How to cut open pillowtop and refill?
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Please forgive me for this post, but I'm having a hard time finding the answer with the search function of this forum. I'd like to see if i can fix my pillowtop by cutting just the top open and refilling with towels or something (I heard towels from someone here, thought I don't remember where). I'd really appreciate if someone can give me detailed instructions and possibly even pictures. I'm terrible at all this stuff involving sewing and cutting, and I'm a little freaked out by it, and I don't know what to expect. So I'd like as much help as possible. Thanks! |
Re: How to cut open pillowtop and refill?
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The only time I'd do this is when your pillowtop has indentations but your overall bed is pretty good. There is no solution other than getting a new bed once that has happened. Toppers just make the hole deeper and less comfortable. What I did was to take an exacto knife(the craft kind, not the box cutter kind...for me it is easier and cleaner)and start just under the top seam at the upper part, going around the bottom and back up the other side. I left the top(wall side) alone. Then I flipped it up and examined what I had in there. If you need time to ponder, you can close it back up and shop for foam. If you have foam to use, or whatever, you can dive in. Typically the layers of foam are glued together...like spot welds. I mostly took my hands and wedged them apart as needed. Or a sharp knife, or exacto. You'll figure it out. Chances are there are layers of soft polyurethane foam in there that have just lost their cushioning in spots. It is your decision how to proceed and with what. Lots of choices out there. You might, depending on the springs you find, try laying on them without the pillowtop and try to determine exactly what you want it to feel like. If the springs themselves have softened(more rare than the foam dying, but I'm sure it happens)then your bed is toast. Meanwhile, it will be educational!! Kait |
Re: How to cut open pillowtop and refill?
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Hi mybackhurts...I am a mattress surgery survivor. This is my post op report. Hope it helps you. Thanks to the help and photos here from kait, cloud9, billb and others I took the plunge. Photos are hard to find on this board and the one I posted has fallen off. I wish I had the time to post some of my surgery, but I don't right now, so I hope my text is sufficient. I opened my chattam & wells with an exacto knife to start, but ended up using large scissors to cut the top off. I placed my first cut in the corner on the top above the welt. My thinking was that leaving the top welt in place would provide edge support with the top removed and I think that it was a good decision for me. I know some have started on the side below the welt but I was afraid that the side would be too loose. Anyway, the first cut is scary and I was careful to start in an exploratory fashion so to speak. I had a cutaway photo of my mattress but it was still scary. I cut thru the top and stuck my finger in to see what was going on. In my case the foam on top was quilted into the top cover. I wasn't sure where my body impressions were coming from so I took the time to un-quilt the foam from the cover, but it was not necessary since I ended up removing the whole top cover and the 1.5 inches of foam. The foam looks ok, but it is not. Apparently, the foam breaks down and looks fine but the bubbles are actually broken which is why it flattens out where you sleep. Amazing how 1.5 inches of foam can feel so good when new and ruin the whole bed when it goes bad. Just below the foam I have a very thin layer of latex and it seemed fine so all I had to do was replace the foam. The bed is fine without it but I wanted my old cushy feeling back. So, I replaced it with 1.5 inches of latex. I don't know what the idl is cuz I bought it as a topper that was 1.5 inches memory foam and 1.5 inches latex in a very nice cover (sam's club online only). I had to separate the topper layers cuz the mem foam was spot glued to the latex, which wasn't that hard with hubby's help. I was also able to use the topper cover which stretches over the who shebang and all is well. We tried all combinations of replacement foam/memory foam we had from previous attempts to fix the body impressions. We also took the time to try overnight to see if we were satisfied. We found that 3 inches of memory foam was too much sinkage. The 3 inch combo topper from sam's club felt better firmer but it still wasn't the best I thought it could be. Yes, my husband thinks I'm nuts, but he can sleep on anything. Thankfully, he was willing to help me muscle through all the variations. Anyway, I had a thought that the memory foam was the problem so I separated the layers and tried them separately and we both liked the 1.5 inches of latex better than the 1.5 inches of mem foam. Knowing what I know now, and if I didn't have some toppers to play with, I would order two 1 inch latex layers in several soft idl's so that I could play with them. Each bed is different. I ordered the same 3inch mem/latex topper for my daughter's hard as nails, almost unbearable NYC studio rental and it made a huge difference which is why I thought it would work on my bed, but it was too thick and splitting it ended up being a good solution for us. My admonition to you is to go slow and remove a layer at a time and have something on hand to replace the pu foam with so you have a place to sleep. I would have at least one 1 inch latex avail to start. I also ordered the cuddle bed but it wasn't necessary in my case. Any mattress cover with stretchy sides to fit over the replacement top and mattress will do fine. In my case I have the latex inside the topper cover then the mattress cover. Good luck. JoJo This message was modified Jul 23, 2009 by JoJo
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Re: How to cut open pillowtop and refill?
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Kait, thanks for your response. I'm pretty sure it's just the pillowtop that has degraded, not the actual springs. Jojo, I will try to follow your advice. I remember seeing your pictures at one point, but like you said, i can't find them anymore. If I gave you my email address, would you be able to email them? Thanks. |
Re: How to cut open pillowtop and refill?
| I only posted a picture of a cutaway of my bed...not the surgery, you don't have the same bed so it won't help. There ARE some photos here of surgery. If you look at cloud9 old posts you will find his/her surgery also was it kait that had some? Billb, can you point him in right direction for surgery photos? |