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“Is My Box Spring Worn Out?” – Ultimate Box Spring Replacement Guide

Has your quality of sleep been disturbed by a saggy mattress recently? It might not be the mattress itself that’s the problem.

A lot of us are quick to blame our mattresses when we suddenly feel uncomfortable during the night or notice a visible dip, but oftentimes, the issue is actually below the mattress with the box spring.

is-by-box-spring-worn-out

If you’re wondering whether it’s possible for box springs to wear out or break, the answer is yes, absolutely. Unfortunately, sleeping on an old and damaged box spring long-term can lead to poor support, mattress sagging, poor sleep and back problems.

Read on to find out how to tell if your box spring is worn out and what to do about getting a replacement.

Need a New Box Spring?

Our Top “Box Spring Replacement” Recommendations:

Best Traditional Box Spring Replacement – U.S. Box Spring Traditional Wooden Box Spring

Best Box Spring Alternative Options – 6 Products You Can Use Instead of a Box Spring

Platform Beds – 25 Platform Style Beds That Do Not Require a Box Spring


How To Tell If Its Time To Replace Your Box Spring: Guide


What’s The Point Of Box Springs?

box-spring-on-frame

The point of a box spring is to provide support for your mattress. In fact, the box spring is one of the oldest and most reliable forms of mattress support, so it’s hardly surprising that so many of us still rely on them every night.

A box spring should be utilized with a solid frame, usually made of wood or metal. It’s covered by a layer of cloth, but inside, there are often coils for the purpose of shock absorption.

In short, a well-built box spring should make sure that your mattress is supported, sitting at the correct height, prevent it from sagging in the middle, and provide shock absorption to keep the mattress in good condition for as long as possible.

How Age Affects Box Springs

broken-box-spring

Unfortunately, even the highest-quality, most well-designed box springs will eventually succumb to age.

The coils and wood inside a box spring are subjected to pressure for many hours every night, which means that over time, they will become less effective.

Admittedly, a box spring should remain in good condition for much longer than your average mattress. You shouldn’t need to replace your box spring more than once every 10 years or so.

Still, when you notice the signs that your box spring is getting old, you should replace it as soon as possible.

Not only can a worn-out box spring make you uncomfortable, but it can actually damage your mattress over time due to a reduction in shock absorption, costing you more money to replace both the box spring and the mattress.

How To Tell If Your Box Spring Is Wearing Out

So, how can you tell whether it’s time to replace your box spring? Well, luckily, when your box spring starts getting too old, it will let you know through one or more of these signs:

  • Sagging of the platform or mattress, often in the center but potentially anywhere in the structure
  • Squeaking, creaking or groaning noises when weight is placed on the mattress or platform
  • Damaged or bent areas

In most cases, unless you opted for a really high-quality box spring, it’s probably time to replace it if it’s passed the 10-year mark.

If you notice sagging in your mattress, be sure to remove the mattress from the box spring to check whether it’s the mattress itself or the box spring that needs replacing.

What To Do When Your Box Spring Needs Replacing

Getting Rid Of Your Old Box Spring

There are many ways you can recycle or repurpose your old box spring. You could simply chop up the wood and take it to a wood recycling plant, but you can also use the wood for creative purposes.

You could also book a pick up with A Bedder World who offers curbside mattress and box spring recycling services nationwide.

Choosing A New Product

When you decide to get rid of your old box spring, you will also need to decide what to replace it with. This could be a brand-new box spring or one of the many modern box spring alternatives.

If you’re torn between purchasing a new box spring and getting a platform base for your mattress, we recommend that you look at the mattress itself. Usually, manufacturers will specify what kind of base is best for the longevity of the mattress.

While, in our experience, most mattresses do absolutely fine on a box spring, there’s no sense in taking chances, especially if we’re talking about a relatively new, expensive mattress. So, see what the manufacturer has to say and follow their guidelines regarding which type of base to put your mattress on.

Bear in mind that choosing a new product to replace your existing box spring isn’t as easy as deciding between ‘box spring’ and ‘platform’. There are several different kinds of mattress support, which vary according to material and structure. These include:

Metal Platforms

A metal platform is one of the sturdiest forms of support of a mattress, provided that the construction is done right. Metal platforms typically look like grids, with legs attached to the bottom and a metal bar down the middle for reinforcement.

Even though metal platforms usually take the form of a grid, you want to make sure that you don’t have any overly large spaces. Gaps should be no larger than 3 inches to avoid sagging.

Wooden Foundations

If you’re looking for a platform that’s as similar to a box spring as possible, we recommend going for a wooden foundation.

A Wooden foundation looks a lot like a box spring from the outside, but when you look closely, you’ll see that there are no springs inside the frame. You may end up with a wooden foundation when you buy a new mattress because they’re often sold together.

This is also the type of mattress support you’ll most often find built into a bed frame.

When we talk about a wooden mattress foundation, we’re talking about something that’s pretty solid for the most part, without gaps. However, there’s another kind of support you should know about.

Wood Frame With Slats

A wood support frame with slats is very similar to a metal platform. It’s basically wooden slats surrounded by a frame, with a longer slat going down the middle to reinforce the slats.

The same rules apply to a wooden slat frame as for the metal platform. You need to ensure that there aren’t any gaps wider than 3 inches, since this tends to cause premature sagging in your mattress.

Best Box Spring Replacements

If you’ve decided to replace your box spring with another box spring rather than opting for another form of mattress support, you’re probably eager to find the best possible replacement. After all, replacing a box spring is not an inexpensive task, so you want to do it as infrequently as possible.

Here are our top box spring replacement recommendations:

Best Traditional Box Spring Replacement – U.S. Box Spring Traditional Wooden Box Spring

Best Box Spring Alternative Options – 6 Products You Can Use Instead of a Box Spring

Platform Beds – 25 Platform Style Beds That Do Not require a Box Spring


The Bottom Line

Box springs eventually wear out due to age, but the good news is, you can tell if a box spring is wearing out. Visible damage, a sagging mattress, and a creaking noise are all potential signs that you need to replace your box spring.

If your box spring is more than 10 years old, consider purchasing one of our recommended replacements today to improve your sleep and peace of mind.

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