Glad to have found this forum! Last month I bought a mattress for the first time in 15 years. Needless to say things have changed and I was very confused by all the choices. I tested out a S&F Pillow top plush double sized mattress and box spring and fell in love.

I've now had it since Apr 20 and can say I haven't slept so well in many years. It's like sleeping on a cozy soft cloud and all the aches and stiffness I had on my old bed are gone. However, I started to look around the net (should have done that first but I had no idea there was such a dizzying array of mattresses!) and have seen hundreds of very bad reviews about ALL brands of pillow top mattresses.

The complaints are all the same : Serious sagging and deep indentations after as little as 3 or 4 months. I am now very worried since this set wasn't cheap and I don't want to be fighting with the company a year down the road. I'm not a fussy person and just want a good night's sleep.

I was thinking that perhaps because my mattress is not large like a queen or king, the sagging might not occur but I hate to take that chance.

I'm not particularly large (140lbs), sleep on my stomach and use the bed alone, if these facts are useful. I have until June 20 to return it.

If anyone can give any sort of definitive answer, I'll be very grateful!

Let me get this correct, you've slept better than you've ever slept on your brand new bed, no more aches and pains, nothing wrong with the bed that you can speak of, and you want someone else to give you a definitive answer on whether you should return it?

 

"I'm not a fussy person and just want a good night's sleep"

Let me clarify: None of the hundreds of complaints were from people who used the bed for 3 weeks. All problems occured after several months to one year. If there were many different kinds of complaints it would be easier to ignore, but ALL say the same thing - large depressions forming in under one year. I think reading all that would give anyone pause, especially someone like me who really hasn't much of clue about mattresses.

Even taking into account that most satisified people don't bother posting and lots of people might be much pickier than I, it still worries me that something that cost 1200$ may be unusable next year at this time.

 

Posters here seem very knowledgeable about construction, durability etc. and this is why I asked my question here.

Well, you have a valid concern and if it's a typical mattress with poly foam in a pillowtop or with poly foam in construction, you may be in for about one year or so of use before sagging or depressions start to materialize.  That's pretty much why we all came here after making that same mistake.  The mattress companies know that they can sell cheap mattresses and that people won't return them in time to make use of any warranties or returns until it's too late.  I don't know anything about Stearns and foster, but I've learned that mattress construction is important if you are looking at a long term investment for sleep and a healthy back.  On the other hand, some people don't need to worry about their beds because they can sleep on anything.  You may find though that as you age, these problems can alter sleep and create back pain.  The choice is yours or you can take a chance and then, maybe learn a lesson the hard way like most of us have done.  I've made that mistake many times but I hope not to make it again.

Good luck.

Thank you Sall. I will try and find out what kind of foam is in the pillow top. I didn't even know what types were out there.

After looking around on the forum here, I've learned a bit and I"m thinking I might be better off to exchange this bed for a non-pillow top and just put a latex topper on for softness.

I admit I was one of those who could "sleep on anything" (and did) until a back injury last year got me looking for a mattress that would be beneficial.

Appreciate the input!

Pardon me if I came across as rude, but that concern normally comes before the purchase. Sagging is a concern and complaint about every mattress type. If you do return your bed and want to build a diy mattress, you've definetly come to the right place. These guys here are the best.

Yes, I did mention I should have done research before buying, but I've never had a mattress that sagged within a year and the idea that one would, especially an expensive one, was never a consideration that I even thought of checking into.

 

I didn't realize this forum was for DIY. I did read several pages before posting initially and saw questions on brand name beds so thought my questions were acceptable. Apparently not as I see by some rude answers that my post seemed to be irritating to some. Apologies.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

This forum is not just for DIY.  I think latex is the new hotness and there doesn't seem to be any brand (like Tempur of memory foam) that is the industry leader.  And if you don't want to buy from an S company, you either buy online or try to find a hidden gem of a store locally.  It seems that a lot of the latex mattress market is geared toward organicness and there is a really high markup from some of the brands.  Hence, this forum is a way for people to share their experience with various brands of complete mattresses or buying foam and constructing a mattress.

I'm not an expert like some of the particpants on this list are. But I have seen some posts from people besides DIY types here. I think I even saw one from a DIY type who is considering getting a Stearns & Foster bed for the springs, then putting his tatex on top, like you're thinking about doing. Depending on your warranty, you could turn in your mattress for a  partial refund if it develops problems later, or you could do mattress surgery when that happens are remove the probably PU foam on top and replace it with latex or some other topper layer(s) that you like at that time. Or you can turn it back in now. So you do have options, and it's not necessarily a bad decision or the end of the road....I think I've read on here that S&F makes a pretty good set of springs, so those might serve you well for many years -- it's just the foam in pillowtops that seem not to last these days, from what I've read.

Your concerns are valid and relevant to this forum.  It may seem like a lot of DIY stuff on the forum but its just because it seems to be the best way to go when on a budget because the 'S' Brand stuff rarely lives up to expectations.  I suspect (could be wrong) that your initial love of the mattress is simply the honey moon phase.  Most people do sleep better on a new mattress...its a question of how long before this ends when a lot of polyfoam is used in the mix.  Before you panic or fret...I would try to find the exact specs of the model you got...then perhaps go from there to look at what options you still have.  

"I didn't realize this forum was for DIY"

I don't recall anyone saying this forum is for DIY only. I have tested a S&F pillowtop in a store and it felt lovely, but I didn't want springs. IMO you have a good mattress; I've heard mostly good reviews in regards to S&F. Like another poster has stated already, its the foam in the pillowtop that will more than likely degrade first.