Custom made spring mattresses.

[Doodlebug]

After todays boat show visit my partner has decided that our foam mattress is awful in comparison to the sprung mattresses. The makers at the boat show wanted over £550 for a mattress though which is somewhat more than we have in the bank

 

Does anyone know of anyone else who makes custom mattresses (preferably a bit cheaper!) (I'd rather buy one on recommendation than choose the cheapest google search) - bearing in mind ikea makes mattresses for under £100 its a stretch to spend 5 times the amount on getting one the right size.

 

I saw this

 

http://www.dieppeblog.com/2013/05/how-we-customised-ikea-mattresses-to.html

 

Which is tempting to try but it would be shortened in both directions.

 

Any thoughts and ideas appreciated.

 

Doodlebug

[Grace and Favour]

Mattresses are like so many thinks in life - one 'tends' to get what one pays for.

 

I've been fortunate to experience many qualities of mattress in my life - from the eye-wateringly cheap, to the rather expensive

 

There's no substitute for a good mattress

[Ally]

I assume you came across the Edwardian bedding Co at the show? I can highly recommend their mattresses. Expensive but they are superb quality and have little viable competition.

[sueb]

Ours came from the bed company Tamworth. They did various qualities and sizes. Ours was 2'3 x 6'9

[BlueStringPudding]

When I wanted a new mattress for the boat, I had decided I wanted a firm memory foam mattress. Not being in a hurry for it I kept and eye on Ebay and got a nearly new one relatively locally in perfect condition and with two memory foam pillows all for £65. Being memory foam it can be cut to size by hand so it doesn't matter if you buy a standard double but need a junior double - just cut through it. There are videos on YouTube of how to do it.

Edited January 9, 2014 by BlueStringPudding

[NB Alnwick]

The expense is in having a mattress made to fit the peculiar shapes and sizes often found on boats - we bought ours from the Marine Bedding Company because it needed to be shaped to fit at the pointy end of the boat under the front deck - as a result it wasn't cheap. If it is possible to accommodate a standard sized mattress then they can be bought very cheaply from high street stores or second-hand - we sell donated mattresses at our shop for £5 to £10 and they are generally in excellent condition.

 

One piece of advice that I wish we had known about when we bought our mattress, if you can avoid having the mattress in two or three sections so much the better. Our mattress is divided down the middle and, despite the superior quality of the build, there is an uncomfortable trough between the two halves that, somehow, I always manage to roll into!

[Barry]

I solved that problem Alnwick.

 

I used some sailmaker's twine and a large semicircular needle and stitched the two sections of mattress together along the top edge making sure the needle went behind the edging wire on each stitch.

 

Stitches were about six inches apart and each one tied off with three or four overhand knots (or double grannies if you like).

 

The mattresses can still be easily folded as required but they are much more comfy. In fact, surprisingly, I can lie in the centre and be hardly aware of the join

[NB Alnwick]

I solved that problem Alnwick.

 

I used some sailmaker's twine and a large semicircular needle and stitched the two sections of mattress together along the top edge making sure the needle went behind the edging wire on each stitch.

 

Stitches were about six inches apart and each one tied off with three or four overhand knots (or double grannies if you like).

 

The mattresses can still be easily folded as required but they are much more comfy. In fact, surprisingly, I can lie in the centre and be hardly aware of the join

 

Thanks for that advice Barry, I might try that when I can make time. The manufacturer did provide a velcro strip but it still seems to allow the two halves to seperate by just enough to make that uncomfortable trough down the middle . . .

[Richard T]

I assume you came across the Edwardian bedding Co at the show? I can highly recommend their mattresses. Expensive but they are superb quality and have little viable competition.

Agree with Ally - their mattresses are very well made and very comfortable.

[Woodstock]

You said spring mattress so this may not be of interest- We have a small double memory foam mattress from Hypnia- I thought we may need to cut it slightly but it did fit. They also supply in various thicknesses- we have the 12inch deep- which has 3inch of memory foam. I like a firm mattress and found this one more comfortable than some more expensive ones. I think they have reduced their prices recently as well

[Canalwatcher]

We are very pleased with our sprung mattress from the New Edwardian Bedding Co. It was made to the exact dimensions we asked for 56"x73"x8" and has a lengthways hinge down the middle so it can fold in two when the bed extension is pushed in in daytime. It was £510 in October 2012 including £60 delivery and was delivered a less than 2 weeks after our order.

 

Mick

[Hawkmoth]

Another vote for Edwardian Bedding. They made our 2 piece mattress 8 years ago and it's still perfect and comfortable.

Bob

[Doodlebug]

Thanks for the recommendations. We deffo want springs - my partner doesn't like memory foam and I see what she means.

 

Found a eBay company that makes them for £40. Obviously you'll be able to feel the springs but having looked at ikeas cut away sections of mattresses I wonder if a cheap mattress with a good quality thick topper would work.

[Captain Fizz]

You have found a company to make a sprung mattress for £40!

I wondered what had happened to that bucket of old bmc valve springs I threw out.

[james13]

I managed to get a split mattress with springs from a company called apollo beds in Yorkshire (Heckmondwike) a couple of months ago for £260 delivered

[paulgthomson]

I have exactly the same issue. The bed on my boat is 130cm wide but all mattresses are either 120cm or 135cm - aargh!

 

If anyone knows of a supplier that has 130cm wide mattresses I will buy them some serious beers.

 

I just moved onto a boat last week and found some damp under the bed. Looks like I'll be able to cure the woodwork with a bit of mould killer and airing the place out but the mattress has grotty mould spots on the base.

 

The cold water supply runs under the bed and (to my simple eye) it looks like over time, water has condensed on the pipe and migrated to the bed. I'm hoping that in future, lagging the pipe and better ventilation will help. Do I understand that correctly? i.e. by lagging the pipe and improving the flow of air, the moisture will bugger off somewhere else! I'm pretty certain that it isn't a leak.

 

Thanks for any pointers,

 

Paul

[BlueStringPudding]

There's a difference between a sprung mattress and a mattress with pocket springs. You pay more for pocket springs - and I suspect that the very expensive mattress you saw at the show was the latter. Make sure you've done your research on which type you want by trying them out at high street bed shops. Especially if one of you is a restless sleeper or if one of you keeps a different body clock to the other, otherwise there could be a lot of miserable disturbed nights sleeps for one or both of you!

[Doodlebug]

This is the link to the company that makes super cheap mattresses.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CUSTOM-MADE-MATTRESSES-MADE-TO-MEASURE-MATTRESS-CAMPERVAN-CARAVAN-MOTORHOME-/251424013854?pt=UK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item3a8a09fe1e

 

Phoned them up and they seemed friendly and helpful. They said that the £40 is really not good enough for sleeping on, its more for children and you can squash the springs together by hand. She said that the £50 one is the minimum recommendation. But the feedback on ebay is good so can't be that bad, and I recon if I put a topper on top it will sort out any cheapness. If you could feel the springs without a topper you wont afterwards.

 

I'm going to give them a try when I have rebuilt the bed.

[BlueStringPudding]

I have exactly the same issue. The bed on my boat is 130cm wide but all mattresses are either 120cm or 135cm - aargh!

 

If anyone knows of a supplier that has 130cm wide mattresses I will buy them some serious beers.

 

I just moved onto a boat last week and found some damp under the bed. Looks like I'll be able to cure the woodwork with a bit of mould killer and airing the place out but the mattress has grotty mould spots on the base.

 

The cold water supply runs under the bed and (to my simple eye) it looks like over time, water has condensed on the pipe and migrated to the bed. I'm hoping that in future, lagging the pipe and better ventilation will help. Do I understand that correctly? i.e. by lagging the pipe and improving the flow of air, the moisture will bugger off somewhere else! I'm pretty certain that it isn't a leak.

 

Thanks for any pointers,

 

Paul

 

Hi Paul - I found that too when I moved onto my boat. It's likely to be a combination of two things - boaty cold and moisture from underneath, and people moisture from above. If you buy a new mattress, see if you can raise it slightly from the base on slats. I used pallets cut to size to do mine and my current mattress has been fine ever since.

[Doodlebug]

There's a difference between a sprung mattress and a mattress with pocket springs. You pay more for pocket springs - and I suspect that the very expensive mattress you saw at the show was the latter. Make sure you've done your research on which type you want by trying them out at high street bed shops. Especially if one of you is a restless sleeper or if one of you keeps a different body clock to the other, otherwise there could be a lot of miserable disturbed nights sleeps for one or both of you!

 

Anythings better than foam though? (like the cheapy foam that came on the bed)?

[smileypete]

You more or less get what you pay for (or don't get what you don't pay for!) That said cheap springs should better than cheap foam, cheap foam tends to be very soft as that needs the least raw material.

 

If you're near an Ikea Doodlebug, maybe go there and lie on a few mattresses if only to find out what suits you best. I found their sprung mattress felt better to me than their pocket sprung, and their firmer foam mattress would do me OK but not the cheaper softer one.

 

Some independents may be able to order a custom size from the factory, also the web site Mattress Underground is worth a look. So once you're well informed maybe chat to a good local bed place, knowledge is power.

 

BTW condensation underneath is due to a lack of insulation over or under the cold surface underneath, and/or ventilation in the form of an air gap, slats or holes.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[paulgthomson]

Thanks guys,

 

Yep, they bed is a box with no ventilation beneath whatsoever.

 

My plan is to:

 

1 - lag the pipe to reduce condensation around it

2 - insulate the floor

3 - create a vent in the bed/box

 

Does that sound like a sane approach? Hopefully, this will be the last mattress I have to bin.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

[Grace and Favour]

Vi-Spring make excellent properly sprung mattresses - albeit they're not cheap

[Québec]

We've just bought two mattresses for our home from Purr-o-Lux in Bury, Lancs.

 

http://www.purr-o-lux.co.uk/index.php/

 

We've bought from them before. Very happy with both product and service.

 

They make mattresses for boats and caravans: anything from the cheap £50 jobs to luxury pocket sprung mattresses made to any size.

 

(The owner runs a luxury Winnebago-type motor home, so knows about the requirements of beds on the move).

[sueb]

I was told beds come in multiples of three inches.as that is the size of the springs. You also need a mattress slightly smaller than the gap to leave room for the bedding