Mattress Forum

Unfortunately yes, it is definitely possible that the mattress has lost it's original qualities. This is one of the biggest complaints you will see on this forum (and many other places) and the problem is common to all the larger mattress manufacturers (the "S" brands and others). The reason is their liberal use of lower quality polyfoam in one sided mattresses. This is an even bigger issue in pillowtop or eurotop mattresses that use this material since there is usually more of it to "break down". Part of the problem as well is that this is not usually covered under a warranty unless the impressions are over a certain depth (usually 1.5" but often more) without any weight on it and the warranty does not cover any issues regarding the loss of the foam's qualities if it just barely manages to spring back enough to be less than this amount. You were fortunate to have the mattress replaced the first time (most warranty issues are denied).

Have you tried for another replacement (hopefully this time for something without a poly pillowtop or eurotop). While it's not likely they would go along with this, it may be worth a try just to see what they say. Failing that I would recommend you do a bit of research and ask a few questions here before you replace it or try to "fix" it (which is difficult). There are many good options out there but unfortunately there are also many poor ones and the good ones are often "overwhelmed" by the marketing and "noise" that is being made by the dominant companies in the industry.

Phoenix

We are in the process of replacing a 10-year-old Stearns & Foster that held up well. From what I see now, many midline mattresses have cut quality to hold prices down. I don't think anything of the supposed "no flip" mattresses - the only thing that got us eight good years out of the S&F was that it was a basic firm style and we could flip and rotate it frequently. With a Euro-top, you can only rotate, so you're going to get "canoes" a lot sooner, even assuming that all material and maker quality is the same as your old mattress. Three years on a midprice mattress with no flipping... and you get depressions of several sorts, mostly in the morning when you wake up un-rested and achy again. (Trust me, I know... we're grimly sleeping out the last couple of weeks on our old mattress.)

Many things have convinced me to give up on innerspring mattresses, especially euro/pillow tops that can't be flipped and even more especially on the uber-luxury ones that seem to bury all the basic flaws of innerspring design in huge layers of (often cheap) foam and padding for heart-stopping prices.

Quality foam has become un-fraggin'-believably expensive in the last few years while mattress prices have remained substantially the same - that alone should tell you something about the quality of what we bought in 2000 with anything bought 7-8 years later. (We have a top-quality Italian leather sofa that we're going to be getting rid of soon, because the seat cushions are shot and all aspects considered, it's not worth over $1,500 in new materials alone for a restoration - the new seat leather needed is 1/4 the price of the new foam!)

I don't know what your budget is but I'd seriously recommend you look at a quality foam mattress over an innerspring of any quality or level of padding. Putting the money directly into the foam and not into an innerspring core and layers designed to mask its flaws made more sense... to me, at least. YMMV. Start by looking at TempurPedic or a quality latex and see if you can make those fit in your budget and under your achy back.

Phoenix, regarding your question about whether I've tried for another replacement, yes, I've already gone down that path, unsuccessfully. I spoke with the manager of the mattress retailer, who (supposedly) spoke with the folks at Serta, and all they would do is offer me $200 of a new set because I was outside (by 3 months) the original 10-year warranty of the original set.

Gunner, regarding your question about whether our weight has gone up, maybe a little, but not much. My wife and I are in our mid-30's and might be 5 - 10 pounds heavier than we were 10 years ago when we were in our mid-20's. But we're both fairly fit and active people and neither of us is overweight. My wife probably weighs about 120 and I'm about 175.

Phoenix, you mention something about fixing a mattress. Is that really an option? Who would perform such a thing? Is the "fix" we're talking about basically an upholstery fix where the padding materials are replaced?

I was having trouble believing that a 3-year old mattress could be shot and in need of replacement. But it sounds like that is very likely the case. I don't really know yet what my budget is, but I'll be willing to pay a bit more if it means a) better nights' sleep for my wife and I, and b) a longer laster mattress set.

Let me ask one question that I probably know the answer to: Do I need to get a new foundation if it was deemed by Serta to be perfectly fine for the new mattress they replaced our old one with? (I believe the answer is yes based on what I read in the "What To Look For In A New Mattress" part of this site's Buying Guide. Specifically the part in all capitals that says, "BUY THE WHOLE SET, MATTRESS AND BOX SPRING.")

There are really two ways to "fix" a mattress with "issues" of construction ... both of which are difficult.

The first is by using toppers. This is difficult for many reasons including that you are turning comfort layers on the top of the mattress into support layers and their firmness is not usually suitable for this. The second and this is even more specific to your situation is that the toppers will only follow the coutours of your mattress and if they are already dipping or have lost their resiliency under weight, then the topper will not fix this and your sleeping position would likely be out of alignment.

The second is through mattress surgery. This is possible if your support layers (the deeper foam or the innersprings) are still good and would provide a good base to build on. This involves taking your mattress apart and rebuilding it with new layers that you buy. It is certainly less expensive than buying a whole new mattress and could be a real learning experience but it would take time and effort. If you look at the main page of the forum and click on "highlighted threads" you will find several threads with really good information from several who have done this. I think it would be fun and someday (hopefully a long time from now!) I would love to do this.

As far as a boxspring, that depends entirely on what new mattress you buy. Some need a boxspring and some (like all foam mattresses without innersprings) need a solid or slatted foundation without springs in it. Many innerspring mattresses you could buy would likely do fine on the boxspring you already have but some depend more on a matching boxspring in their design than others. For me it would depend on which matress I bought, how much the boxspring cost, and what it's specific benefits were for that particular mattress. My tendency if I were to buy a new innerspring mattress would be to use the one you have if it was appropriate. (added later) All of this of course is assuming that your boxsprings after 10 years really are still fine. They may not be 3 years later. That decision though can come when you decide what is next.

Phoenix

PS: there is a product that can be purchased (don't have the link handy) that is made thicker where the dips are and thinner where they're not which in some cases can provide a "sort of" temporary fix. There are other products that can be put under the mattress to "shore up" the sagging parts. Neither of these take into account that besides the sagging that the foam itself is likely degraded so I would consider them at best to be temporary and partial "fixes" on the way to a better mattress.

Found a few examples

On top: http://www.the-pillow.com.au/resources/mattress_topper.php

Underneath: http://www.asseenontvguys.com/mattress-medic.aspx

Underneath: http://www.contourliving.com/p-201-mattress-wizard.aspx

And I guess you could have it "fixed" as well at a place like this http://www.mattresswarranty.com/Services.html