The Best 12 Mattresses for a Loft Bed

While loft beds do serve the same as any other, more conventional style of bed, they have their own set of characteristics that differentiate them from regular beds. Not every mattress is a great choice for loft beds, but there are mattresses that are exceptionally good as loft beds. 

If you are in search of a mattress for your loft bed, you have come to the right place. This article will go into depth about the best 12 mattresses for a loft bed and what makes each of these mattresses unique. Read on to learn what these top 12 loft mattresses have to offer.

Fortnight Bedding 4-Inch Foam Mattress

This foam mattress by Fortnight Bedding is the slimmest option on our list, but it is also one of the most economical. This would be a great choice if you were working with a loft bed with a shorter rail or if you have a taller loft frame that puts you closer to the ceiling.

The foam used for the mattress is CertiPUR-US certified, making it free of harmful toxins such as:

• PBDEs
• Flame Retardants
• Formaldehyde

The absence of these harmful toxins will ensure you are not only comfortable in your mattress, but also safe from potential health hazards. The last thing you want is a mattress that puts your health at risk. 

Although the mattress only weighs three pounds in all, it has a firm foam foundation that will support your body nicely while you sleep. This mattress is a better choice for children because of its smaller size. Since this mattress is small, you can also take it with you on camping trips or other outings where you might need easily transportable bedding. 

ViscoLogic Econo Flippable Foam Mattress

The ViscoLogic Econo flippable foam mattress comes with a soft cover that is attractive enough to display on your loft bed (no bunkie board or plywood needed).

This mattress is five inches high, and it boasts a medium firmness to provide the support and stability you need with a loft bed. This mattress is a cheaper choice on this list, but most reviews will reiterate the idea that it is best suited for light use or children.

This is definitely worth noting, but in the right cases, the mattress can save you plenty of money and still work well for what you need. Unlight some other mattresses on the lift, the ViscoLogic Econo is flippable. This can give you longer use as you can rotate the mattress if it begins to depress in certain areas.

This is a great choice if you need a starting mattress for a small child or an option for a lofted bed in a guest home or recreational vehicle. Seeing as it is lighter weight, the VisoLogic Econo may also make more sense for those who may have difficulties lifting the mattress to change the sheets.

Lucid 5-Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress

This mattress by Lucid has two layers, making it the thinnest multi-layered option on the list. The dual layers are better for someone who is looking for something that has both lush and supportive qualities.

On the top, you have one inch of soft cooling gel that helps keep you cool at night, something that memory foam mattresses struggle with. The entire mattress is constructed with an open-cell design that increases the airflow to help you maintain proper body temperature as you sleep.

The bottom four inches are a supportive base foam to maintain an appropriate level of firmness and support. A major worry about memory foam mattresses on loft beds is that they will sag between the slats, but the firm foam effectively combats this issue.

The Lucid mattress is CertiPUR-US certified, so you will know that it has passed a strict test of safety regulations before making its way into your lofted bed frame. The certification is done by laboratories independent of the manufacturer, so you can be assured that the results are authentic.

Zinus 5-Inch Memory Foam Mattress

This five-inch mattress from Zinus is listed for bunk beds, trundle beds, or day beds, but we have found it to work perfectly for lofted beds for a number of reasons.

The bed comes in three different colors: khaki, blue, and pink. Like the ViscoLogic mattress, this gives you something that will not be an eyesore to look at when you are underneath the bed. This can also be an exciting feature for a child graduating to a larger bed.

The Zinus five-inch mattress is firmer to help distribute weight over its lower profile. In all it has one inch of memory foam, one inch of foam specialized to relieve pressure, and three base inches that are dense enough to give you plenty of support.

Like the other mattresses, it is CertiPUR-US Certified. This mattress also features Zinus’s biofoam, which replaces petroleum with plant oil to help keep the mattress fresh while reducing the impact on the environment and your health.

Jingxun 5-Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress

This final slim mattress is the five-inch mattress from Jingxun comes in two shades of blue: a deeper navy and a brighter, ocean water blue. The beautiful, soft cover is also hypoallergenic and washable.

The mattress has three different layers

• A top inch of memory foam
• An inch of foam for comfort
• Three inches of foam for support

Many reviews are stunned by the level of support offered by such a thin mattress, so you can be sure that this will work great on top of your loft bed, especially with the help of a solid bunkie board or plywood base.

The mattress is made to offer continuous airflow for superb breathability as you sleep. The fabric will not agitate your skin, and the mattress will aid in your rest by adapting to both body temperature and environment.

Zinus 6-Inch Foam and Spring Mattress

This Zinus six-inch foam and spring mattress come as a set of two, so it works well if you have multiple lofted beds you need to outfit for a low price (or even just two beds of the same size).

Though this is thicker than previously mentioned mattresses it is still a firm option. The mattress has a layer of foam on top of an innerspring base. This is a great option for someone who does not want to commit to the foam mattresses that are commonly recommended for loft beds.

The Zinus mattress is CertiPUR-US certified. There is also a 10-year limited warranty that comes with your purchase.

Inofia 6-Inch Cool Memory Foam Mattress

Inofia’s six-inch mattress is a bit pricier, but well worth it if you need a thicker mattress with cooling technology. This is a mattress that will both mold to and cradle your body, all without letting you sink into the slats of your loft bed frame.

The mattress is CertiPUR-US certified and features foam that is durable, healthy, and environmentally friendly. Despite being foam, it is designed to allow continuous airflow. The knitted top cover is also skin-friendly, meaning it is not likely to cause irritation even with direct contact.

The cooling technology not only disperses body heat to prevent larger patches of heat, but it releases any moisture. This can be especially helpful if you are prone to sweating at night.

The foam is also effective at minimizing motion, so this is a good choice for those easily disturbed in your sleep.

DHP 6-Inch Quilted Top Bunk Mattress

The DHP six-inch mattress may be defined as a bunk mattress, but that actually works perfectly for loft bed frames. After all, what are loft beds other than bottomless bunk beds?

There are both twin and full options that can meet your specific needs, but both have a plush medium firmness. The mattress is labeled as microfiber, but it features an easy-to-clean cover of blended polyester and cotton. The mix allows for easy cleanup without irritating your skin.

In terms of certification, the DHP mattress is GREENGUARD Gold Certified. This means that it has passed numerous safety regulations relating to low chemical emissions.

This is an innerspring mattress, so it will be easier to stay cool at night. The springs also provide ample support and pressure relief for your joints. However, this mattress will not be a great choice for small children or anyone else prone to falling off the bed because of the increased buoyancy.

Olee Sleep 7-Inch Memory Foam Mattress

As one of the more plush options on the list, the Olee Sleep seven-inch memory foam mattress may require a more solid base, but that is a fine compromise if you are not a fan of firmer beds.

• The mattress has one inch of gel foam on top to help disperse any increasing temperature as you sleep
• There are two and a half inches of convoluted foam below that to increase ventilation and help distribute body pressure
• The base layer of high-density foam will work to support joins with an ample 3.5 inches

All this is encased by an easy-to-clean poly jacquard cover. This protects the foam of the mattress, but it also keeps clean up and maintenance easy on you.

Sealy 8-Inch Foam Mattress

This eight-inch mattress from Sealy is made up of conventional foam, with two different densities to provide a well-rounded foundation. The dual layers work well together to ensure you have support that is not taxing on your joints and muscles.

On the top is two inches that serve to both cradle your body and adapt to its unique shape. Underneath that is a six-inch layer of foam that gives you both support and stability. Open-cell technology allows for increased airflow.

All of this is wrapped up in a knit cover that is smooth to the touch and breathable, ensuring top-tier comfort and a high level of protection. Breathability is important even if you live somewhere with a cooler climate. It reduces irritation and improves comfort.

Sealy does recommend the use of a platform or box spring with the mattress, so you might want to purchase a platform layer to improve the quality of your sleep.

If you are one to depend on brand name for quality, Sealy is going to be your top choice. The company boasts more than 130 years of mattress expertise, and all of this goes into developing mattresses that get the job done, even when they are hoisted up onto a loft bed frame.

Sealy 8-Inch Memory Foam Mattress

Sealy is popular mattress manufacturer that has strength in their brand, so it is no surprise they made it on this list twice with this memory foam option that distinguishes itself from the eight-inch conventional foam mattress.

While the previous mattress has two layers of conventional foam, this one features memory foam for a more cradling and intimate sleep. The top later forms well to your body as you sleep and adjust while the bottom one provides a firm base for your sleep.

Because memory foam is criticized for its inability to handle body temperature well, Sealy has infused the memory foam with CopperChill technology to keep you cool while you sleep. This proves to be an effective way of managing fluctuating body temperature throughout the night.

Because of how well it conforms to the body, the Sealy eight-inch memory foam mattress is great for all different styles and ways of sleeping, including:

• Back sleepers
• Stomach sleepers
• Side sleepers

Overall, this is a great thicker option for your loft bed that features memory foam.

Linenspa 8-Inch Memory Foam and Innerspring Hybrid Mattress

If you need a budget option that is still on the thicker side the Linenspa eight-inch memory foam and innerspring hybrid mattress are perfect for you.

The mattresses are constructed with a quilted memory foam layer on top for increased comfort followed by another layer of memory foam. The base is six and a half inches of tempered steel springs to offer you the additional benefits of an innerspring mattress.

These coils contribute to the medium firmness of the mattress that is not easily achieved by memory foam on its own, so it is a great option for someone seeking out the traditional support that the springs offer.

The memory foam is hypoallergenic and less likely to irritate you than other mattresses that cannot claim the same. Memory foam on top of the innerspring will help you align your spine while minimizing the pressure put on your spine as you sleep.

Does a Loft Bed Need a Boxspring?

While your view of a traditional mattress set up may include a box spring, this actually was not popular until the 1980s and 1990s. Before this time most mattresses were supported by the bed frame, and recent trends have reverted back to this.

When you are outfitting a loft bed you will want to bypass the box spring because it will make the bed:

• Unusable
• Unsafe
• Unattractive

The additional height added by a box spring can lift the mattress to a height that renders it unusable. Box springs can add up to nine inches onto the bed, and that gets you a lot closer to a ceiling than you were before. This issue is especially noticeable if your loft bed is in a room with low ceilings.

Furthermore, the additional height puts the mattress at a height that is not safe. Loft beds are equipped with a guard rail to keep you from rolling off while you sleep. This guard rail should be tall enough to reach over the height of your mattress, but the chances of it being taller than a box spring is slim.

The least pressing issue is that a box spring just does not look great in a loft bed. With traditional frames, you can cover it using a bed skirt or the frame itself, but in a loft frame, neither of those are options.

What to Use Instead of a Box Spring

Most loft beds are equipped with slats that cross over the frame to hold the mattress up, but if you bought yours second-hand you may have to make them yourself. This is most easily done with a wooden frame, so make sure any metal loft beds have adequate slats.

The easiest route to go would be to buy replacement slats for your loft bed if needed. You can also make them, but you may spend just as much on material as you would the replacement slats.

You can forgo the slats and use a sheet of plywood cut to fit on the inside of your frame to provide a solid foundation for your mattress to rest on. This is a better option for thinner, more flexible mattresses. Hardwood is best suited to this task, so look for something like quality oak to provide the best foundation.

Something like a bunkie board can also provide additional support while looking sleek. Even if you have horizontal slats on your loft bed, you might opt to add the board to cover up the bareness of your mattress on the underside of the bed. These also run vertically, so the cross support can create a solid base.