My Box Spring Made My Bed Too Hard!

My boxspring is not the original one that came with the set, and now the mattress is very stiff. I think the box spring made the bed too hard – would it help to ease the firmness of the mattress if I placed that topper between the mattress and box spring? I already have a topper on the mattress so I really don’t want to put another topper on the mattress itself.

This is a great question and yes it could change the mattress feel how much it will change that feel depends on what kind of changes you decide to make. We will run through a couple of scenarios in a moment. Please note that placing anything under the mattress other than the original boxspring designed to work as a set is likely to void your manufacturer’s warranty. If your bed is older or you’re not concerned about invalidating the guarantee then give these tweaks a try.

Putting a topper between mattress and foundation to soften the feel

Placing a topper in the middle of the box spring and mattress can unstiffen the feel of your mattress making it more flexible and pliable. This extra flexibility might just be enough to appease those looking for a slightly softer feel.

What kind of topper would you use?

This is subjective and might be based on cost, quality, and yes feel. We think you will figure those choices out on your own, however, do know that mattress toppers can be made of latex rubber, polyurethane foam, or even memory foam. Thickness affects feel. If you don’t think so simply take a look at mattresses sold today vs. those sold 30 years ago. Most old-time mattresses were thin, firm, and pretty unforgiving.  So we are basing this additional softness on a couple of things mattress thickness and the amount of giving the topper will provide under that mattress. With all else the same it is important to note that ILD (firmness) of a topper in a 2-inch thickness will not be as giving as a 3 inch and therefore will also not be as soft.

Changing the foundation to a boxspring can soften a mattress

Most mattress sets include foundations that are not flexible. In other words, there is no give. These box foundations look like boxsprings and that is where their similarity ends. The real box springs as they were referred to were the cushioning shock absorber under a mattress. It was commonly made with coil springs or torsion bars that were flexible. A flexible boxspring was once the standard. It was sold to us with the idea that it made mattresses last longer, increased support, and acted like a suspension or shock absorber for your bed. Adding a supporting base with more flex can offer a different feel. Again those with more flexibility should offer a slightly softer feel than those that are more rigid.

Today few companies still extensively use flexible boxsprings however with a little homework and research they can still be found today and at far less cost than a whole new set. Placing a more giving piece of a thicker material like a topper is a more rogue approach that the industry would of course frown on, but if you’re trying to save a penny or two and are not concerned about the norm of throwing away and starting from scratch perhaps letting something intervene between your box spring and mattress is just the remedy for a mattress that’s just a little bit too firm.