Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
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I recently bought a Stearns & Foster Estate Eureka Springs luxury firm full mattress from Mattress Discounters and I think I may have made a mistake. Even though I came across this forum about a month ago, I still took a chance with an "S" brand. My back was in pain from the hammocking of the old mattress and I bought it due to desperation. For the first few days my back hurt but it gradually went away. The mattress salesman said that my back may hurt for the first week or so because my back muscles were returning back to their normal state after being stretched out due to my previous mattress. It has been 2 weeks now and my back pain has returned! In fact, it hurt so much this morning I had to get up early since I couldn't take it anymore. My girlfriend, whom I share the mattress with, says her back pain has disappeared and has no complaints. Now I am asking myself the following questions: -Should I just wait it out for a few more weeks to see if my back pain goes away? -Is the size of the bed contributing to my back pain? (Should I go for a larger size?)---> It is a full size mattress. I am 5'8", 150lbs. My girlfriend is 5'4", 100lbs. -Is the setup of the bed to blame?--->The mattress rests on a murphy bed platform. -Should I replace the foam inside? -New bed?--->Latex, maybe? -Topper? The comfort guarantee allows me to exchange the bed within 60 days. I prefer not to go that route since they will charge me for delivery and 10% of total costs and I could save that money toward other bed improvements. I am thinking about mattress surgery to replace the foam inside for more premium stuff but I'm not sure how to do that and am concerned with closing it up. I know a lot of people on this forum recommend latex beds, but that will have to be my second to last resort since it is not in my current budget due to the money already spent on the present mattress, but I may buy one down the road so I'm open to suggestions on that as well. That's all the gripes/concerns I can currently think of so please provide any suggestions you can. Thanks in advance! |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
| OK. So after several more weeks my back pain still exists and I am trying to figure out if my mattress is too firm or too soft. I don't get any pain in my shoulders or hips so I'm guessing it is too soft. Would a latex topper help or is my only option mattress surgery? |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
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It's almost certainly too soft even though it may feel too hard. Let me explain: I bought the firmest Englander they had, but it hurt my back. It felt hard to sleep on but when I opened it up it had 3" of unsupportive foam inside (see the thread I linked you to for visuals - make sure you click the link below the first post or so that says SEE ALL POSTS or something like that). So, once I opened it up, with a razor type knife, I saw the 3" of cheap crappy foam, took them out, replaced them with some higher quality foam and then it was great. I'd try getting 2 or4 3 1" layers of latex in various ILD's: maybe a super soft one for the top, and under that a 28ILD and a 32ILD. If you want you can keep the very bottom layer that is over the springs as long as it's less than 1". That will keep your foam from getting "eaten" by the springs. If your springs have a thin dacron layer or something over them, just keep that - anything that's not too thick but will keep your replacement foam from getting damaged by the springs. Just open it up, it's not hard and you really CAN'T go too far wrong. Look at the slide shows on the links I gave you to get the idea. If you feel you need something softer on top, buy a 1" Sensus foam from overstock.com. But I'm feeling more and more that memory foam of ANY type softens too much after a few weeks or so and becomes nearly worthless and can cause back pain. YMMV. But I'd start out with just latex if I were you, on top of the springs. 3" or so should be enough, maybe even 2" is enough. |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
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jimsocal wrote: It's almost certainly too soft even though it may feel too hard.<BR>Let me explain:<BR>I bought the firmest Englander they had, but it hurt my back. It felt hard to sleep on but when I opened it up it had 3" of unsupportive foam inside (see the thread I linked you to for visuals - make sure you click the link below the first post or so that says SEE ALL POSTS or something like that).<BR>So, once I opened it up, with a razor type knife, I saw the 3" of cheap crappy foam, took them out, replaced them with some higher quality foam and then it was great.<BR><BR>I'd try getting 2 or4 3 1" layers of latex in various ILD's: maybe a super soft one for the top, and under that a 28ILD and a 32ILD. If you want you can keep the very bottom layer that is over the springs as long as it's less than 1". That will keep your foam from getting "eaten" by the springs. If your springs have a thin dacron layer or something over them, just keep that - anything that's not too thick but will keep your replacement foam from getting damaged by the springs.<BR><BR>Just open it up, it's not hard and you really CAN'T go too far wrong. Look at the slide shows on the links I gave you to get the idea.<BR><BR>If you feel you need something softer on top, buy a 1" Sensus foam from overstock.com. But I'm feeling more and more that memory foam of ANY type softens too much after a few weeks or so and becomes nearly worthless and can cause back pain. YMMV. But I'd start out with just latex if I were you, on top of the springs. 3" or so should be enough, maybe even 2" is enough. Well the "S" brand mattress that I have is the stearns and Foster estate eureka springs cushion firm. It is supposed to have some memory foam in it, but I don't know how much. Since the springs are pocketed coil-in-coil would I still have to worry about having a thin layer resting on them to protect the layers above? Plus where would I be able to buy 1" latex layers that i can exchange? I wanna make sure I get the right configuration before committing to anything. |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
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I didn't know you had pocketed coil springs. That to my knowledge is a type that no one here has done surgery on, or am I mistaken? Anyway, I have had no experience with pocketed coils, so I can't really tell you that you can do a successful surgery on that mattress! As to latex, I don't think you can just outright buy any 1" latex and then return it if you don't like it. I don't know of any place like that. But it stands to reason that if you replace the cheap foam with latex, it will work for you. Sometimes I do buy foam that I think will work and it doesn't. That's part of the process. Maybe someone here can answer re doing surgery on pocket coils. I have never done that, so cannot advise you. |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
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Sleeplikeabear.com has a 30 day return (not exchange) policy on their latex. There might be a small handling cost and shipping fee you would lose on a return.<BR><BR>1,2,3" of Talatech or Celsion. Various ILDs. Not sure if they have any other types of latex, but you can check their website.<BR><BR>I talked to them and they do not resell returned items. Which is good if you are worried about buying something used, but try to figure out what you want carefully. I would feel a bit guilty returning something knowing that it cannot be resold, unless it was defective or did not perform as expected. One another thing to try is buying 1" and folding it in half to see what 2" will feel like. That gives you a chance to test both 1 and 2 inches, and you can buy the second inch later if you like 2" is better. This message was modified Nov 16, 2009 by sandman
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Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
| I believe Foamsource has a 10 day exchange (no return?) on toppers ordered online. They have Talatech and 100% natural (dunlop??) in 2" and 3". |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
| Well, from looking at Sleep EZ's website I noticed they sold a bed with a combination pocketed innerspring and latex layer called the Luxianna. From this I am assuming that it is possible to have latex layers over individually pocketed springs. I am still wondering how much foam do I need to fill the mattress back to the original height if I do surgery on it and how would I keep it closed and not let any debris, etc from getting inside it? This ends up with me wondering if it takes me replacing the foam in my bed with 2 layers of 2" latex wouldn't I have been better off in just buying a 2 layered latex bed? And one more thing, does anyone know the return policy for Sleep EZ? I am thinking about getting my latex cores from them since Flobeds doesn't seem to sell individual core layers, but I don't understand the wording of their return policy. Is it like Flobeds with the unlimited comfort exchange during the 90 day period? Thanks in advance for any feedback. |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
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I called SleepEz about the exact bed you mentioned. This was about 6 months ago. It seemed the perfect solution to our problems. I was told they they do not ship the innerspring beds outside of their location (AZ.?). If you are located close by, great. They said these types of beds would cost too much to ship. I enjoyed speaking wiht them and found them informative and professional and I wish I could have done business with them. One thing I wanted to ask after reading your thread. Are you sure the mattress is your only problem? Do you have underlying back issues? In other words, are there disc issues, injuries etc... that cause your discomfort, or does the pain go away when you are up after an hour or so and only return after sleeping on the mattress? I learned from my own struggles that a pocketed coil mattress was not a good thing for some back issues. It is great for arthritis and fibromyalgia, but not disc issues. My poor husband suffered for my sake for years on the pocketed coils. His MD very recently suggested a continuos coil mattress with good padding. This helped considerably. He has disc issues caused by a severe car accident 20 years ago. He likes sleeping on granite, but softens it up for my sake. I hope you can get this figured out. A good nights sleep is such a blessing and so necessary. |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
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fubu04 wrote: Well, from looking at Sleep EZ's website I noticed they sold a bed with a combination pocketed innerspring and latex layer called the Luxianna. From this I am assuming that it is possible to have latex layers over individually pocketed springs. I am still wondering how much foam do I need to fill the mattress back to the original height if I do surgery on it and how would I keep it closed and not let any debris, etc from getting inside it? This ends up with me wondering if it takes me replacing the foam in my bed with 2 layers of 2" latex wouldn't I have been better off in just buying a 2 layered latex bed? And one more thing, does anyone know the return policy for Sleep EZ? I am thinking about getting my latex cores from them since Flobeds doesn't seem to sell individual core layers, but I don't understand the wording of their return policy. Is it like Flobeds with the unlimited comfort exchange during the 90 day period? Thanks in advance for any feedback. You do not need to fill the mattress back to its original height. In my opinion doing so is often a mistake because the S companies put a bunch of layers of cheap foam on top, especially if it's anything other than an Extra Firm. For example, my Extra Firm had 3" of cheap foam on top. I know that many of the others like "Comfort Firm" or whatever they may be called, have FIVE inches of cheap foam. The thing is, if you put that much foam on top of the springs you lose the benefit of the springs, in my opinion. What I recommend is cutting the top "tufted" or "Quilted" mattress cover completely off, then fill the mattress with only about 2½ -3½ inches of quality foam. You can use a CuddleBed (CostCo) to cover it and make it look like a normal mattress if you care, or you can just leave it open on top and cover it with your fitted bottom sheet like I do. Later, once you get it adjusted just how you like it, as far as keeping out dirt - and especially dust mites - you can get an allergy-proof cover that zips it all up. I think the web site I have used is nationalallergysupply.com (something like that). I don't use it because I'm always tweaking my mattress, but I should, and most people could, once they get it adjusted the way they like it. It's just that it's hard enough taking off all the bed clothes and changing out layers of foam, without first having to unzip and remove an allergy-proofing type cover. |
Re: Buyer's remorse from an "S" brand! I need a replacement! Suggestions?!?!
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jimsocal wrote: You do not need to fill the mattress back to its original height. <BR>In my opinion doing so is often a mistake because the S companies put a bunch of layers of cheap foam on top, especially if it's anything other than an Extra Firm. For example, my Extra Firm had 3" of cheap foam on top. I know that many of the others like "Comfort Firm" or whatever they may be called, have FIVE inches of cheap foam. The thing is, if you put that much foam on top of the springs you lose the benefit of the springs, in my opinion.<BR><BR>What I recommend is cutting the top "tufted" or "Quilted" mattress cover completely off, then fill the mattress with only about 2½ -3½ inches of quality foam. You can use a CuddleBed (CostCo) to cover it and make it look like a normal mattress if you care, or you can just leave it open on top and cover it with your fitted bottom sheet like I do.<BR><BR>Later, once you get it adjusted just how you like it, as far as keeping out dirt - and especially dust mites - you can get an allergy-proof cover that zips it all up. I think the web site I have used is nationalallergysupply.com (something like that). I don't use it because I'm always tweaking my mattress, but I should, and most people could, once they get it adjusted the way they like it. It's just that it's hard enough taking off all the bed clothes and changing out layers of foam, without first having to unzip and remove an allergy-proofing type cover. Jimsocal: So pretty much all I could need is a single layer of 3" latex over the protective spring layer and it may be sufficient? Also, would I have to worry about the foam encasing the perimeter of the springs? Does it jet above the springs or is it level with it? Happywife: Thanks for your concern. I still want to make an appointment for my back, but I'm not sure if I have any structural issues. My pain does go away after being up for an hour and does return after returning to the mattress. Is this what you and your husband experienced? What was your solution? Thanks everyone for all this feedback. I REALLY appreciate it! |