DIY mattress topper (Ikea)

[Dizzy]

After much searching and reading articles we decided to not go with purpose made topper, mainly because the missus wanted something a bit thicker then 5cm (after trying our Emma 5cm topper). But also cos i thought they were robbing level prices !

So we plumped for an Ikea Tussoy (Standard size) which was 8cm thick and had a pretty nice padded cover on it which could be unzipped. 129 quid. The foam is pretty high density.

Obviously this wasn’t the correct shape for Dizzy so we set about disassembling, resizing and remaking the zip cover.

What a learning experience !

Some handy hints if you are going to attempt this.

• Use either a purpose made hot wire foam cutter or an electric kitchen knife to cut the foam (we used the latter as we had one and it worked a treat)
• When you measure the material for reassembly take into account the added zip width if you don’t use a concealed zipper foot on your sewing machine. Ours wasnt as snug as we wanted but its ok.
• Use strong polyester thread, ours was pretty thick but ok for a bog standard 15+ yo Janome sewing machine.
• Take your time doing the template on a flat surface, we used our kitchen table
• Practice sewing in a zip into some spare material if you haven’t done it before
• Make sure you hem the trimmed mattress cover before you attempt to sew in the zip
• We tacked the zip into the remade cover before going at it with the machine, I think if we were more skilled this wouldn’t be necessary !

Took us about 4 hours to do in total. Seems really comfy in the van, nicer than the pop top mattress over the top of the VW seat pads.

First outing this weekend – will report back !

 

[Dizzy]

Oh yeah, i forgot about the rolled up size - 35cm diameter and 115 wide, so pretty reasonable, we secured it with some camping mattress straps we had spare.

The missus was on a roll so she made a bag with the door from an old halfords tent!

 

[acer]

Oh yeah, i forgot about the rolled up size - 35cm diameter and 115 wide, so pretty reasonable, we secured it with some camping mattress straps we had spare.

The missus was on a roll so she made a bag with the door from an old halfords tent!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to post this. You may have started something! We’ve tried 5cm foam on top of the Vw comfort mattress with a zonesleep on top of that and still been uncomfortable. We now use 2 air beds (with a zonesleep) but would change again for the convenience and knowledge that we won’t spring a leak.

I guess it all depends on the quality of the foam and how ‘mattress’ like it is. The fact that it rolls so compactly is fantastic and a really good find. However, your next post, your objective review about the quality of your sleep, is the most important one. Keep us in mind - we lie on our sides and like it really soft. Fingers crossed! Hope you enjoy your weekend and get a good sleep.

 

[Dizzy]

I worked out the density of the ikea foam is 50kg m3, that's meant to be pretty fair. Although you can get 60+

D

 

[acer]

I worked out the density of the ikea foam is 50kg m3, that's meant to be pretty fair. Although you can get 60+

D

We’ve got an ikea trip coming up. How did you find your new topper solution? Soft?

 

[Dizzy]

Ah yes, sorry I promised I would.

Topper was big improvement in my opinion. The wife said the same.

However I thought it was a bit hot, but that could be down to us not being used to sleeping on memory foam. (We have an alpaca wool topper on our bed at home which is very different)

Are we overall pleased ? Yes definitely.

I think you could get away with cutting the foam to size and not changing the cover and then tucking it down the sides and underneath when you roll it out.