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Making an emperor bed

202 points by MiddleEndian 8y ago

CommieBobDole 8y ago
Maybe it's just me, but the pictures of it inside the encasement with seams and lumps everywhere make it look incredibly uncomfortable. Also it seems only marginally larger than a King mattress. Edit: On further examination, I think the lumpy picture may be of the bottom of the mattress. Which makes more sense. Edit 2: Or maybe not. From the article: "On top I would put 2" of buckling column gel, which is a squishy material similar to a bottomless rubber ice cube tray." So I guess all that lumpiness is in fact the top.
- rtkwe 8y ago
  The lumps look like small bits of extra fabric from the fabric backing on the buckling column gel. It looked pretty thin so I doubt they'd be that noticeable actually laying on the bed. It probably just looks so lumpy because of the thing encasement/fitted sheet.
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  The gel is a uniform grid. It's intended to be that way. The minor lumps are the sheets which are not super tight, but as another user mentioned I cannot detect them. Regarding the size, yeah I did realize that when I finished, but it's still visibly larger than a king in person. If I were doing it from scratch knowing that I know now I'd probably do 8x8 and then I wouldn't have had to cut the buckling column gel and it would be even more comical. Edit: Regarding the size again, I already knew the Queen sized mattress was slightly too short for bed habits even though I am not 80" tall, and the King is the same height. The California King is the full 7' tall but 6' is slightly less than my wingspan and I wanted that to be covered.
TamDenholm 8y ago
I’d love to see a cost breakdown for this.
- cfitz 8y ago
  Came here to say just this. I was really hoping to find a mention of the cost at the end of the article after seeing none within the "acquiring materials" section. This would help fellow makers budget properly should we want to pursue a similar project. Regardless, cool project!
  - MiddleEndian 8y ago
    I will add it this evening or tomorrow, it's in line with the costs of a traditional mattress purchase rather than one of the new cheaper online companies.
rwmj 8y ago
Is this fire safe? What happens if someone drops a smouldering match/cigarette/etc on that pile of latex, foam and gel?
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  The encasement is advertised as fire retardant, bed bug resistant, and some other things I don't recall at the moment. There are inspectors and such for mattress-related products so I assume that this is reasonably accurate.
- duhi88 8y ago
  No different from a regular mattress made of the same materials.
mosselman 8y ago
I highly doubt that the extra surface area is worth the poor quality an most likely comfort of the improvised mattress. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t buy into all expensive mattresses being better than cheap ones, however, crappy mattresses do exist, I have experienced plenty, and they still all looked better than this.
- theabacus 8y ago
  Not to criticize, but you sound like a can’t-put-the-Kraft-single-cheese-on-if-it-didn’t-come-out-of-the-package-right person. To each their own. This bed might not look “clean” but it does make sense structurally and the author has a complete working knowledge of how his bed works and can do any repair he wishes. It’s the author thinks it’s good, then he can deal with it.
  - mosselman 8y ago
    No offence taken as I am actually a pretty handy person. When I choose what to build myself however, I decide, or at least I hope I do, based on what my skills are and how expensive bought or ordered things are. Beds and mattresses are not in the expensive category. Things like isolating your attic or redoing your bathroom are expensive to get done, so I do those things myself. This week I am replacing the shower, sink and cupboards in the bathroom, which saves me between 2000 and 3000 euros. For beds and mattresses you can just go to IKEA and making them yourself would probably save you a few hundred at most. "how his bed works and can do any repair he wishes". How beds work is not hard and mattresses are not for repairing. The most important thing though, is that you have fun building things, so who am I to judge. p.s. There must be a name for the linguistic construction: "Not to criticize, but".
    - MiddleEndian 8y ago
      My intention was not to save money but to get a particular product that didn't seem to exist otherwise (large mattress in the US, and then large mattress with particular properties). I tried to buy one first, there wasn't much else for me to do.
Freak_NL 8y ago
> At this point, I decided the only thing that made sense was to build my own mattress from scratch. Bless this mindset. The internet would be a lot less interesting without the makers and their write-ups.
- rootedbox 8y ago
  I get what your saying; but this is also how we end up with hacky software at companies.. The 'The I'm pretty sure I can make this better(or cheaper) myself... even if there is an off the shelf version done by dedicated professionals.'
  - MiddleEndian 8y ago
    My intention wasn't to get it cheaper, it was to have the size and then features I wanted once I did some research. I could've found some dude to put a British emperor mattress on a boat for me but it would not have been as comfortable. I did reach out to some companies like purple that make a similarly structured mattress but none were able to make one 7'x7'.
    - mchahn 8y ago
      My wife bought a cal king purple a few months ago and we love it. I was skeptical because it looked like memory foam but it isn't at all. I was also worried it would sag when you leaned over an edge since there was no special side support. But it doesn't sag at all which is a mystery to me.
      - carterschonwald 8y ago
        I tried out one of their pillows and i couldn’t stand the smell. :(
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - nextos 8y ago
bmsleight_ 8y ago
Wow - where is the love ? I think this is great. A mattress is something we spend loads of time (some of it quite fun) on top of. So why not research and build your own. Excellent craftsmanship and a great write up.
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  Thanks man, I'm really happy with how it came out. Always good to have discussions anyway.
- bookofjoe 8y ago
  Concur. Here's another, somewhat different solution: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/business/the-art-of-making-a-bespoke-mattress.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/business/the-art-of-makin...
brianbreslin 8y ago
Where do you get sheets for this? Is the next niche trend in online mattress companies (casper etc) custom sized or niche sized mattresses?
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  I got the sheets from Advanced Bedding, I put a link to them (and the other sites I ended up using) in the materials section of my write-up. Some companies (even "traditional" mattress companies like Jordan's Furniture) will cut down mattresses from standard mattresses but they don't seem to build them up. I considered it myself but it's a lot of energy and I'm just glad it's done.
  - closetohome 8y ago
    I had to chuckle at the part where you got a friend to help put the mattress cover on, because I've been exactly there - realizing I just built something I can't move myself. Fun writeup about something I'd honestly never considered DIYing, though I'm familiar with (and heartily approve of) the materials.
    - MiddleEndian 8y ago
      Glad you enjoyed it. I had some other times when I needed help moving things and had to use some wedges but didn't want to bog down the write-up with too many details.
cremp 8y ago
> I came to the conclusion that the best way to address this was zip ties I'd be wary of that, since someone of enough stature, could squish the gel down enough and feel the plastic ends, which wouldn't be too comfortable.
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  I did test this out with my hands with the the gel is fairly thick and I couldn't feel ties in the middle, even without the encasement. Haven't had any issues thusfar, and the ties are on the bottom.
matte_black 8y ago
Is there a market for emperor and Caesar size beds?
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  In the UK, apparently. When I talked to furniture companies like Jordan's, salespeople told me nobody had ever asked them for a bigger-than-standard mattress, only a smaller one. Some people asked me how much it would cost to make them one when they saw it but they weren't super serious. I don't think anyone would pay me how much I'd charge them to make one the same way, especially with no warranty!
closetohome 8y ago
I'd like to suggest that, no matter how proud you are of this, don't bring a woman over and open with "so I built my own mattress."
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  I actually have a girlfriend who got to enjoy various stages of the in-progress mattress, but we'll keep that in mind!
- awakeasleep 8y ago
  If you're not looking for a mate as unique and weird as you are, you're setting yourself up for failure
- wild_preference 8y ago
  I don’t see how you imagine that interaction going south. Perhaps a self-limiting belief that you have where women can’t tolerate something you see as quirky?
- owenversteeg 8y ago
  I've built my own mattress, and mentioned that it's homemade to everyone who's been on it... never had any problems, and my girlfriend says it's very comfortable :)
- peterwwillis 8y ago
  A better opening line: "Hi, I'm looking for volunteers to help me test a mattress I'm building, and you look pretty hefty and sensitive..."
syphilis2 8y ago
I may have missed it, but did you consider Ace Collection brand beds (108", or 144" width) and if so why did you not select them?
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  Honestly I didn't learn about this company until after I'd started but they still only have an 80" height. Nowadays I'd not do it due to my pickiness regarding materials. Also I think that width wouldn't fit into my bedroom (which I measured before selecting the condo). That being said it inspires me to build yet an even more gigantic bed in the future.
jlebrech 8y ago
What about a cylindrical bed, you could call it the Omega bed?
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  I have a friend who had a cylindrical bed in college (and maybe still now). It's fun but takes up more functional space in the room for less usable space on the bed. Also much harder to build and get sheets for.
- owenversteeg 8y ago
  I have a triangular bed (I live in a boat) and you end up with a few unused spots. I think a cylindrical bed would be even worse in terms of "dead space".
  - jlebrech 8y ago
    you roll around and not fall off
- gehwartzen 8y ago
  You mean a round bed? I get that technically it would be a cylinder but people also don’t commonly refer to a normal rectangular bed as a cuboid bed :)
  - bookofjoe 8y ago
    Somewhere Hugh Hefner is smiling
headnshoulders 8y ago
That mattress looks dodgy and screams backpain. Nothing beats plain wooden planks + 3-4 woolen blankets on top. Made the move to sleeping on harder surfaces about 15 years ago and never looked back - now occasional sleepovers at hotels leave me tired.
- mesozoic 8y ago
  Not so good if you aren't a back sleeper
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  As mentioned by mesozoic, that's not great for side sleeping, which I do probably 75% of the time. My current mattress also provides me more lumbar support in back sleeping vs sleeping on a hard surface which I've done before. It's simultaneously firmer but more filling than a standard mattress if that makes sense. Additionally for non-sleeping purposes the give is necessary.
MayeulC 8y ago
> After performing some not-so-rigorous tests on some of my extra buckling column gel, I came to the conclusion that the best way to address this was zip ties. The gel is thick and firm enough that if you push down on it you can't feel a zip tie near the middle of it. How about plain old-fashioned sewing? > I decided to go with a 7" layer of latex foam as a base as it is form-fitting and relatively cool This got me thinking; it shouldn't be too hard to add some thermoregulation to a mattress, with a cooling/heating system, and could provide a nice experience. Anyone has any experience with thermoregulated beds? Does they even exist? The closest I can think of is that stargate episode (with the Tollan people): https://peertube.xyz/videos/watch/965b521a-ee29-41fd-9e96-ea63072d06f5 https://peertube.xyz/videos/watch/965b521a-ee29-41fd-9e96-ea...
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  Honestly I don't remember why I decided against sewing but the zip ties are wider and would presumably therefore involve less pressure on the materials. My knowledge of thermoregulation is very minimal so I have no insight there beyond these materials feeling cool to me.
  - MayeulC 8y ago
    Well, if your current system is good enough, don't fix it. But many kind of stitches and threads exist, from leather stitches to laces.
- owenversteeg 8y ago
  I'm not sure about a cooling system, but heated blankets/mattress pads exist for pretty cheap ($10ish.) Anyone know if there's an inexpensive way to cool a mattress? I found the "ChiliPad" for US$450, with discount codes taking that to $336, which is still way more expensive than any heating pads. Everything else I've found just seems to be mattress pads with cooling fabrics, which just feel cool to the touch and don't actually cool you down.
  - MayeulC 8y ago
    I would have expected some plastic hose meshes to exist, that could be plugged into any sort of cooling system (be it pelletier, compressor, evaporation, or just radiator based) trough a closed-loop "watercooling" system, but couldn't find any. Such a mesh could be built into the mattress itself. I would expect waterbeds to be easier to regulate as well, as I imagine they have a higher thermal conductivity. This could allow to place the cooling apparatus underneath, and make it something like a regular fridge radiator. Actually, I found a few commercial products for the first idea while researching the second, among which a "mycoolbuddy" mesh that seems to retail for around $60. To be fair, cooling is always a lot harder than heating, courtesy of thermodynamics. edit: seems like BedJet does it trough air cooling (~$100), which is interesting as well (and they made a fun marketing video, btw).
owenversteeg 8y ago
So I've built myself two mattresses using just a 12cm thick slab of foam. My girlfriend and I both consider my "mattress" to be the most comfortable we've ever slept on, and guests that have tried it found it very comfortable. Initially I planned to add other layers to it, like latex, gel, springs or whatnot, but I really can't find any reason to. It's a fine temperature in the summer and nicely insulating in the winter, and it was fairly inexpensive too ($140 for two 100x200x12cm slabs of high quality foam.) Has anyone else tried this simple approach to DIY mattress building? Any thoughts on why (or why not) to just use plain foam? [edit] The reason why I ask is because maybe there are hidden factors I haven't considered. Maybe there's a risk of back pain, or less deep sleep, or something I haven't considered. Perhaps the most comfortable mattress isn't always the best for you. I figured if there's anywhere I'd find a subject matter expert, it'd be here :)
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  If it works for you it works for you. Once I'd tested out some of the gel it felt better to me so I went with that. And of course the other things I mentioned like support and cooling.
- glass_of_water 8y ago
  What kind of foam did you use? Did you have any offgassing issues initially?
  - owenversteeg 8y ago
    I bought two 12x100x200cm pieces of (probably) PU foam from a local hardware store in the Netherlands. Link (Dutch): https://www.hornbach.nl/shop/Schuimmatras-200x100x12-cm/3843210/artikel.html#artikeldetails https://www.hornbach.nl/shop/Schuimmatras-200x100x12-cm/3843... 25kg/m3 density, 4kPa compressive strength, 70 euros per piece. I didn't notice any smell with any of the foam I bought. The only issue I ran into was one piece of foam not expanding properly - it only expanded to about 8cm thickness, not 12 as advertised.
Smoofer 8y ago
I liked the writeup + seeing it come together, but this project struck me as pretty wasteful. How big of a bed do you really need? (even if "you" is two people).
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  That's a fair complaint. I could say I like the size because it's beyond my wingspan and however low the pillows end up in practice, my feet never overhang the bed. And that is true and is a reason I like it. But I definitely like the size because it's ridiculous. On the other hand if this bed lasts me longer than a standard mattress then it will cancel out anyway, especially since I know how to replace individual components if they fail. Regarding waste, I was mostly upset at having to throw out the foam and fabric from the mattress toppers that the bucking column gel came inside. Everything else at least contributed to the bed. I was unable to convince them to just send me the gel. So they shipped me gel wrapped in waste. I talked to a local shelter but they can't accept pre-opened bedding due to health and safety concerns, so I had to throw out a ton of useless junk. I have some leftover gel (by design based on the sizes of the sheets) but I've given some to a friend and plan to use more for a backpack.
scentedmeat 8y ago
I feel a bit like the Princess and the Pea, but those lines down the middles would bug me.
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  I agree and in the first rendition you could feel the borders between the gel sheets, which was quite distracting. An encasement that made those lines invisible might be too thick and negate the benefits of using the gel. When the fitted sheet is over the mattress, you cannot see the lines.
oneplane 8y ago
I wonder what the deal is with 'naming' bed sizes. Here in The Netherlands as far as I know, we just use dimensions so you always know exactly what size you have/want/get. Is it a country or language specific thing? Or perhaps an industry idea to hide information behind ambiguous terms?
- api_or_ipa 8y ago
  Names work well because the actual size of a mattress isn't really important to most mattress discussions, nor are the measurements ever 100% accurate because of differences in material or manufacture. If I'm at the shop buying sheets and I remember my queen mattress is roughly ~1.5m wide, is it a 1.37m wide double mattress or a 1.53m wide queen mattress? Using a name placeholder avoids this ambiguity, a queen sheet will always fit a queen bed, within some margin of error, even accounting for differences in material: I imagine foam is more ductile than spring mattresses so might be made a bit bigger to account for this difference.
  - twic 8y ago
    And yet, at the hardware store, you by two-by-four, and if someone suggested that that should be called a duke-size instead, you would think they were off their rocker.
    - tbrownaw 8y ago
      But that's also just a name, since they're not actually 2" x 4".
  - oneplane 8y ago
    I guess that would work well in a situation where there is a limited set of sizes. We'd be stuck with about 15 different names here. I wonder if there is some size distribution difference, for example, almost all hotel beds in the US and the UK are too short, yet very wide for me.
SllX 8y ago
So, is nobody going to tell him that over here we call that a San Francisco King? An absolutely cool project though.
bradknowles 8y ago
In Europe, on the Continent, standard sizes are 180cm by 2m, and 2m by 2m (or about 78.75" by 78.75"). When my wife and I lived in Belgium, we bought one of the German 2m by 2m beds, which was quite expensive. But it was still the best bed we've ever had. Here in the US, we were able to find a store here in Austin (Austin Natural Mattress) that helped us find a solution with three separate layers that can be replaced as necessary, and design the bed to our exact requirements. This is the closest we've ever found to our beloved German 2m*2m bed, and since each side under the top mattress cover can be replaced as necessary, we each get to choose how hard or soft we like our side, or how cool or warm we like our side. Given our recent experience, I would never again buy a bed that did not let us choose individually how we want our side of the bed to be.
- tbyehl 8y ago
  I loved my German bed so much that I shipped it home when I repatriated. Got about 16 years use out of it. FWIW, you can achieve a similar setup using two regular Twin XL mattresses to form a King.
ars 8y ago
> Additionally, American furniture companies that make custom beds would not make larger-than-standard mattresses as they only cut down from existing models. These guys will make you any size mattress you like: https://www.originalmattress.com/custom-size https://www.originalmattress.com/custom-size
- dawnerd 8y ago
  Seems to be a few other companies too. I bet it was more the price was way too high for OP. Another option: https://www.selectabed.com/oversized-king-ultrabed-mattress/ https://www.selectabed.com/oversized-king-ultrabed-mattress/
  - MiddleEndian 8y ago
    To reply to you and the parent comment. I did check a few stores that said they made custom sizes and a lot actually wouldn't go up to 7x7, although it's clear from your link that select-a-bed does. It wasn't so much price (although the fact that selectabed asks you to call for a quote suggests they're fairly pricey), it was that once I researched mattress materials, I was pretty set on having buckling column gel as the top layer.
    - dawnerd 8y ago
      I don't blame you. I tried a purple mattress (which I had no idea wasn't a new or unique "technology" until your post) and Im pretty sold on getting a similar style mattress now.
nsxwolf 8y ago
The Alaska King at 9ft x 9ft beats them all.
timlod 8y ago
Kudos for going with your own! After spending a good amount of time traveling and mostly using comparably 'hard' surfaces to sleep on, years ago I decided to make myself a rather thin Futon to sleep on. Buying one made from natural materials would have cost me (pre-University) too much, so I checked how to do this on a budget: I ended up buying a thin sheet of coconut fibre as well as some kilograms of untreated wool (which I laborously cleaned) off eBay and an insulation material called Thermo Hemp off an ecological construction store. I layered them Hemp - Wool - Coco - Wool - Hemp. Then I bought a large sheet and sewed it around, making some passes through a grid in the middle to keep stuff in place. (Total cost ~150eu, Queen size) The sleep experience was great - my girlfriend at the time thought it was way too hard but for me it was perfect. However, over time the materials compressed a bit and after about two years I had to put something soft below to make it good again. I should have puffed it up every once in a while to prevent that from happening and perhaps chosen the layers a bit thicker. Sleeping in bedding of your own making is great and you learn a lot in the process!
foreigner 8y ago
The last time I bought a mattress the salesman tried to sell me one with diamonds in it. Not kidding.
jgust 8y ago
> a community of mattress enthusiasts This got a hearty chuckle out of me, nice work.
nimbius 8y ago
This type of largess reminds me as an engine mechanic of a customer who paid us to turn his sons new mustang into a race car for just shy of a 23k USD birthday gift. When we were finished, the car sat at nearly ground level, only properly ran on premium petrol, and could clear a quarter mile racetrack in just under 11 seconds. The owner returned about a week later complaining the car had to be leaking fuel, because the vehicles trip computer registered an in-city mileage of 6MPG, and a highway MPG of just 8. We also had to explain that racecars do not have air conditioning, and hence theirs had been removed for power and weight improvements. Go for the gusto at your own peril. There are probably compromises most customers enjoy without noticing them in smaller mattresses.

202 points by MiddleEndian 8y ago

Maybe it's just me, but the pictures of it inside the encasement with seams and lumps everywhere make it look incredibly uncomfortable. Also it seems only marginally larger than a King mattress. Edit: On further examination, I think the lumpy picture may be of the bottom of the mattress. Which makes more sense. Edit 2: Or maybe not. From the article: "On top I would put 2" of buckling column gel, which is a squishy material similar to a bottomless rubber ice cube tray." So I guess all that lumpiness is in fact the top.

rtkwe 8y ago
The lumps look like small bits of extra fabric from the fabric backing on the buckling column gel. It looked pretty thin so I doubt they'd be that noticeable actually laying on the bed. It probably just looks so lumpy because of the thing encasement/fitted sheet.
MiddleEndian 8y ago
The gel is a uniform grid. It's intended to be that way. The minor lumps are the sheets which are not super tight, but as another user mentioned I cannot detect them. Regarding the size, yeah I did realize that when I finished, but it's still visibly larger than a king in person. If I were doing it from scratch knowing that I know now I'd probably do 8x8 and then I wouldn't have had to cut the buckling column gel and it would be even more comical. Edit: Regarding the size again, I already knew the Queen sized mattress was slightly too short for bed habits even though I am not 80" tall, and the King is the same height. The California King is the full 7' tall but 6' is slightly less than my wingspan and I wanted that to be covered.

TamDenholm 8y ago

I’d love to see a cost breakdown for this.

cfitz 8y ago
Came here to say just this. I was really hoping to find a mention of the cost at the end of the article after seeing none within the "acquiring materials" section. This would help fellow makers budget properly should we want to pursue a similar project. Regardless, cool project!
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  I will add it this evening or tomorrow, it's in line with the costs of a traditional mattress purchase rather than one of the new cheaper online companies.

rwmj 8y ago

Is this fire safe? What happens if someone drops a smouldering match/cigarette/etc on that pile of latex, foam and gel?

MiddleEndian 8y ago
The encasement is advertised as fire retardant, bed bug resistant, and some other things I don't recall at the moment. There are inspectors and such for mattress-related products so I assume that this is reasonably accurate.
duhi88 8y ago
No different from a regular mattress made of the same materials.

mosselman 8y ago

I highly doubt that the extra surface area is worth the poor quality an most likely comfort of the improvised mattress. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t buy into all expensive mattresses being better than cheap ones, however, crappy mattresses do exist, I have experienced plenty, and they still all looked better than this.

theabacus 8y ago
Not to criticize, but you sound like a can’t-put-the-Kraft-single-cheese-on-if-it-didn’t-come-out-of-the-package-right person. To each their own. This bed might not look “clean” but it does make sense structurally and the author has a complete working knowledge of how his bed works and can do any repair he wishes. It’s the author thinks it’s good, then he can deal with it.
- mosselman 8y ago
  No offence taken as I am actually a pretty handy person. When I choose what to build myself however, I decide, or at least I hope I do, based on what my skills are and how expensive bought or ordered things are. Beds and mattresses are not in the expensive category. Things like isolating your attic or redoing your bathroom are expensive to get done, so I do those things myself. This week I am replacing the shower, sink and cupboards in the bathroom, which saves me between 2000 and 3000 euros. For beds and mattresses you can just go to IKEA and making them yourself would probably save you a few hundred at most. "how his bed works and can do any repair he wishes". How beds work is not hard and mattresses are not for repairing. The most important thing though, is that you have fun building things, so who am I to judge. p.s. There must be a name for the linguistic construction: "Not to criticize, but".
  - MiddleEndian 8y ago
    My intention was not to save money but to get a particular product that didn't seem to exist otherwise (large mattress in the US, and then large mattress with particular properties). I tried to buy one first, there wasn't much else for me to do.

Freak_NL 8y ago

> At this point, I decided the only thing that made sense was to build my own mattress from scratch. Bless this mindset. The internet would be a lot less interesting without the makers and their write-ups.

rootedbox 8y ago
I get what your saying; but this is also how we end up with hacky software at companies.. The 'The I'm pretty sure I can make this better(or cheaper) myself... even if there is an off the shelf version done by dedicated professionals.'
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  My intention wasn't to get it cheaper, it was to have the size and then features I wanted once I did some research. I could've found some dude to put a British emperor mattress on a boat for me but it would not have been as comfortable. I did reach out to some companies like purple that make a similarly structured mattress but none were able to make one 7'x7'.
  - mchahn 8y ago
    My wife bought a cal king purple a few months ago and we love it. I was skeptical because it looked like memory foam but it isn't at all. I was also worried it would sag when you leaned over an edge since there was no special side support. But it doesn't sag at all which is a mystery to me.
    - carterschonwald 8y ago
      I tried out one of their pillows and i couldn’t stand the smell. :(
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- nextos 8y ago

bmsleight_ 8y ago

Wow - where is the love ? I think this is great. A mattress is something we spend loads of time (some of it quite fun) on top of. So why not research and build your own. Excellent craftsmanship and a great write up.

MiddleEndian 8y ago
Thanks man, I'm really happy with how it came out. Always good to have discussions anyway.
bookofjoe 8y ago
Concur. Here's another, somewhat different solution: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/business/the-art-of-making-a-bespoke-mattress.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/business/the-art-of-makin...

brianbreslin 8y ago

Where do you get sheets for this? Is the next niche trend in online mattress companies (casper etc) custom sized or niche sized mattresses?

MiddleEndian 8y ago
I got the sheets from Advanced Bedding, I put a link to them (and the other sites I ended up using) in the materials section of my write-up. Some companies (even "traditional" mattress companies like Jordan's Furniture) will cut down mattresses from standard mattresses but they don't seem to build them up. I considered it myself but it's a lot of energy and I'm just glad it's done.
- closetohome 8y ago
  I had to chuckle at the part where you got a friend to help put the mattress cover on, because I've been exactly there - realizing I just built something I can't move myself. Fun writeup about something I'd honestly never considered DIYing, though I'm familiar with (and heartily approve of) the materials.
  - MiddleEndian 8y ago
    Glad you enjoyed it. I had some other times when I needed help moving things and had to use some wedges but didn't want to bog down the write-up with too many details.

cremp 8y ago

> I came to the conclusion that the best way to address this was zip ties I'd be wary of that, since someone of enough stature, could squish the gel down enough and feel the plastic ends, which wouldn't be too comfortable.

MiddleEndian 8y ago
I did test this out with my hands with the the gel is fairly thick and I couldn't feel ties in the middle, even without the encasement. Haven't had any issues thusfar, and the ties are on the bottom.

matte_black 8y ago

Is there a market for emperor and Caesar size beds?

MiddleEndian 8y ago
In the UK, apparently. When I talked to furniture companies like Jordan's, salespeople told me nobody had ever asked them for a bigger-than-standard mattress, only a smaller one. Some people asked me how much it would cost to make them one when they saw it but they weren't super serious. I don't think anyone would pay me how much I'd charge them to make one the same way, especially with no warranty!

closetohome 8y ago

I'd like to suggest that, no matter how proud you are of this, don't bring a woman over and open with "so I built my own mattress."

MiddleEndian 8y ago
I actually have a girlfriend who got to enjoy various stages of the in-progress mattress, but we'll keep that in mind!
awakeasleep 8y ago
If you're not looking for a mate as unique and weird as you are, you're setting yourself up for failure
wild_preference 8y ago
I don’t see how you imagine that interaction going south. Perhaps a self-limiting belief that you have where women can’t tolerate something you see as quirky?
owenversteeg 8y ago
I've built my own mattress, and mentioned that it's homemade to everyone who's been on it... never had any problems, and my girlfriend says it's very comfortable :)
peterwwillis 8y ago
A better opening line: "Hi, I'm looking for volunteers to help me test a mattress I'm building, and you look pretty hefty and sensitive..."

syphilis2 8y ago

I may have missed it, but did you consider Ace Collection brand beds (108", or 144" width) and if so why did you not select them?

MiddleEndian 8y ago
Honestly I didn't learn about this company until after I'd started but they still only have an 80" height. Nowadays I'd not do it due to my pickiness regarding materials. Also I think that width wouldn't fit into my bedroom (which I measured before selecting the condo). That being said it inspires me to build yet an even more gigantic bed in the future.

jlebrech 8y ago

What about a cylindrical bed, you could call it the Omega bed?

MiddleEndian 8y ago
I have a friend who had a cylindrical bed in college (and maybe still now). It's fun but takes up more functional space in the room for less usable space on the bed. Also much harder to build and get sheets for.
owenversteeg 8y ago
I have a triangular bed (I live in a boat) and you end up with a few unused spots. I think a cylindrical bed would be even worse in terms of "dead space".
- jlebrech 8y ago
  you roll around and not fall off
gehwartzen 8y ago
You mean a round bed? I get that technically it would be a cylinder but people also don’t commonly refer to a normal rectangular bed as a cuboid bed :)
- bookofjoe 8y ago
  Somewhere Hugh Hefner is smiling

headnshoulders 8y ago

That mattress looks dodgy and screams backpain. Nothing beats plain wooden planks + 3-4 woolen blankets on top. Made the move to sleeping on harder surfaces about 15 years ago and never looked back - now occasional sleepovers at hotels leave me tired.

mesozoic 8y ago
Not so good if you aren't a back sleeper
MiddleEndian 8y ago
As mentioned by mesozoic, that's not great for side sleeping, which I do probably 75% of the time. My current mattress also provides me more lumbar support in back sleeping vs sleeping on a hard surface which I've done before. It's simultaneously firmer but more filling than a standard mattress if that makes sense. Additionally for non-sleeping purposes the give is necessary.

MayeulC 8y ago

> After performing some not-so-rigorous tests on some of my extra buckling column gel, I came to the conclusion that the best way to address this was zip ties. The gel is thick and firm enough that if you push down on it you can't feel a zip tie near the middle of it. How about plain old-fashioned sewing? > I decided to go with a 7" layer of latex foam as a base as it is form-fitting and relatively cool This got me thinking; it shouldn't be too hard to add some thermoregulation to a mattress, with a cooling/heating system, and could provide a nice experience. Anyone has any experience with thermoregulated beds? Does they even exist? The closest I can think of is that stargate episode (with the Tollan people): https://peertube.xyz/videos/watch/965b521a-ee29-41fd-9e96-ea63072d06f5 https://peertube.xyz/videos/watch/965b521a-ee29-41fd-9e96-ea...

MiddleEndian 8y ago
Honestly I don't remember why I decided against sewing but the zip ties are wider and would presumably therefore involve less pressure on the materials. My knowledge of thermoregulation is very minimal so I have no insight there beyond these materials feeling cool to me.
- MayeulC 8y ago
  Well, if your current system is good enough, don't fix it. But many kind of stitches and threads exist, from leather stitches to laces.
owenversteeg 8y ago
I'm not sure about a cooling system, but heated blankets/mattress pads exist for pretty cheap ($10ish.) Anyone know if there's an inexpensive way to cool a mattress? I found the "ChiliPad" for US$450, with discount codes taking that to $336, which is still way more expensive than any heating pads. Everything else I've found just seems to be mattress pads with cooling fabrics, which just feel cool to the touch and don't actually cool you down.
- MayeulC 8y ago
  I would have expected some plastic hose meshes to exist, that could be plugged into any sort of cooling system (be it pelletier, compressor, evaporation, or just radiator based) trough a closed-loop "watercooling" system, but couldn't find any. Such a mesh could be built into the mattress itself. I would expect waterbeds to be easier to regulate as well, as I imagine they have a higher thermal conductivity. This could allow to place the cooling apparatus underneath, and make it something like a regular fridge radiator. Actually, I found a few commercial products for the first idea while researching the second, among which a "mycoolbuddy" mesh that seems to retail for around $60. To be fair, cooling is always a lot harder than heating, courtesy of thermodynamics. edit: seems like BedJet does it trough air cooling (~$100), which is interesting as well (and they made a fun marketing video, btw).

owenversteeg 8y ago

So I've built myself two mattresses using just a 12cm thick slab of foam. My girlfriend and I both consider my "mattress" to be the most comfortable we've ever slept on, and guests that have tried it found it very comfortable. Initially I planned to add other layers to it, like latex, gel, springs or whatnot, but I really can't find any reason to. It's a fine temperature in the summer and nicely insulating in the winter, and it was fairly inexpensive too ($140 for two 100x200x12cm slabs of high quality foam.) Has anyone else tried this simple approach to DIY mattress building? Any thoughts on why (or why not) to just use plain foam? [edit] The reason why I ask is because maybe there are hidden factors I haven't considered. Maybe there's a risk of back pain, or less deep sleep, or something I haven't considered. Perhaps the most comfortable mattress isn't always the best for you. I figured if there's anywhere I'd find a subject matter expert, it'd be here :)

MiddleEndian 8y ago
If it works for you it works for you. Once I'd tested out some of the gel it felt better to me so I went with that. And of course the other things I mentioned like support and cooling.
glass_of_water 8y ago
What kind of foam did you use? Did you have any offgassing issues initially?
- owenversteeg 8y ago
  I bought two 12x100x200cm pieces of (probably) PU foam from a local hardware store in the Netherlands. Link (Dutch): https://www.hornbach.nl/shop/Schuimmatras-200x100x12-cm/3843210/artikel.html#artikeldetails https://www.hornbach.nl/shop/Schuimmatras-200x100x12-cm/3843... 25kg/m3 density, 4kPa compressive strength, 70 euros per piece. I didn't notice any smell with any of the foam I bought. The only issue I ran into was one piece of foam not expanding properly - it only expanded to about 8cm thickness, not 12 as advertised.

Smoofer 8y ago

I liked the writeup + seeing it come together, but this project struck me as pretty wasteful. How big of a bed do you really need? (even if "you" is two people).

MiddleEndian 8y ago
That's a fair complaint. I could say I like the size because it's beyond my wingspan and however low the pillows end up in practice, my feet never overhang the bed. And that is true and is a reason I like it. But I definitely like the size because it's ridiculous. On the other hand if this bed lasts me longer than a standard mattress then it will cancel out anyway, especially since I know how to replace individual components if they fail. Regarding waste, I was mostly upset at having to throw out the foam and fabric from the mattress toppers that the bucking column gel came inside. Everything else at least contributed to the bed. I was unable to convince them to just send me the gel. So they shipped me gel wrapped in waste. I talked to a local shelter but they can't accept pre-opened bedding due to health and safety concerns, so I had to throw out a ton of useless junk. I have some leftover gel (by design based on the sizes of the sheets) but I've given some to a friend and plan to use more for a backpack.

scentedmeat 8y ago

I feel a bit like the Princess and the Pea, but those lines down the middles would bug me.

MiddleEndian 8y ago
I agree and in the first rendition you could feel the borders between the gel sheets, which was quite distracting. An encasement that made those lines invisible might be too thick and negate the benefits of using the gel. When the fitted sheet is over the mattress, you cannot see the lines.

oneplane 8y ago

I wonder what the deal is with 'naming' bed sizes. Here in The Netherlands as far as I know, we just use dimensions so you always know exactly what size you have/want/get. Is it a country or language specific thing? Or perhaps an industry idea to hide information behind ambiguous terms?

api_or_ipa 8y ago
Names work well because the actual size of a mattress isn't really important to most mattress discussions, nor are the measurements ever 100% accurate because of differences in material or manufacture. If I'm at the shop buying sheets and I remember my queen mattress is roughly ~1.5m wide, is it a 1.37m wide double mattress or a 1.53m wide queen mattress? Using a name placeholder avoids this ambiguity, a queen sheet will always fit a queen bed, within some margin of error, even accounting for differences in material: I imagine foam is more ductile than spring mattresses so might be made a bit bigger to account for this difference.
- twic 8y ago
  And yet, at the hardware store, you by two-by-four, and if someone suggested that that should be called a duke-size instead, you would think they were off their rocker.
  - tbrownaw 8y ago
    But that's also just a name, since they're not actually 2" x 4".
- oneplane 8y ago
  I guess that would work well in a situation where there is a limited set of sizes. We'd be stuck with about 15 different names here. I wonder if there is some size distribution difference, for example, almost all hotel beds in the US and the UK are too short, yet very wide for me.

SllX 8y ago

So, is nobody going to tell him that over here we call that a San Francisco King? An absolutely cool project though.

bradknowles 8y ago

In Europe, on the Continent, standard sizes are 180cm by 2m, and 2m by 2m (or about 78.75" by 78.75"). When my wife and I lived in Belgium, we bought one of the German 2m by 2m beds, which was quite expensive. But it was still the best bed we've ever had. Here in the US, we were able to find a store here in Austin (Austin Natural Mattress) that helped us find a solution with three separate layers that can be replaced as necessary, and design the bed to our exact requirements. This is the closest we've ever found to our beloved German 2m*2m bed, and since each side under the top mattress cover can be replaced as necessary, we each get to choose how hard or soft we like our side, or how cool or warm we like our side. Given our recent experience, I would never again buy a bed that did not let us choose individually how we want our side of the bed to be.

tbyehl 8y ago
I loved my German bed so much that I shipped it home when I repatriated. Got about 16 years use out of it. FWIW, you can achieve a similar setup using two regular Twin XL mattresses to form a King.

ars 8y ago

> Additionally, American furniture companies that make custom beds would not make larger-than-standard mattresses as they only cut down from existing models. These guys will make you any size mattress you like: https://www.originalmattress.com/custom-size https://www.originalmattress.com/custom-size

dawnerd 8y ago
Seems to be a few other companies too. I bet it was more the price was way too high for OP. Another option: https://www.selectabed.com/oversized-king-ultrabed-mattress/ https://www.selectabed.com/oversized-king-ultrabed-mattress/
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  To reply to you and the parent comment. I did check a few stores that said they made custom sizes and a lot actually wouldn't go up to 7x7, although it's clear from your link that select-a-bed does. It wasn't so much price (although the fact that selectabed asks you to call for a quote suggests they're fairly pricey), it was that once I researched mattress materials, I was pretty set on having buckling column gel as the top layer.
  - dawnerd 8y ago
    I don't blame you. I tried a purple mattress (which I had no idea wasn't a new or unique "technology" until your post) and Im pretty sold on getting a similar style mattress now.

nsxwolf 8y ago

The Alaska King at 9ft x 9ft beats them all.

timlod 8y ago

Kudos for going with your own! After spending a good amount of time traveling and mostly using comparably 'hard' surfaces to sleep on, years ago I decided to make myself a rather thin Futon to sleep on. Buying one made from natural materials would have cost me (pre-University) too much, so I checked how to do this on a budget: I ended up buying a thin sheet of coconut fibre as well as some kilograms of untreated wool (which I laborously cleaned) off eBay and an insulation material called Thermo Hemp off an ecological construction store. I layered them Hemp - Wool - Coco - Wool - Hemp. Then I bought a large sheet and sewed it around, making some passes through a grid in the middle to keep stuff in place. (Total cost ~150eu, Queen size) The sleep experience was great - my girlfriend at the time thought it was way too hard but for me it was perfect. However, over time the materials compressed a bit and after about two years I had to put something soft below to make it good again. I should have puffed it up every once in a while to prevent that from happening and perhaps chosen the layers a bit thicker. Sleeping in bedding of your own making is great and you learn a lot in the process!

foreigner 8y ago

The last time I bought a mattress the salesman tried to sell me one with diamonds in it. Not kidding.

jgust 8y ago

> a community of mattress enthusiasts This got a hearty chuckle out of me, nice work.

nimbius 8y ago

This type of largess reminds me as an engine mechanic of a customer who paid us to turn his sons new mustang into a race car for just shy of a 23k USD birthday gift. When we were finished, the car sat at nearly ground level, only properly ran on premium petrol, and could clear a quarter mile racetrack in just under 11 seconds. The owner returned about a week later complaining the car had to be leaking fuel, because the vehicles trip computer registered an in-city mileage of 6MPG, and a highway MPG of just 8. We also had to explain that racecars do not have air conditioning, and hence theirs had been removed for power and weight improvements. Go for the gusto at your own peril. There are probably compromises most customers enjoy without noticing them in smaller mattresses.