[Areometer]

Hi,

Pardon my ignorance but I never knew of such a thing called mattress pad until I read into these IKEA brochures. Is it their way to sell more or is a pad really necessary? And if I fork out say, $899 for a full-size mattress pad to cover up say, a $899 full-size latex mattress, isn't this very excessive? Can my body even feel what is underneath the top 2.75" of pad material?

I would really want to get a new mattress cos' my current one is really beat. But if I can get by w/ a pad only, I would love to save a few bucks...

Thanks as always for your advice.

Edward

[kelly]

In the IKEA system, I THINK that the pad is very thick, and the mattress is more like a box spring, so the two of them function rather like a box spring and mattress do in US bed sets.

Anybody have experience with IKEA mattresses?

FYI, I've recently spent some time in quite a few as-is sections and seen a lot of mattress sets at a good price there. It's my understanding that these have been taken out of a display.

Are you close to an IKEA?

[Dood Lee]

Technically, a mattress pad is a covering that people place on top of the mattress to protect the mattress from stains (from sweat and 'stuff'). You can find them in any department store and they usually run anywhere from $20-$100. What Ikea calls "mattress pads" are actually mattress toppers, thick wads of filling that are placed on top of a mattress to provide additional comfort and support. You don't actually need a mattress topper, but you should use a mattress pad, as it extends the life of the mattress by preventing it from getting soiled.

[Narf]

If the only thing wrong with your current mattress is the top foam layer isn't supportive anymore, then yes, you can get by with a mattress topper.

If the underlying structure, whether foam based or innerspring, has sagged, or did a number like this

Ikea commercial

... then replace the mattress!

Note that a price tag is no guarantee about quality - some expensive ones only look expensive on the outside, but are constructed as well (or poorly) as a cheap mattress, and don't get caught up too much in some "features" - My favorite with spring mattresses is that "they never need flipping" ... what they fail to mention is that the said mattress can't be flipped because the bottom side is unfinished without any comfort layers!

Just spend a little more time to actually lie down for the "test drive". 5 minutes says many are comfortable; spend 20 minutes or more, and you'd feel greater difference between one another.

[yage]

Originally Posted by kellybmw

In the IKEA system, I THINK that the pad is very thick, and the mattress is more like a box spring, so the two of them function rather like a box spring and mattress do in US bed sets.

Anybody have experience with IKEA mattresses?

FYI, I've recently spent some time in quite a few as-is sections and seen a lot of mattress sets at a good price there. It's my understanding that these have been taken out of a display.

Are you close to an IKEA?

My wife and I just bought a Sultan Evje. So far it's been very comfortable and we've been using it with the Lade slatted bed base. However there was a significant amount of chemical odor after it was unpacked. I've never really seen (or felt) the need to get a mattress topper, and still don't so I can't elaborate on that point.

[MiamiBeach]

Originally Posted by yage

My wife and I just bought a Sultan Evje. So far it's been very comfortable and we've been using it with the Lade slatted bed base. However there was a significant amount of chemical odor after it was unpacked. I've never really seen (or felt) the need to get a mattress topper, and still don't so I can't elaborate on that point.

Does any one know what the differences are between the SULTAN Evje and Erfjord? I will be testing them both out at the store, but I can't imagine I will be able to lay on them long enough to tell the difference. Both the IKEA website and the Mattresses brochure aren't really clear on the differences either.

Is the $250 premium on the Erfjord mattress justified?

[kelly]

Miami-

I am an advocate of mattress toppers, having bought three of the Costco memory foam ones in the last couple of years- one to upgrade a less-expensive Select Comfort in the guest room (Gets rave reviews from guests who sleep on the most expensive Select Comfort at home), improve the thin mattress my son sleeps on in the top bunk (and he loves his bed now) and lastly, to improve the guest bed at my BIL's that I have to sleep on! We did the last without really telling them, which is a bit weird of me and not my general modus operandi, but I'm old and that college futon on top of a box spring had lost it's charm for me. Of course, they were unbelieveable gracious about it and now their daughter wants to sleep on that bed because it is so comfortable.

So, my point, buried in here, is that I would get a less expensive mattress and upgrade it with one of the Costco toppers- while they aren't cheap, it's a very known quantity!

[MiamiBeach]

Thanks Kelly, I will check them out the next time I go to Costco. I tried a search on their website and it came back with 22 mattress toppers of all prices!

I did find 3 short reviews of the SULTAN ERFJORD from an Australian product reviews site. This one was particularly helpful:

"Confroms nicely to body. More conforming and softer than the Evje. Ii is still firmish and I suggest a natural topper such as a featherbed."

[Dood Lee]

If you are buying a latex mattress, I really don't see the need for a mattress topper of any kind. Latex mattresses are supposed to conform to your body in a way similar to memory foam. People usually buy memory foam mattress toppers for beds that are innerspring in design, since it adds additional comfort that innerspring mattresses can't provide.