Help with a mattress purchasing

[phiquach]

I'm looking around trying to buy my parents a mattress as a gift. Want to surprise them by exchanging the old bed out with the new one.

I've been looking at Sears and they currently have a 50% sale off mattresses.

I wanted to buy a temperpedic but Sears does not carry it.

When looking for mattresses, what should I be looking for?

I want a high quality mattress.

Also, do i need a foundation?

Right now, their bed doesn't have one and they are using a solid wood frame. I'm guessing one isn't needed?

Thanks ahead of time

[cocacolakid]

I have a memory foam bed, like Tempupedic but a different brand, called Sensus, and love it. That said, some people hate memory foam and think they are too soft. I wouldn't swap out your parent's old bed for a memory foam bed unless you know they both like memory foam mattresses. Maybe you could take them shopping for something else and walk by a bed display and try and steer the conversation towards memory foam and see what they think. Try and get them to lay on a memory foam mattress, especially a Tempurpedic.

If you do look at memory foam, the higher the density the firmer the support. Density is measured in pounds per cubic foot for memory foam. Tempurpedic runs 5.34lbs. Sensus is very similar to Tempurpedic but much less expensive. Cheaper discount stores run 2lb and 3lb's. Most 2lbs are too springy, even 3lb's can be too springy. If it doesn't say, it's on the low end. Manufacturers advertise the density because the higher density memory foam mattresses are more expensive, so they want you to know you're getting a higher quality, more supportive product for the price. My mattress is 5lbs and it's very similar to Tempurpedic with good support. I would definitely only look at 4lbs and 5lb density memory foam mattresses. (the highest they can go is 5.9lbs) Memory foam mattresses also come in different thicknesses, ranging from 8" to 15 or 16" thick. 8", 10", and 12" thick mattresses are most common.

Shopping for a traditional mattress can be very frustrating because each store often carries the same brands but different models, so a direct price comparison is almost impossible. I'll link to a few buying guides that might help.

It also sounds as if your parents have a platform bed, which most people do not use a box spring with, but a box spring will give better support and make a mattress feel more comfortable, and supposedly prolong the life of the mattress. I use one with my memory foam mattress.

A Slate.com mattress buying guide from 2000 maybe almost 10 years old but still have very relevant tips: http://www.slate.com/id/93956/

A cheaper alternative to a new mattress/box spring set is to just buy them a nice 3" thick memory foam topper (or memory foam pad) that goes over the top of their existing mattress to give more support. You should be able to get a nice Sensus 5lb memory foam topper on ebay or other websites/retail stores, for $200-300 depending on the size bed they have. Toppers come in different thicknesses just like mattresses. A 1" memory foam topper is almost useless, it's too thin to give any support. Take a look at the 3" toppers, and if you do get one, make sure you get a mattress pad for it to protect the foam and that your parent's sheets are large enough to cover a 3" taller mattress.

[phiquach]

thanks for the info.

I know they want a tempurpedic because I remember they were going to buy 1 maybe 2-3 years ago but it never happened.

i'm going to drop by the bed store and ask questions to help me out some more too

[BMWZ8Bond]

Quote from phiquach : thanks for the info. I know they want a tempurpedic because I remember they were going to buy 1 maybe 2-3 years ago but it never happened. i'm going to drop by the bed store and ask questions to help me out some more too

Tempurpedic are VERY pricey. Something to keep in mind, most people don't need a full memory foam mattress because, depending on weight and how you sleep, you only notice the first few inches. I bought a nice 3" topper because I didn't have enough money at the time to buy whole new mattress. I've never looked back.