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As some of you old timers here know, I have been building my own mattresses for years, from hd foam, latex and memory foam. My latest experiment (as of the last 2 years or so) has been to put hr foam and various latex and/or memory foam toppers over hr foam cores in a tri-zoned, layered manner - all this over my old Sealy springs. I have never been 100% happy with this but I think in part it's because these have not been good springs. Also because my back hurts NO MATTER WHAT I sleep on. (I've slept on tons of different mattresses, from flobeds to Tempurpedic to Spring Air to Englander to Jiron etc. and all of them leave me with a stiff back after about 5-7 hours sleep. However, some are worse than others...Actually the best of all has been the Jiron, but they are only available in Central America.) Anyway, using my own foam over Sealy springs was achieved by doing mattress surgery, tearing everything out that was sitting on top of the springs of my Sealy mattress, leaving the side coth of the mattress, and replacing everything inside with the above, then putting a cuddlebed topper over the whole thing. Anyway, the problem is that the Sealy springs, which are about 7 years old now, are clearly shot. I can feel the lack of support in the middle of the springs where my mid-section is. So what I want to do is buy the cheapest durable springs I can get. Any ideas? I am clearly open to thinking outside the box. I could buy a cheap S mattress - even used - and then perform surgery on it - as long as I know that the springs are still good. Or I could look for a sale on a new S mattress and, hey, even sleep on the new mattress and see if I like it. If not, tear the cheap crappy foam it is made with out of it and replace it with my HR foam etc. But I've also been wondering about maybe using one of those wood slatted type deals that some latex mattress sellers recommend - the ones that are adjustable for firmness of the wooden "springs" (slats). Anyone tried one of these for their latex or mem. foam? Know of one that I might consider? I am thinking it would be impossible to just go out and buy the "springs only" from a manufacturer who could sell me the mattress before they put the cheap pu (good name for it) foam on top to create an S mattress... If I go the route of buying an S mattress just for the springs, which brand has the best bang for the buck? Who would have the best springs for the money? Englander? (I once slept on an Englander that I actually liked. The main reason I didn't buy one was because they had no sleep guarantee - you buy it, you're stuck with it, period. Are Sealy and Spring Air springs the same? Anyone here maybe a mattress dealer who can steer me towards the best springs in a cheap S no-frills mattress? Note: I have not googled all this yet, I thought my first stop would be here to see if maybe someone here has some ideas off the top of their head before I do a major search elsewhere. As you may imagine, looking for and reading tons of web sites for spring specs doesn't sound real inviting... |
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Hey, Jim; I know what you are going through. Try the Leggett and Platt site http://www.beddingcomponents.com/innersprings.asp On the left, they list their springs. Look down the list and check out the bottom one...their newest. I am having wonderful luck with Offset Coils from them. I had a bed made(in Fresno) using these coils. I had, through tons of research, found that offset coils work the very best for me, but would NOT buy a S&F ever ever ever again(or Sealy, because they own them) due to their lack of warranty(we're sorry that your back is killing you in your NEW bed but your comfort really doesn't concern us). My bed now has just 4" of polyfoam over cotton batting and the insulator and burlap. That and real springs in the box springs and I am a happy camper! Sealy does have the best, most long lasting springs from what I've heard. Maybe look for a Sealy super-duper pillowtop, one of their high end ones, that has been donated or is for sale cheap...because their top of the line stuff is so overpadded it gets very very uncomfortable really fast. Look on Craigslist. The label on the end tells the date of manufacture. Research which beds have the springs you want. The box springs are important too. If you get lucky, you might find the whole package practically new, take off the useless padding on top and replace it with your own. Then you've got something!!! Let us know how this goes! Kait This message was modified Jan 12, 2009 by Kait
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Kait, thanks for the site. I will check it out. I am curious why you think box springs are important? While I am currently using them, I basically am only using them because they raise the bed up further and I have them so figured I may as well use them. I have always felt they were pretty useless and in the past I just used foam on the floor, no springs under the foam mattress, no box springs either. And that seemed to work as well as the set up I currently have. (That is, it's hard to say for sure because of my constant back pain or arthritis or whatever the heck it is that causes my back to hurt every morning of my life!) Anyway, what is your theory on box springs? To me all they do is provide more "give" which may or may not be a good thing (in my case I'm beginning to guess "not" and may well go back to non-box springs soon.) I like your idea about looking for a used mattress on craigslist. As long as I can see the date of it so I know the springs aren't shot (assuming no one jumped up and down on it), then that would probably get me some good springs. |
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You might find what you are looking for at a thrift or local "bargain" or close out store. Here in N. Florida there are a few shops that sell 2nd hand but also scratch and dent and demo units that are in "new" condition (haven't been used) but cannot by law be sold as new. One of these stores is featured on a radio station called "The Bargain Channel" and they quite often are selling mattress sets - usually king or queen - that have been used in Trade Shows or in furnished development "model" homes - and they always say the mattresses have not been slept on and are still in the plastic. Sealy and Serta with prices usually $300 to $500 for complete set of mattress and foundation. Cathy and I are confirmed bargain shoppers and always prefer to buy a demo or close out unit of ANYTHING instead of buying at MSRP or full retail so check around to see if there are any closeout stores in your area. You can also inquire at mobile home and new development for the contact info for the companies that furnish their model homes - these companies are always selling stuff way, way below retail. Finally and - sorry - off topic - but you mentioned all the mattresses you have tried but I don't think I saw waterbed in that mix. My bride suffers from multiple and degererative back conditions from mid back to lower back and the ONLY mattress she can sleep comfortably on and she regularly gets 8 hrs without pain is our extra waveless, extra firm, extra lumbar waterbed mattress and a big plus is they're firmess adjustable and heated - LOL but it's true. Best of luck finding your new springs. Jim |