Is there an alternative to a commercially made mattress?

[Goose To Work]

Hi everyone. 

Several years ago, I bought a mattress.  I did tons of research to make sure I didn't get a lemon... and the conclusion I came to is that most mattresses suck regardless of how much you pay for them.  I think I paid about 400 USD for a Name Brand twin w/o a box spring, so I was expecting at least average performance.

After 3 years and it is saggy in the middle and uncomfortable.  Rather than spend several hundred more dollars on another product with almost no quality control, is there another alternative?   I would be happy with something cheap and DIY.

I occasionally sleep on the FLOOR (carpet, probably over old hardwood) when my mattress starts to hurt my back and make me sore and I wake up feeling pretty good.   I had some hardboard for a while that was both cheap and strong, but it had a strong odor that never went away.... not great for sleep and probably a result of being fabricated with nasty chemicals. 

So here's what I want....... something hard and flat, not so heavy it will break my wooden bed frame, that can be laid over the slats.   And maybe I'll put a *thin* pad and/or a remnant of clean, new carpet on top!  Then, pile on the blankets and pillows and sweet dreams ahoy!  I want it to be as much like the floor as possible while not actually sleeping on the floor.    Odorless would be a huge plus!   

 Any suggestions of what materials I'm looking for?   Both the flat material for support and possibly carpeting supplies that do not have hazardous chemical smells (but this second part is optional).   Thanks!

(PS I could sleep on the floor permanently, but do not want to for several reasons not relevant to my question).

[sisto]

I would recommend a firm foam type mattress from Ikea. Great for the $.

[Hank Sinatra]

Not a handy-man or even an arts & crafts type here but I am in the same situation here. need a new mattress. The old one lasted fewer yrs than it was supposed to. I extended the life of it by buying  a memory foam topper but now even that arrangement is not working and my back hurts!

Alas, I cannot sleep on a slab of carpet covered wood like you

But to address your situ.... I'm just trying to imagine what you need and want. 

Keep the old mattress

Get a slab of that really thick ply wood cut to fit over it. Clean it scrub it, even cover it in shrink wrap if you want. That should avoid any processing fumes.   Just lay it on top.

Cover that with one of those memory foam toppers..

That should give you that stiffness you seem to sleep well on (you must be under 35) and even make it  a bit more comfortable

If you really want to throw the old mattress out do the above on top of the  old box spring.

I don't thing any of this would be too heavy

[TomTX]

We have had an IKEA mattress for ~ 5 years out of a 25 year warranty. Slight sag, not bad yet.

I've heard good things about https://www.tuftandneedle.com/ - a twin is $350.

Over a thousand Amazon reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Tuft-Needle-10-Inch-Mattress-Queen/dp/B00QBZ265U

[patrat]

Forget all that. If what you like is the floor, but want a "not floor" bed, build a floor on top of your bedframe. Either plywood or solid wood boards (like a pine/hardwood floor). The solid wood addresses any wood bonding chemicals. On top of that, put down your carpet pad and carpet of choice. Done well, it might look super trendy in terms of others accepting it.

You may want to look at thermarest brand foam camping pads, they can be pretty firm. No clue what they are made of, but Ive never noticed a scent. Avoid memory foam camp pads, too thin for memory foam.

[Cranberries]

I am curious about this DIY option, but have not tried it: http://openyoureyesbedding.com/

[shelivesthedream]

Tatami mat on the bed frame? Don't know if the dimensions would work out nicely but it sounds right up your street in terms of hardness and longevity.

[srob]

I have had a similar experience with big fluffy commercial mattresses--they tend to sag over time as the foam gets compressed and they hurt my back! My wife and I made our own mattress on the floor last year with camping mats after returning two mattresses (bc they were uncomfortable) and our backs never felt better! we slept on that for 9 months until we got a new bed frame, then we needed another mattress. We brought in the mattress from our rv and have been using that for over a year with great results. It is about 6 inches think and has very little fluff, mostly springs.

I have thought about trying foambymail.com for a firmer, thin mattress. My parents had something similar that lasted for over 20 years, just a thinner foam mattress on a plywood bed platform. I think big commercially produced mattresses are a sham!

[paddedhat]

the mattressunderground.com
sleeplikethedead.com

Two great sites on the topic of sleep, tens of thousands of pages of information, and a forum to ask any mattress question you could possibly dream of.

In our case, we bought a older motorhome a few years ago, and it came with a Tempur-Pedic queen. This thing was nine years old at the time, and showed zero evidence of use. It is an old school style, about 7" thick with three inches of high density, high weight foam, bonded to another 4" of a lighter foam. After a few nights of giving the thing a test run, it became evident that it was the best sleep we ever had. We drug the thing into the house and have been using it ever since. It appears that it will last for many years to come.
Sadly, tempur-pedic products are grossly overpriced, and now a simple mattress like ours is no longer offered in their product line. There are tons of foam mattress options out there, and it is possible to have one built for a reasonable price, to your exact requirements, by smaller manufacturers that don't rape you, in order to spend silly amounts on marketing, or dealer profit. 

[GuitarStv]

As you've discovered, it's possible to be perfectly comfortable and have no back problems sleeping on a carpeted floor.  I did for years, and only purchased a bed because my wife made me.  Why waste money when you know what works?

[TrMama]

You could try a thermarest type camping pad.

Otherwise I'll never, ever buy another spring mattress. The basic design sucks balls. In our pre-mustachian days DH and I bought a king size Tempurpedic mattress. It came with a 20 year warranty and it's been heaven. It's 10 years old now and still feels practically brand new. When we bought it, we couldn't find a knock off that came close to the level of quality, but there are lots of good, cheaper options now.

Several years ago, I bought a twin size high density foam mattress for our DD for less than $200, delivered. It was the previous year's model (on sale) and it may even be more comfortable than our Tempurpedic. If you're close to Quebec it was from Matelas Dauphin.

Whatever you end up with, it sounds like you'd be happiest with a really firm mattress.

[HipGnosis]

I am curious about this DIY option, but have not tried it: http://openyoureyesbedding.com/

I really like the concept, but they don't give enough info on the site to convince me.  The whole thing gives me the impression it's just a proof of concept(s) at this point.

[sheepstache]

How about those high-density foam tiles they use in kids' playrooms or in martial arts places? You'd still want to cover it with a sheet since they're static-y and for ease of cleaning.

[acepedro45]

I am astounded that there are this many people on the forum who also sleep on the floor. I developed the habit after a trip to Japan and using the tatami mats. I thought I was the only one!

I suppose that in a forum full of people who scorn conventional financial wisdom, it shouldn't suprise me that some decide their sleeping arrangements without much deference to what mainstream culture insists is the "proper" way to bed down.

[MMMaybe]

How about a futon? I am thinking about going back to sleeping on one.

[Papa bear]

1" hard styrofoam insulation from the hardware store over 3/4" plywood on bed frame?   Just kind of spitballing here...


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