The Costco Version of the Tempurpedic / Sleep Number Bed Constructed

dk

To see how we got here, you may want to read this first,

Hunting for the perfect mattress.

or this

The bed Affair continues.

The following is the step by step photo construction of our new Sleep Innovations Mattress from Costco that appears to be what you would get if a Sleep Number Bed had an affair with a Tempur Pedic Mattress.

The first shot below is our new bed from Crate and Barrel. My wife loves it.

Then there is the warning about the memory foam smell. I had read a lot about this and was prepared for the worst. I have an extremely powerful sniffer that can pick up scents from across the house that others miss. I had to stick my nose into the foam to smell this warned of smell.

Here is the whole box. It was about four and some change tall.

This is the company name on the box.

Here is the mattress size. They also had all others including California king which I think is longer and narrower than a regular king but I am not sure.

This is why Americans better stop complaining and get to work twice as hard as they do now. Almost everything cool is made in China and we make what?

Here is the entire contents of the box laid out on the Crate and Barrel bed. Remember this mattress was around $600. I understand why some of the people who buy the Sleep Number bed freak out when they see the contents of the box that they just paid $3000 for. I have not actually put together a sleep number bed, but from my studies this appeared to be very similar, except with a thicker tempurpedic style mattress on top. See my foot in many of these photos for scale. (But I am not blaming anyone! 😉

Here are the fancy instructions. These did not impress me and caused me to waste about half an hour because the pictures were not nearly as clear and cool as on this blog. This is the only picture of the little controller gizmos.

Here are more of the instructions. Why they don’t have a photo step by step online like this one is beyond me, or maybe they do and I just don’t know it?

Here is the mattress sock. To understand the construction of the whole thing, think of a thin sleeping bag with fabric about as thick as a sheet, with a bunch of stuff crammed into it. That is the construction of the whole mattress.

Here is the mattress sock unfolded and unzipped. I broke one of the zippers on the mattress sock by the way on the final zip, but the bed still works fine. When I get around to it I need to get a replacement sock. By the way, at the beginning of installation find the holes in the sock near the head of the bed. The directions don’t tell you to find them until the end when it is impossible to find them. This caused me to rush at the end because i wanted it done before I left for work. If I had found the holes at this point, it would have made it much easier, and possibly saved a zipper broken from me rushing.

The next item which are these foam 2 x 4 thingys’ were in the middle of the tempurpedic-like mattress material crepe. It was a pain to get them out just because I was running out of room.

Here are the foam board thingys laid out.

You fit the four foam things together to make some sort of a structure.

Then there is a fabric piece that wraps around the very outside of the foam boards that are now in that square above.

The corners lock together as if it gives them some structure, but basically the only real structure comes from the air you fill it up with at the end. Otherwise it was like building a crepe out of smaller crepes.

Here are all of the corners locked, with the fabric strip around the outside. I was never sure if I get the fabric strip just right or not, but it is a piece of fabric for gosh sakes, and I could never figure out what it was for anyway?

Then you flip over some flaps of the original sock to sort of hold the foam board thingys in place.

You then put a piece of foam with slits in it on the bottom. Later on you will realize those slits are for the cords from the air bladders.

Here is the air pump and one of the air bladders. It is a fricken air mattress! It is actually of apparently the same construction, and the same material as the Coleman air mattress I bought at Target a few years back.

Who’s ready to go camping! Yayyyyy!!!!

In many write ups about the Sleep Number bed I heard complaints about a foam wall between the air mattresses. In this case they made it wide, and it tapers down to be very narrow between the air mattresses. There is no hard edge on this center piece of foam anywhere, so I think they fixed the error that others had experienced in the Sleep Number bed.

You then take the cords under the mattress and thread them through the holes in the head of the sock, which are now impossible to find unless you found them at the beginning.

You can also see the final piece of memory foam that is about to be laid out over the mattress. I was rushing at this point so threw it on and started zipping. Then I folded the top part of the sock that you see folded over the headboard, and then zipped the whole thing up too fast and broke one of the zipper claps. The sock still works with just one zipper clasp.

With the new fancy sheets.

The early reports on this are heaven. From the first second it feels amazingly comfortable. We played with it and you can make it feel a little uphill or downhill if you fill one side more than the other.

If you way overfill the mattress it can make you feel like you are sleeping on a pod that you might fall off of, as one other writer mentioned.

For us, so far the bed is wonderful, and I will do a full write up on the sleeping on it soon.

As far as the construction goes.

This is a thick sheet sock with a piece of foam and some air mattresses in it. That is really it.

It makes much more sense to me than a big heavy traditional mattress which is going to compress and wear out after a few years anyway. It is also very easy to move and remove if necessary because it is mostly fabric and air.

How long will it last? I bet a few years, maybe five?

Would I have been happy paying $3000 for it? Hell no.

For $600 or $700 it reminds me more of an expensive jacket, but one that I will be wearing every night for 8 hours or more for the next three years.

My final evaluation will come after more sleeping, but from all the analysis I have so far I will give it two huge thumbs up.

To repeat my previous offer to Tempurpedic and Sleep Number. I notice that this blog is showing up very high in Google for your terms. So to be fair if you guys want to send me temporarily your best mattress to try, we can set it up in the guest room and I will be happy to give it a go and make an honest comparison. If it is better than the Costco one, then I will be happy to tell everyone that fact.

And to my readers, please continue to leave comments. This site is gathering a lot of stories about these beds where the writer (me) and the commenter’s have not financial stake in the outcome of this discussion.

Sleep Well!

dk

Here is a summary of all of the posts I have written about beds.
Hunting for the perfect mattress
The bed affair continues
The Costco Bed Constructed

67 Replies to “The Costco Version of the Tempurpedic / Sleep Number Bed Constructed”

  1. We’ve been watching for your updated blog on the mattresses and are happy to see you got it set up finally. We ended up purchasing the same mattress from Costco also about 2 months ago. We love the air bed, but find this Novaform one from Costco to get very sloppy quickly. The sides send to bulge out quite badly and you end up feeling like you’re falling off the sides. The sides are very soft and are not firm enough to support the side and keep a neat looking mattress wall. The contruction is loose and the mattress just seems to feel sloppy far too soon. Is this something you noticed? Other than the lower quality construction this bed is great and we sleep better with the adjustible air bed than on any other mattress. We are looking into the Comfortaire mattress on nationwidemattress.com and may be replacing the Costco one with a Comfortaire. The Sleep Number beds we lay on in the store were not sloppy feeling like the Costco mattress. We don’t want to spend the money on the Sleep Number bed and Comfortaire is actually a middle priced between the Novaform (Costco) and Sleep Number mattresses. That’s been our experience so far. Have you noticed any of these issues that I mentioned with the construction?

  2. After a car crash injured my lower & upper back. I chose not to have a fusion and to try to do everything I could to heal naturally. I purchased a classic Temperpedic just off of word of mouth. I was desperate for solutions. IT HELPED TREMENDOUSLY! I don’t know what I would do without it. It is where I rejuvenate.

    I happened to be researching more affordable options (including costco) for our cabin and came to find this blog. My dilemma is I’m only 160lbs but I have family members that will use the bed that are 250lbs. So I don’t want to spend the Temperpedic money and have it broke in and uncomfortable (waist of good money).

    Has anyone ever had a Novaform “fresh dreams” mattress????? If so, what do you think of the quality. Any other suggestions are appreciated.

    T.J.

  3. I’m glad you like the bed, because the putting-it-together photos made this look like a colossal pain in the a–!

  4. Thank you for the detailed instructions on the Novaform air bed from Costco, I could not locate them and was a little baffled as to what goes where. I do know I slept better last night than I had in a long time so I have no complaints so far. Your blog worked wonders and again I thank you.
    Jayne

  5. so how did it turn out? is it worth the money, or should i save and buy a sleep number… or a tempurpedic… or a novaform (they are having a sale on the comfortluxe in a few days so i’m stuck between this one and the comfortluxe)

    i’m also wondering the density of the 3″ topper… is it 4lb/5lb/6lb?

  6. AWESOME! Love the info. Thanks everyone!!

    dk — I’d love to hear the latest on your Costco bed.

    Thanks!
    Tam

  7. O.K., Here is the update. The bed is totally comfortable. It feels to me exactly the way the sleep number bed did when I tried it out in the mall.

    I have not gotten around to getting the broken zippered pouch replaced but that has not been a problem.

    My wife absolutely loves it.

    I really appreciate all the comments. It seems like this is the only place online where there is truly objective info on beds. I discovered these bed pages rank very high in Google now for anything having to do with Sleep Number, Tempurpedic, or Costco beds. I am surprised that none of the companies have contacted me yet.

    Happy bed hunting!
    dk

  8. Thank you so much for posting all of this information, especially the photos! It is a reality check for me. I am not mechanically inclined so if I get this bed, I will need to allow lots of time for assembly. Your photos will be a huge help! From all that has been posted, this bed seems to get rave reviews for comfort. Thank you for taking time and sharing your in-depth analysis. What a wonderful resource your site has been ! – mjm

  9. dk
    , 1st off I see that you do not use a box spring?
    Next how much was the bed frame at Crate & Barrel .
    I see one that looks pretty nice at Ikea for $249.00 in a variety of colors and is only 1/2″ off in mattress length from what the King Nova Form is measuring out at.
    I have bought 2 very expensive mattress over the last couple of years which I cant ever sleep on with out waking up with a terrible back ache after 2 back surgeries
    I am going to get this mattress that you suggested but in the King size version for $899, unless you have any other suggestions.
    Thanks so much for all of your posting

  10. The crate and barrel bed was a few thousand i think. Not a particularly good deal, but my wife lllooooved! how it looked!

    The bed is irrelevant in regards to how the mattress will feel. It will work just as good just thrown on the floor. 🙂

    @Brett, let me know how it goes!

  11. Thanks for this info. I have been trying to find a good bed for my poor old mom who has back problems and I just can’t believe the prices for the air beds. Now there is another company on the net called Sleep Better – they seem to have a cheaper model and I really wonder aren’t they all pretty much the same. They do offer a single chamber queen model which would be good for one person. Anyone know anything bad about that compromise. Thanks – the companies are probably not contacting you because they know they are all the same.

    Ruth

  12. Ruth,
    I think the whole trick is to make sure you really understand the return policy if she does not like it.

    The problem is that some of the return policies can be a bit deceptive unless you read them like an attorney.

  13. Thanks for these honest assessments. One thing that surprised me is the differing noise levels of the pumps. Elsewhere I read that this is fairly loud. Does anyone know about the sound level? Do you need to adjust the firmness at night?

    Over at Epinions (http://www1.epinions.com/prices/Novaform_Infinite_Comfort_King_Mattress_MCM475MKO_epi) several people wrote about the zipper breaking and the foam tearing. Have you had this experience?

    Are the sidewalls firm enough that you can sit on the edge to put on shoes?

    Thanks!
    Gary

  15. When you run the pump on our bed you can hear it. It might wake a very light sleeper, but it might not. It is rare that you need to add air to our bed.

    I broke the zipper handle when we installed it, but it worked fine. They have offered to replace that part, but I just have not gotten around to doing it.

    None of the foam tore on ours.

  16. Well we’ve slept on this for two nights and it isn’t going well. I think it may be that we just don’t like memory foam. In the Select Comfort store we didn’t like the memory foam either.

    I’m a big guy, and it feels like the 3″ of memory foam on this mattress squishes flat in my middle, and leaves my feet up in the air. Turning to my side is nearly impossible. This is with leaving the pumps fully inflated.

    I’ve also woken up with numb arms both mornings, and I’m not sure what’s causing that.

    The pumps were much louder than Select Comfort’s (5000 model and higher), though they seem to hold their air. They do adjust firmness rather quickly, so it takes just a slight touch on the control to get the right level of firmness. The idea of Select’s pressure reading on their controller appeals to me since you wouldn’t have to keep fiddling to find the right firmness once you knew what your target number is.

    We’re going to give it another night or two and then go back to reconsider the Select Comfort 5000. I’d like to try it out in their store again now that we know more what this Costco Novaform feels like.

    Honestly, the price of Select’s bed is astounding, but I place a high premium on comfort. I decided to give this bed a try only because Costco has such a great return policy. But it seems like it just isn’t going to work for us.

    If they had a non-memory foam version available, I might be very interested in giving it a try. I wonder what it would feel like to try it without the memory foam. Maybe I’ll give that a shot.

    Cheers!
    Gary

  17. We also have been quite disappointed in our Costco Novaform mattress. The sides have caved in on, making it very difficult to stay on the bed at night, and I agree that the air pumps are quite loud and it is much nicer having the number to refer to should someone come through and mess with the controls. I am definitely returning my mattress to Costco and am going to go with a much higher quality mattress.

  18. Karla,
    I will be curious to see your results. I was unable to find any data that indicated a quality improvement on buying a Tempurpedic or a Sleep Number.

    Also, it appears that one of our air bladders may have a slow leak, so I will be asking for a new one.

    Again, my opinion is that most of these are not particularly strong, made of collapsible materials they really can’t be.

    So I am still betting on the safe route is the one where they will give you your money back, and let you try a different one.

    By the way, my 6 month old memory foam pillow I bought on E-Bay is now as flat and unsupportive as my 6 month old Tempurpedic pillow was. I am going to order another $20 one on E-bay.

  19. Hi, thank you for all of the great info. We are now thinking of purchasing this bed. Some of the negative comments that I noticed on your site is that the bed doesn’t hold its shape and that the sides are not that strong. What is your experience with this?

  20. I have the
    NovaForm®
    Pure Comfort Deluxeâ„¢
    Queen Mattress
    Item # 345474
    From Costco

    And even though it’s weird to SINK into a bed
    I LOVE IT!

    I have Degenerative Disk Disease in my L5
    The Great thing about this matress is you have ZERO Pressure Points. With a Regular Matress I HURT when I was laying on my bed because of Pressure Points.
    With this one. it’s like you are on a bed of Clouds.
    (Yes it’s different to get used to)

    But Because of this bed (I’ve had it 9 months now)
    I have now felt good enough to Excersize and lose weight.

    I Recommend this bed for ANYONE with back problems and their bed has pressure points. (That hurt)
    if you don’t like the Sinking Feeling, NovaForm has one that they sometimes Sell at Costco Also, (Similar to Sleep Number but MUCH Cheaper)

    I’m glad I bought it and I wish I would have got it 10 years ago……

    http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?whse=BC&topnav=&prodid=11314916&ec=BC-EC877-CatHome&pos=11&lang=en-US

  21. http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11319306&whse=BC&topnav=&cat=06&b=1&lang=en-US This is the link to the newest version which is actually less expensive and whose memory foam rests on two layers of more substantial foam. I think I may have to get this for my children. Too bad I already bought my W Hotel bed a year ago today for twice this price. I thought I was getting a good deal, and I guess I was based on regular price, but not as good a deal as this. However, I do still love my W Store bed too.

    Thanks for the great photos and info. I wasn’t thinking of checking this out and was going to go w/ a traditional mattress set from Costco before I saw this. BTW – How do you like your Panny Viera? We just bought the 50″ for the FR. It’s coming Monday. The kids don’t know yet.

  22. Hello all, My fiance and I have this rather “going-flat” bed… And we need a new one. I am like Gary, but I am about 500 lbs. and my fiance is “just over half the size of me”. we want to look into the Select Comfort. Anyone think or Advise us NOT to?? Please write to me or back on here..

    Thanks, Fred in Texas

  23. Costco is now selling this bed for $370 for queen size and $440 for King size.

    I just bought it and am waiting for it to be delivered.

    Any recent purchasers or long time owners with additional comments about the bed?

    Thanks in advance!!!

  24. DK………can’t find the airbed on costco web site……..are they discontinued?…………have you seen a comparable product elsewhere?

    chuck

  25. Wow, we ordered the Cal King NovaForm® Infinite Comfortâ„¢ Memory Foam Mattress – Item# 235590 from Costco for $439.99 on 03FEB09 and it delivered today 06FEB09 here in north LA county. Perfect timing! We have the whole weekend to set up, air out and enjoy! Can’t wait!! Will let you know how this works out for us.

  26. First night – loved it! Easy to assemble, too. I got a new cushy mattress cover and sheets. Had a great night’s sleep – didn’t wake up at all, slept through the whole night.

  27. The Costco website doesn’t advertise it as an airbed until you read the product description. Look for “NovaForm Infinite Comfort.”

    dk – thanks for this site. My hubby and I are still deciding between the Costco bed, the Sleep Number 5000, or Comfortaire?? sheesh…buying a mattress is such a freakin’ head trip!! :o)

  28. DK,

    I have a new question for you. I am interested in purchasing the bed that you went with but I would like to utilize a murphy bed setup. Do you think your mattress could be lifted vertically and maintain its integrity. It would be surounded with a wood frame and sit on plywood. When not in use, the whole frame would pivot up into a wall unit.

    Your thoughts?

    Tim

  31. Hey Dk! Thanks for the amazing pics and info on this bed. They should really send you some of their advertising budget $$$! Anyway, I’d love for you to note the firmness of this bed- especially since you’ve had it for a while. Thanks so much for your work here!!!

  32. I just bought the queen size bed for myself to sleep in. However, looking at the way the air inflaters are setup on both sides, would this bed work for a single person sleeping at the center of the bed?

  33. Interesting site. It’s been the most informative I’ve seen on the subject of Sleep Number vs. Tempurpedic, however, no definitive answers. My husband and I have a combined weight of almost 500 lbs. , and have lower back problems. We too have been searching for the perfect mattress. We’re tired of spending bundles of cash every few years on new bed sets. We’re wondering if anyone has found the answers yet???

  34. DK,

    Any updates? I am interested in this bed. It’s on sale until March 1st. This truly seems to be a “love it” or “hate it” product.

    Thanks,

    Mark

  35. I’ve been looking at the Sleep Number-type beds, disgusted with their over-priced products, didn’t know Costco had one of these (never seen at local ones). Don’t think the ‘soft side’ problem would be a worry, since am looking to replace our waterbed. Have actually been considering getting one of those big air-mattresses that Walmart sells for $50!!!

  36. I would love to hear how you like the bed now that you have had it a while. I am trying to decide between this one at $440 and a Sleep Number that I can get on sale for $1100. Thanks!

  37. Picked one up off costco’s website for $440 for a cal-king… love it…but I put the foam divider in upside down, so I fall into a hole in the middle, which I am now fixing after reading this page, thanks! The instructions are piss pore in showing the divider

  38. Did the bed need to plug in all the time ?
    If it does, what happened if power surged kills it or no power?
    I used the bed but it seems loosing firmness every now and then in a 2 weeks time, do you need to inflate it to keep the firmness.

    It seems not so good material for airbed quality compare to Aerobed in BB&B? I wonder how long it last since friend told me the inflated one is only good for 1 year or less. I am still testing and try to decide if I should keep it or return it.

    Any comments?

  39. I bought a Cal King from this company called Flobeds 7 or 8 years ago. Pretty much the same type of design as the costco with a hint of the numbers bed in it. My issue, like others here is that the top, bottom and sides over time get pushed out!! I am guessing if you had a bed frame that outlined the frame of the bed it would help or a giant belt around the bed 😉 The price they are charging they should really have something better around the sides of the bed

    just my 2cents
    Ow

  40. I set mine up yesterday and believe it or not one air mattresse leaks.
    Did anyone have had the same experience and how was the response from Costco?
    I also agree with jandrh that the sides are too soft.
    Also it seems that the Novaform Infinite Comfort is discontinued, I can’t get any information online neither at Costco’s nor on sleepinovations website.
    I’m torn if I should return it or keep it
    D&H

  41. This blog has been so helpful for us, in our mattress hunt. Thank you, dk!
    We decided to buy the bed, but… can not find it on costco web site.
    Did anyone see it recently?

  43. We just ordered the Cal King Novaform Infinite Comfort mattress from Costco, so they are still available and apparently there has been a price drop. The full size is $299, queen is $339, and the Cal King or standard King is $439. Way cheaper than our Select Comfort mattress that we purchased 12 years ago! We are still using our Select Comfort mattress (and we still love it). The new Novaform is for our retirement home, but since we can’t retire due to economy, we will be using it as a weekend home for a while until we can move there permanently. It will be interesting to compare the two mattresses.

  44. Thanks so much for the step-by-step pictures & hints – we just got ours set up with minimal frustration thanks to a couple glances at the computer along the way! We also got ours from Costco, queen size was $370, but the sale said “while quantities last” so for anyone who can’t find it @ Costco, it seems like they do this a few times a year. BTW, one of the zippers broke on ours too, although we weren’t rushing……I’m wondering if it’s a cross between poorly-made plastic zippers and that thing you see more often in men then women (if it’s not working right, just force it to). 🙂 Thanks again, we’re hoping we love it!

  45. I just read your blog… about 10 minutes after I received my foam mattress in the tiny box from UPS ( and of course was like,” what the heck is that… my mattress?”). I am rolling around laughing because you said exactly what i was thinking… “It’s a frickin’ air mattress!”. I will post more after I take it out of the box but I’m still dumbfounded that I peeked into the box and found a darn air mattress in it. I thought Costco sent me the wrong thing! but apparently they didn’t. thanks for the play by play of the installation. can’t wait to explain my purchase to my horribly impatient husband who I know for a fact will “break the zipper” like everyone else who bought this has. btw… did they ever send you a replacement zipper? how crazy is it that everyone breaks that zipper. oh well. thanks again

  46. Hi thanks for all the info. Does not seem the mattress is available at costco any longer. Does anyone have any info and where I can buy it?

  47. We had this thing for a few weeks and took it back.

    To be brief–I wouldn’t waste my time if I were you, for the reasons other posters listed above.

  48. Great blog !!

    I am trying to find this product on Costco’s website. No matches for the ‘Infinite Comfort’ and the previous links all say that the product is no longer available 🙁

    Any other aliases that it goes by on costco’s website

  49. Great blog !!

    I am trying to find this product on Costco’s website. No matches for the ‘Infinite Comfort’ and the previous links all say that the product is no longer available

    Any other aliases that it goes by on costco’s website??

  50. I just checked today and all Costco has is their mattresses made of Memory Foam–no hybrids. 🙁

    Does anyone have any experience with the NovaForm Pure Comfort Deluxe Memory Foam Mattress??

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