New Mattress

[gdbontly]

PI installs a very nice box spring and mattress set, but we've become accustomed to sleeping on a Tempur Pedic mattress (me for the past 10 years, and Jan for the past 3 years). Knowing that this is a heavy mattress, we seriously considered the Sleep Number Bed. To make a long story short, we decided to go with the Tempur Pedic for its simplicity and familiarity. Since this mattress needs a solid foundation, I removed the box spring and replaced it with 2 sheets of ¾” plywood, spliced and fused together with Liquid Nails. Then we covered the new decking with felt fabric using a spray adhesive, which gave it a finished look, and will keep the bare wood from damaging the new mattress. The two panels that serve as the flooring for the storage area under the bed aren’t well supported in the center, so they sag quite a bit. While I was under there anyway, I created a simple upside down “T” to sit underneath and between the two panels (all you can see in the picture is the "bottom" portion of the "T"). This not only supports the two panels, but also gives the new bed decking no possibility of sagging in the middle. With the thinner decking (as compared to the box spring) and the thicker mattress, the over height is about the same as the old box spring and mattress set. It fits precisely just under the head board. And after man-handling the old stuff out and the new stuff in, I don't think the weight difference is that significant after all.

[rockintom]

Glenn,

Fabulous job and great pix. Thanks for sharing! I sure won't want your credit card bill this month!!!! rockin'

[BookIIRoadtrash]

Nice install, is the new mattress exactly the same length as the factory one? The reason I am asking is when my bedroom slide is in, the mattress is putting some pressure on the vanity.

[gdbontly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockintom Glenn, Fabulous job and great pix. Thanks for sharing! I sure won't want your credit card bill this month!!!! rockin'

High-end Sealy or Simmons . . . $1,100
Tempur Pedic Rhapsody Bed . . . $2,900
Sleeping through the night with no back pain in the morning . . . PRICLESS!

Trying to buy all the stuff we want/need now while still working. Soon I'm gonna have to replace the injectors in my truck (factory originals now have over 150K and I think one may be starting to leak--engine starting isn't as quick as it used to be) . . . $3K (ouch!). Once we quit work and go full time, I'll have to make up a cardboard sign that says "Will Camp for Food"!

[gdbontly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookIIRoadtrash Nice install, is the new mattress exactly the same length as the factory one? The reason I am asking is when my bedroom slide is in, the mattress is putting some pressure on the vanity.

Good point. I remember having the same concern. Standard mattresses have that steel frame to shape the mattress. Although very dense, the Tempur Pedic is all foam and much softer (but really firm when you lay on it). I remember measuring the Tempur Pedic before we purchased it to make sure it wasn't any longer. It was either the same length, or a fraction of an inch shorter. Contrary to my original post, I think the new mattress/solid deck combo sits about an inch lower than the old mattress/box spring set. The new set sits nicely under the drawer when the slide is closed and doesn’t put any pressure on the cabinets at all. I also made the solid deck a couple of inches longer than the box spring to fully support the foot of the new mattress. When the slide is closed, the decking is less than one inch from the lower cabinet handles.

[rockintom]

Glenn, I surprised the gas support struts are handling the extra weight so well....

Why are you spending so much money on the old GOAT (what us GM folks call a Dodge) Just freshen the old dog up with a new or newer one!!! Gotta give you a hard time ya know!!! $$$$$$ signs. rockin'

[BookIIRoadtrash]

[QUOTE=gdbontly;720295]Good point. I remember having the same concern. Standard mattresses have that steel frame to shape the mattress. Although very dense, the Tempur Pedic is all foam and much softer (but really firm when you lay on it). I remember measuring the Tempur Pedic before we purchased it to make sure it wasn't any longer. It was either the same length, or a fraction of an inch shorter. Contrary to my original post, I think the new mattress/solid deck combo sits about an inch lower than the old mattress/box spring set. The new set sits nicely under the drawer when the slide is closed and doesn’t put any pressure on the cabinets at all. I also made the solid deck a couple of inches longer than the box spring to fully support the foot of the new mattress. When the slide is closed, the decking is less than one inch from the lower cabinet handles.


I was asking from experience, my first 5er was a used King of the Road with one slide in the main floor. The previous owners removed the factory mattress and put in one they bought. Now this mattress was about three inches longer and one would think no big deal. Well that three inches took up enough at the foot of the bed that you could no longer just walk by, but had to pass by turning sideways. After about a year just shortening up something there got annoying, every time I would pass by.

[MonacoMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdbontly High-end Sealy or Simmons . . . $1,100 Tempur Pedic Rhapsody Bed . . . $2,900 Sleeping through the night with no back pain in the morning . . . PRICELESS! ...

gdbontly..Welcome to Excel!! I am sorry I did not welcome you sooner. I used to have a reputation of the "Mama with a whip in her hand" back when I moderated over the "Motley Crew" here. )that was after Chief John tired of the 'politics' and stopped moderating )...but I still stop in now and again...
I just wanted to say that I agree completely about the "temper-pedic" mattress. The only difference is that we bought ours at Costco for around $550 for a queen size. I cannot sleep on any other mattress very well either -so you won't find a normal mattress in our rig either...
Again..Welcome to the forum...we hope to see more of your posts!

[Workshop]

Good job ! It's interesting to find out all the things that one can do to a new unit.

Well....a used one as well !

workhorse

[gdbontly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockintom Glenn, I surprised the gas support struts are handling the extra weight so well.... Why are you spending so much money on the old GOAT (what us GM folks call a Dodge) Just freshen the old dog up with a new or newer one!!! Gotta give you a hard time ya know!!! $$$$$$ signs. rockin'

Tom--the operation of the gas struts is what makes me believe that there isn't that much of a weight difference. They actually work better with the extra weight. With the old mattress set, I had to put most of my 200 pounds of weight on it to get it closed!

Yep, I was ready to sell my truck and purchase a new 2011 (Dodge Cummins, of course ), that is until the sticker shock hit me! Heck, my engine is just getting broken in. It just needs a little periodic maintenance for the next 150,000 miles.

[gdbontly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonacoMama gdbontly..Welcome to Excel!! I am sorry I did not welcome you sooner. I used to have a reputation of the "Mama with a whip in her hand" back when I moderated over the "Motley Crew" here. )that was after Chief John tired of the 'politics' and stopped moderating )...but I still stop in now and again... I just wanted to say that I agree completely about the "temper-pedic" mattress. The only difference is that we bought ours at Costco for around $550 for a queen size. I cannot sleep on any other mattress very well either -so you won't find a normal mattress in our rig either... Again..Welcome to the forum...we hope to see more of your posts!

Hi MM--Thanks for the welcome! I've read a lot of your posts. Heard you dropped out of sight for a while, but am glad to see you back now and then.

I did shop around for our mattress, but all of the stores were selling them for the exact same price, including the Tempur Pedic web site. Didn't find any at Costco or Sam's Club. The Tempur Pedic in our S&B house is a "Classic". I made the mistake of suggesting that Jan try out the other models as well. She liked the Rhapsody Bed the best. It wasn't the most expensive Tempur Pedic model, but close to it!