What Is a Zip and Link Mattress?
A zip and link is two single mattresses joined along their long edges by a zip, sitting on two linked bases. Made up with one large sheet it reads as a Super king; unzipped it is two singles.
The sizes
| Joined size | Made from |
|---|---|
| King 150 × 200 | 2 × 75 × 200 |
| Super king 180 × 200 | 2 × 90 × 200 |
| Emperor 200 × 200 | 2 × 100 × 200 |
Note the length: zip and link is a 200 cm format, so a Double-length frame at 190 cm will not take one.
The four reasons people buy them
1. Two people who want different firmness
This is the one that actually cannot be solved any other way. No single-core mattress is genuinely soft on one side and firm on the other; anything sold as such is a compromise with a label on it. Two halves, two specifications, one bed — see choosing for two people.
2. A big weight difference
Same logic. Each half is specified for the person on it, so neither of you is sleeping on a mattress built for someone else's body.
3. Stairs and access
A Super king mattress will not go up many Victorian staircases or round a tight landing. Two singles will. If your last delivery ended with a mattress standing in the hall, this is the fix.
4. A room that changes use
Holiday lets and guest rooms that need to be a twin one week and a double the next. Unzip, part the bases, remake.
The honest drawbacks
- You can feel the join. Less than people expect, but it is there. A topper across the full width removes it entirely, and most zip and link owners use one.
- Bedding. You need one large fitted sheet, which slightly defeats the twin-room flexibility unless you own both sets.
- You need the right base. Two linked bases with a coupling, not one platform. Buying zip and link mattresses onto a single divan does not work.
- Cost. Two mattresses and two bases usually comes out above one of each.
How to choose the two halves
Work out each person's firmness independently — position first, then weight — using firm vs medium vs soft. Keep the depth identical on both halves even if the firmness differs, or you will have a step down the middle of the bed.
What we make
We do not stock a zip-and-link product as such. What we do is cut two singles to the same depth in whatever firmness each of you needs — 90 × 200 twice for a Super king, for instance — through made to measure. You supply the linking base and the zip cover, which most bed retailers sell separately. Tell us in the order that the two are a pair and we will match the depths exactly.
Common questions
Can I zip two different depths together?
Physically yes, comfortably no. Match the depths.
Is it the same as two singles pushed together?
No — pushed-together singles drift apart. The zip and the base coupling are what stop the gap opening.
Do hotels use these?
Constantly. It is why so many hotel rooms can be twin or double on request.