I believe it’s time to attempt a mattress surgery. What I am working with though is a “handmade” bed bought at a factory that does it the right way. The mattress is 2-sided and flippable. It’s either traditional coils or pocket coils (not sure which I will find) with 2" latex on both sides and an organic cotton cover. Very simple. No foam encasement. I would like to remove the N5 latex and put in an N3 or N2 - on just one side. I will leave the N5 on the “bottom” of the bed and simply not use it as a flippable mattress.
I am concerned about whether I can get the cover off and also the latex out, if it has all been pressed down together and hog-ring stapled into the coils. I assume that’s the way this manufacturer made it after being brought back into their factory. The edge is then wrapped around the bed and sewn up. My bed is very tightly made and is not a pillowtop obviously. So I am also concerned about whether I can pull it tightly enough back together and sew it up again. Another option would be to take out the old N5 latex and not put another piece in, perhaps sewing it up more easily with some extra room, then just use the N2 piece I have as a topper.
Do you think this can be done? Any tips?
Thank you!
PS I tried my best with an IPhone (all I have) to upload some photos. They’re all sideways. The one with the ruler shows about 3" of “pile” from the top seam up. So the bed is tight.
You certainly can undo the welting and the underlying stitching that holds the border panel to the quilt panel, but then you’ll probably find an inner flange from the quilt panel that is C-clamped to the innerspring unit. You’ll have to release that. If the latex is in the upholstery layers as you described, it might be lying loosely on top of the springs, glued (sometimes done on top of marshall springs) or clamped to the border rod of the spring unit. There also could have been a layer of glue sprayed on top of the latex to help adhere the quilt panel directly above it. If you are able to replace the latex you would then be challenged with properly securing your new layer of foam, your inner flanges for the quilt and then re-stitching the border panel to the quilt panel. Unless you have a tape edge machine and a pneumatic clamping device, this will be a difficult task, Not impossible, but difficult to get right and have everything secure. But it could be a fun project for you. Just be prepared for the worst-case scenario that you’ll ruin your mattress.
Thanks, Jeff!
I am guessing that there is no glue since I was very specific about not wanting any chemicals etc on this mattress, although you never know. Directly above the springs is the felt-like gray pad, the piece of latex, then the cotton cover. Period.
If the piece of latex I want taken out is clamped to the border rod too tightly I was thinking I could just cut it out, leaving the perimeter in tact if necessary. Could this work? I only need the bed to he comfortable, not perfect-looking.
Could I secure the whole bed together again so it operates decently by buying another organic cover that’s a bit larger or thicker in height?
This is a full-size bed that only I will be sleeping on.
In addition to Jeff’s great suggestions there are also some suggestions in post #2 here and the posts it links to about mattress surgery that may be helpful.
If I remember correctly your mattress is made by Gardner and it may be inner tufted in which case you would also need to cut the tufting straps or cord. You won’t be able to replicate the inner tufting or tape edge the cover back together again without specialized equipment but a new zip cover that fits the layers and components will at least enclose the mattress materials and components and help keep them together although they will be looser than they were.
Doing mattress surgery on this type of two sided mattress would be more complex than doing surgery on a more traditional one sided mattress so I would proceed very carefully (and you will need to decide how to proceed based on the “exploratory” part of the surgery) but if I was in your shoes I would probably talk with Gardner about the possibility of rebuilding the mattress with softer latex and the cost involved rather than doing it yourself.
With a mattress like yours I would also consider using one or two toppers to achieve the additional softness and pressure relief you are looking for so you can “save” the mattress rather than cutting the mattress open and doing surgery.
[quote=“LookingNow” post=51438]
If the piece of latex I want taken out is clamped to the border rod too tightly I was thinking I could just cut it out, leaving the perimeter in tact if necessary. Could this work? I only need the bed to he comfortable, not perfect-looking.[/quote]
I’m guessing from your description that the latex layer is not glued. If it is clamped it is easy enough to rip the foam from the clamps.
From your photo it looks like this is not a zippered cover, but something sewn together like a traditional mattress. It appears that the quilt panel is pulled down decently to help secure the latex foam underneath. You certainly could order a complete zippered encasement but you would probably want to remove your existing quilt panel if you did that (or leave it on for some extra comfort). I wouldn’t order one that is too large, as it would allow the foam to shift.
Hi Phoenix
This isn’t a Gardner bed. It’s not tufted. That would be a very important factor.
I read the other posts on “surgery” here this morning, thanks. The suggestion of closing it back up with a zipped cover is a good one.
I will try both a utility knife and seam ripper and may post photos as I go along.
Thanks.
That would be great and if you do decide to go ahead with your surgery then I would decide on what to do with each step once you open up the mattress and see specifically what you are dealing with.
The biggest challenge isn’t so much how to take it apart (which is fairly simple if you proceed slowly and with care) but what to replace the layers with and how to put it back together again once you have a configuration that works for you.
Sounds good. I think the only question left in my mind is whether the cotton mattress cover (yes, it’s non-zip) was also C-clamped into the springs before it was sewn. It had to have come in pieces. I envision it could have an inner flap that gets tucked in with everything else and clamped, then the outer piece of the cover gets sewn exteriorly.
This is where I have to just see what I get as I work along
