Buying a futon bed is a great choice. A futon bed can be used during the day as a sofa and makes a great bed for sleeping on. However, before buying you should know what futon bed mattress qualities to look for.

It isn't the frame of a futon bed than provides the comfort; it's the futon bed mattress. If you haven't yet bought your futon bed you should be aware that futon beds come in two forms; bi-fold and tri-fold. A bi-fold futon bed folds the mattress in half whereas a tri-fold futon bed folds the mattress into thirds. This means that a tri-fold futon bed mattress isn't as thick or as supportive as a bi-fold futon bed. Therefore, if you're going to be using your futon a lot for sleeping on, then a bi-fold futon bed mattress is a better choice.

A futon bed mattress can be defined with the following qualities: weight, firmness, rigidity, and flexibility.

A lighter futon bed mattress is a good choice as long as it gives the comfort you want. If you're planning on using your futon mainly as a bed then a heavier futon mattress is usually going to be best option.

Firmness is a measurement of the "feel" or "give" of the mattress when used as a sleeping or sitting surface. This quality is what people define as 'comfortable'.

Rigidity is the ability of the futon bed mattress to retain its shape along its edge when being used as a bed or sofa. Rigidity of a futon bed mattress is more important when the futon is being used mainly as a sofa.

Flexibility basically defines how easy folding the futon mattress is going to be. If you are going to folding the mattress daily from sofa to bed back to sofa again, then buying a futon bed mattress with a lot of flexibility makes sense.

Futon bed mattresses are made from a variety of materials. The different materials used in futon mattresses will directly affect the four qualities of weight, firmness, rigidity, and flexibility. The following is a rough guide as to the qualities of futon mattresses made from 100% cotton, cotton and foam, cotton and polyester, 100% polyester, and innerspring.

Futon bed mattresses made from 100% cotton are at the heavier end of the scale, as is its firmness and flexibility. However, the rigidity is quite low. A futon mattress made from a mixture of cotton and foam is much lighter and less firm than that of one made from 100% cotton. The rigidity of a cotton and foam futon mattress is quite high, so is ideal for futons that are going to be used mainly as a sofa. A futon mattress made from cotton and polyester is also light and not too firm. Its rigidity is less than that of 100% cotton or cotton and foam mattress. However a futon bed mattress made from cotton and polyester is quite flexible. A futon mattress made from 100% polyester is by far the lightest of all; it also rates well for firmness and rigidity. A futon bed mattress made using inner springs is by far the heaviest and would only be used when the futon is almost always used as a bed. As you might expect, the rigidity of a futon mattress using inner springs is excellent. The flexibility of an inner spring futon mattress is quite poor, but you would only really buy this type of mattress if the futon is going to be used as a bed most of the time.

Futon beds are a popular choice for many consumers due to their flexibility of function. Before buying a top rated futon bed mattress make sure that the qualities - mentioned above - of the mattress are what you require. If you know exactly what you want before you buy you are going to avoid being disappointed with the purchase of your futon bed.