With a waterbed, you pay for the frame more than anything - how good it looks, and, insofar as money is a measure, the quality of finish, etc. Unless you’re buying online and know what you’re doing, with a waterbed you’re also paying for installation/setup. (It is dead easy,p when you know how, but daunting for the first one). A new mattress, if you are happy installing it, costs about £150-£250, depending on how heavily damped it is. Apart from damping (the time it takes for the bed to stop movement after you get in or turn, which on the heavily damped ones is only about a second), sleep comfort is the same on all mattresses, and is the same regardless of age.
Bed choice also depends on what blanket cover you prefer. Plump heavy duvet. Traditional sheet with cell blanket and over spread. Silk.
Those soft sprung hotel beds with several covers all tucked in tight do my head in.
Interesting that you asked this question to the retailer and their response sounds a little dismissive to you imho.
Anyway, your maths is about right. Hence my question initially. All I would add fyi is that, provided there is some area around the bed, then the “effective loaded area” greatly increases. Thus the uniformly distributed load on the floor decreases accordingly ( timber floors load share between joists). You can envisage a potential problem perhaps if the bed were in confined area or against a wall etc.
Finally, you are correct about current loading at 2kN/m2 but this is a recent change. All the properties you refer to where you have lived were/is all 1.5.
Thanks for the replies. Plenty to think about. I was always led to believe that the more you pay, the better the bed i.e. more springs, horsehair in the top layers, etc. I’ve tried lying on some in shops, but tbh there’s not a great deal of difference instantly between them. I suffer from shoulder pain and I’m hoping a decent bed may help this. I want my shoulder to sink into the mattress and not be forced up. All the decent bed options have an ideal weight reference and I’m looking at soft. The only real way of telling is after a week’s sleep on one I suppose. I also always seem to sleep hot, so the horsehair layer appealed to me. I’ve never considered a water bed, but don’t suppose I’ll rule it completely yet.
I really did spend a long time in John Lewis the day I tried out several beds! Probably should have gone back for a second tour to confirm my initial conclusions but I’m very happy with my choice. The maker is Harrison Spinks and I went with the Angora model which has numerous layers of micro springs/ wools outside the main pocket springs. Perhaps over engineered but I have suffered with lower lumbar problems for several years and I am very pleased with the level of comfort.
One point related to your last post concerns the grading of the mattress - firm/ medium/ soft. What I found with the pocket sprung mattresses, even from the same manufacturer, is that they varied considerably ie one range’s firm was another’s medium, etc. I think it’s therefore vital that you spend a chunk of time trying them out to ensure that you achieve the best compromise allowing support along the contours of your spine. The split zipper mattress allows an alternative solution for you and your other half. The most extreme experience I had was with a Tempur classified as soft which I felt like I had completely sunk into - quite disturbing!! Good luck with your deliberations!
I have worded that extremely poorly! What I was trying to say is that a mattress designated ‘firm’ can feel very similar in compliance to another mattress from the same manufacturer but in a slightly different range to one designated ‘medium’. I found this a little confusing and unhelpful with my decision making.
You could also look at some Talalay or Dunlop Latex mattress padded with natural wool. We got one of these a couple years ago and it is definitely the best type of mattress we ever slept on.
I have a Hästens Luxuria and can highly recommend it. They are handmade in Sweden using only natural materials such as horsehair, flax and wool.
It is one of only a few bed manufacturers (making them since 1852) which is 100% biodegradable and made from 100% natural materials. I chose it based on a need for minimal allergic sources and a product which could be recycled or repurposed without any harmful waste. They also come with a 25 year warranty which is practically unheard of these days for anything.
In stark contrast something like a Tempur mattress is basically plastic and will do an appalling job of regulating body temperature and dealing with sweat from the body. If something like a Hästens bed is a stretch in cost, look for something with natural materials and that has minimal or zero plastics.
About three years ago I bought a Sealy matress with a feature called core support centre. It’s fimer in the centre and less firm at the top and bottom, so exerts less force at the shoulder area. The constuction is also similar to Tobyjugs recomendation, a soft top layer and firmer below.
Only you can judge your shoulder. Waterbeds have no pressure points, and apparently are often found to be good by back sufferers. They’re sort of soft but firm at the same time - they support evenly, but press in at one point and they give.
i read that the best for shoulder pain is to have a specific pillow.
Here is the Orthex somnia pillow from France. You have very probably something similar in the UK.
If you have slept in a premier inn and thought the hypnosis bed was comfortable, you can buy them via the premier inn website…pretty reasonable prices.
30 day home trial, 100% money back guarantee, 10 year warranty. Fantastic service, bought two, best ever, no back pain in two years. And these people have forgotten more about bed manufacture than most will ever know.
Yes I see what you mean. In the Vispring range, I tried soft Herald Superb and soft Shetland. They were like two completely different beds. The Shetland was way softer and I thought perhaps I sank too much into it, even though soft is classified as up to my weight.