Posted on July 29, 2010 by Kim. A platform bed is a bed frame, often with head and foot board, with many wood slats running from side to side, which are preferably no more than 3 apart in order to provide proper support for your mattress. A traditional bed can also have wood slats, but typically has only 1-3 to help support a foundation or box spring. The difference between a traditional bed and a platform bed, is that you can place a mattress directly on a platform bed without a box spring or foundation. With a traditional bed, you would place a box spring or foundation upon the bed frame and then your mattress would be placed on top.