A year ago, we bought a high end Tempurpedic (as our “exchange” mattress when the first memory foam mattress didn’t cut it) thinking this would be the best memory foam you can buy. And perhaps it is, but my husband suffered big time with back pain as he slowly sunk into it after the first hour of sleep. We have a split king (one side is memory foam, the other mattress a hybrid of springs + foam top). We fought over who would have to sleep on the Tempurpedic side since we both hated it. Tried to sell it for half price on Craigslist for months and NO ONE will buy a used mattresses of that quality. So last weekend we got creative. After going to IKEA, we went to the mattress section and found the softest mattress on the floor. It was way softer than our bed, but this was for testing purposes. We took a thin firm topper they also had on the floor and it did help to prevent the sinkage into the memory foam. Even more impressive was placing the topper on top of the runner mat they put at the end of the bed to keep dirty shoes off the beds. It was a huge support base to have this rubber floor rug runner, so we thought what’s another $112 dollars at this point? We bought the thin (1.5") TJOME topper (TWIN was only $99) and the $12 LYNAS floor runner. Placed the runner on top of our tempurpedic right at the lower back point, secured it tightly, then put the TJOME topper over it. Covered it all with a spare top sheet and it is now THEE more comfortable side of the bed if you can believe it!!! My husband is in heaven and I thrilled that this year long battle has been resolved and we both wake up to happy backs in the morning! The rubber runner doesn’t slip at all and provides just the extra stiffness to stop the sinking. DO IT!!!
Hi 10sChick,
I’m glad to see that your very “creative” solution worked for you and I hope it continues to work over time as well.
Your solution includes two main factors that are working well together. The first is that a topper can reduce or at least slow down the amount of heat that reaches the memory foam which can “firm up” memory foam or at least slow down how quickly it becomes softer over the course of the night (depending on the specifics and temperature sensitivity of the memory foam). Posts #5 and #6 here are another example where this helped as well. The second is a zoning scheme that can also help with alignment issues by adding firmness under the parts of the body that need it without affecting the firmness under the parts that need to sink in more deeply.
For the sake of others that may read this … I would keep in mind that what works for one person may not work nearly as well for another and it may not continue to work as well once the foams in your mattress begin to soften over time but regardless of any of that or how long it will continue to work for you … it’s working for you for now which is all that matters and it may also be helpful for others that are in a similar situation as well.
Part of your solution is similar to some of the suggestions in post #11 here about zoning and I’m impressed that you had either the intuition or the knowledge to try it 
Thanks again for sharing your suggestions!
Phoenix
Hello 10s,
Wanted to THANK YOU for your post. I purchased 2 thicker door welcome mats (0.5" thick rubber, with 1/4" softer outer layer), placed them on top of the mattress, covered with mattress protector. WORKED brilliantly. I didn’t find a need for a topper.
First time in months that I woke up with a healthy feeling back.
To Phoenix’s speaking points, solution may not work for everyone, but I say for the low upfront cost of some door mats, may be worth a try before more expensive solutions are attempted.
Thanks again 10s,
Pete
Hi zed1994,
Thanks for your feedback … and it’s great to hear that the welcome mats worked so well for you
Phoenix
Hi, Just read this post from 10sChick re: her solution to the memory foam mattress being too soft dilemma. I would love to try the IKEA topper and runner solution. I have a couple of questions regarding it.
-
I went to the IKEA website and the only TJOME topper is 2" thick, not 1.5" as mentioned. I’m guessing I’d have to go with this one. There was no “thin” topper described at the IKEA site.
-
The LYNAS floor runner is 2’ 2" x 6’ 6". I can’t visualize how this was oriented on the memory foam mattress. It was stated that: “Placed the runner on top of our tempurpedic right at the lower back point.” Was it placed perpendicular to the long dimension of the mattress (in other words, across the mattress at the lumbar area)? Was the runner cut down to size being that it’s 6 1/2’ long? I’m having a hard time visualizing this.
-
It was mentioned that the runner was “secured it tightly”. How was it secured tightly? With double-stick tape?
If someone could answer my questions I would be extremely grateful.
Hi DaveyJ,
I’m not 10sChick of course and hopefully they will see your post and make some comments but in the meantime I can make some comments as well …
They may have been referring to the thickness of the polyfoam in the Tjome topper (it also has some polyester wadding which would add to the thickness) or they may have just listed the thickness incorrectly. There are also some good sources for many types of toppers (including polyfoam) listed in the component post here if you wish to try something a little thicker or thinner.
Yes … they would have placed it perpendicular to the length of the mattress so it was under the lower back. They probably tucked both sides of the runner under the mattress so the weight of the mattress would secure it in place although they may have used some other method such as the sticky tape you mentioned to secure it as well to keep it from loosening over time.
You’ve probably read this since it was one of the links in a previous reply in this topic but just in case you missed it some of the suggestions in post #4 here may be helpful as well.
Phoenix
Thanks for your swift reply and helpful info, Phoenix! Cheers!
So great, right!!!?? I’m so glad you took the leap to try it. My husband’s back has been saved by this quirky solution, so he’s loving it too. I’m attaching a link to some photos so that future users who dare to try this can picture what the heck we did.
http://s681.photobucket.com/user/SosaPics/library/Mattress%20Fix
10s
Hi 10sChick,
Thanks for the pictures … I appreciate it
It’s great to hear that your solution is still working out so well for you!
Phoenix
I know this is an old thread but I just had to comment on it. We had bought a high end serta mattress and even though my wife loves it it was creating problems with my upper back (around the shoulder blades). 10sChick’s lynas floor runner did the trick. I bought one and simply laid it on my side of the bed (under the mattress pad) and no more back pain. Didn’t even need the topper. So just wanted to say thanks for stumbling across and sharing your quirky fix with the rest of us, it really has been a back and sanity saver for me.
Hi DesertEagle,
It’s great to hear that you were able to “fix” your mattress … and thanks for taking the time to share your comments and feedback
Phoenix
Who cares if this thread is old? It’s new to whoever is desperate enough that they are scanning blogs for solutions!! I am so glad to hear that this has helped you as well, so thank you for posting your success. My husband is still very happy with our bed since the modification.
To all,
One of our clients firmed up his memory foam mattress by covering it with a non stretch quilted mattress protector. He then strapped it securely with nylon rope under the mattress to create a trampoline effect on top of the mattress. The result is that it prevents him from sinking as much into the mattress and give extra support.
He told me he was happy now with his mattress
Hope this helps!
I am glad I found this thread. Suffering from the same issue.
After 10 years of Spring based Posturepedic we entered the brave new world of foam mattress. We both prefer firm mattress and we went for what we thought is the firmest we can get in foam - Tuft & Needle Ten. I am OK with it, but my wife is complaining about the back support. its too late to return or exchange. We will try both ideas suggested for a fix, I appreciate a little more info on both of them.
On 10schick floor mat idea, does it need to be stretched & secured or can we just lay it on the mattress. We have a king mattress. So if we lay it perpendicular to the mattress length, then we don;t have enough length to tuck it under the mattress at both ends. If it requires tension, then we have to rig some sort of strap to tie it behind the mattress.
On the MFC non-stretch mattress protector, can someone please suggest where can i get something like that. All the mattress protectors that we have come across are the ones with stretch sides and does not add much tension to the pad. I am trying to figure out how to tie the nylon rope to the mattress cover to compress the mattress. Are there grooves around the mattress cover to insert the nylon rope.? Some more description could help.
Thanks for all your help,
Hello Vkolli,
On a king or queen mattress, where you can’t tuck it in, it does need to be secured so it stays in place and is tight. At the IKEA store, they had these runner mats at the foot of all the queen mattresses and they had to be secured to the mattresses there as well. What they did (and I was prepared to do)… they had long 2 inch straps made of twill or some kind of strong cotton attached to the skinny ends of the runner mat. (I would have probably sewn mine on – I think they used rivets. You could also go over the top of the runner and not attached in at all – you’d just need a longer length of strap). They had 2 on each side, and they had the straps from one side going all the way underneath the mattress and coming out the opposite side, where they lined up with the straps from the other end. Then, they tied those straps together on the side of the mattress, making the running nice and tight to the bed. Cotton Twill Tape like this can be bought at a craft or fabric store by the yard. Your other option is to buy your runner mat at some place like Lowe’s or Home Depot where I think you can get it cut to whatever length and pay for it by the foot. If you do that, make sure you have enough extra mat so that about 2.5-3 feet of the runner are UNDERNEATH the weight of the mattress itself. I believe someone in one of these threads did the Home Depot mat cut to length.
10sChick, Thanks for the ideas. I will try one of these… If i go the custom length mat route then I need make sure I find something that is stiff enough to provide the support.
Hi vkolli,
While 10sChick’s suggestions are definitely worth trying … I would also keep in mind that the Tuft & Needle mattress isn’t memory foam so it may have a slightly different effect on materials that aren’t temperature sensitive.
There are also some suggestions in post #4 here that may be helpful as well.
Phoenix
When I look at the mat I bought from IKEA, it’s not particularly thick (2mm?). Remember it has to be p[iable enough to easily wrap around the bed edges, so check that it bends easily. You wouldn’t want it to be rubber car floor mat stiff, for instance. This mat of mine is really 1mm of flexible rubber backing behind 1-2mm of dense flat woven wool. It still provides a lot of lower back support because it doesn’t give much when tightly wrapped around the bed (compared to the mattress)…
I looked on the Ikea website and could not find anything to resemble what you describe as a mat that goes across the bed for support. Can you provide a link to this product? Thanks!