I’ll never go back to traditional beds after using platforms like this.
FYI: One more thing… Zinus 14 Inch SmartBase Mattress Foundation has a middle support leg on either side, which is great, except if you’re a little clumsy like me. I kept stubbing my toes on this leg hidden under my bedskirt, so I used that grey cylindrical foam pipe insulation you can get at any home improvement store for a couple bucks. It cuts easily with a knife. I cut 12″ lengths and wrapped one around each of the offending support legs an no more stubbed toes! About a 1 minute project if you have the pipe insulation on hand.
We liked this bed frame so much, we ordered another one for our guest room. More storage!!
Amazing difference between zinus smart base bed frame and our old standard metal box spring frame. We have a King size tempurpedic mattress and box spring set and it fits the embrace frame perfectly. We attached our headboard to the frame as well. I can’t believe how solid and sturdy the bed is. No jiggles or wiggles thanks to the nine solid feet. A breeze to set up. Like another reviewer stated, I wish I bought this frame years ago. It looks nice, too.
Update: loved zinus frame so much I bought a 2nd one for a guest room because I wanted to get rid of a footboard to make more room and make it easier to make the bed. Wrought iron headboard fit just fine. Yeah, it’s pricey but so worth it if you want a sleek look, no bed skirts (although you could use one) and a sold bed with no creaking.