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I feel like I'm taking advantage of everyone's mattress knowledge but I keep having friends ask me mattress related questions I can't answer! For example: My best friend in Port St John, FL (near Melbourne and Orlando) didn't know better and bought a S & F pillowtop last year from a Sears Outlet. It was obviously a comfort exchange and they started sinking in a week's time. I told her about "mattress surgery" which I learned about here! She's going to cut off her topper and if that doesn't cure the dip in the middle, she going to open the top and pull out all the compressed foam. (I've already had her check the frame and it has a supported middle bar). They are hot heavy people but due to past surgeries she and her husband need pressure point relief. He also has a new cancer diagnosis.They are side sleepers. They don't have much too spend and I would love to find a foam outlet in the area or on the internet that could supply a good quality topper, both a flat and eggcrate topper so we can build the mattress up from the springs. The cost of latex is out of the question for them. I found a great PU foam eggcrate topper myself at a foam outlet near my house and it has lasted 10 years without any breakdown. But it is entirely different than what you purchase retail: denser and about 3 inches thick. The sellers don't know the ILD but it is quality foam that is close to furniture grade, my guess. Any ideas and knowledge would be greatly appreciated. I never realized a little mattress knowledge could bless so many friends. I guess you guys who'be been around her awhile knew that already didn't you?! |
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Foam stores are the best place to start, as long as you're not looking for latex. Your topper sounds like HR foam. Good quality HR foam can last 15 years or more without compressing or degrading. HR is the way to go. It comes in a wide variety of ILDs so you can customize the comfort level or build up from a firm base to a softer top layer. Check the phone book in Orlando or Melborne. If they aren't adverse to a little drive, Tampa might have more options. Here in the L.A. area we have a lot of discount foam stores that have great prices on their stock so you can really put a mattress together for less money. Many foam stores also carry memory foam which is great for the top most layer to relieve pressure points. Foam stores often carry a variety of densities your friends can test them out to see what suits them best. However, their immediate problem could very well be resolved by removing the pillowtop--notorious for sagging big time almost immediately. The foam underneath might be just fine for the time being, and if the mattress is too firm they might be able to get by simply by adding a memory foam topper. They don't even need to spend a lot of money. I have a rather expensive 2" 4lb visco topper that felt great on my old mattress but too soft on my new one. So right now I have a $39 1" probably 3lb topper from Overstock.com on the mattress--which was just enough to give me a pop of extra cushiness without undermining the support of a mattress that's already pre-loaded with four or five inches of foam to begin with. In otherword, foam stores are great, but sometimes you can find a better deal on the web. |