How to Switch From a Waterbed Mattress to a Regular Mattress
Are you tired of your waterbed mattress and want to switch to a regular mattress? The problem with switching is that a regular mattress does not fit into a waterbed frame. Two easy but expensive options are having a mattress custom made or finding a specialty house that sells manufactured innerspring mattresses for waterbeds. A better, less costly option is to find a mattress in the closest size to your bed frame and fill the space around it with thick poly-foam purchased from a craft store or an upholstery shop. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Garden hose
- Fill and drain kit
- Regular mattress
- Tape measure
- Marker
- Poly-foam
- Electric carving knife
Instructions
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1
Unplug the waterbed heater before beginning to drain the bed.
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2
Attach the garden hose to the waterbed draining nozzle.
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3
Open the waterbed plug and attach the draining nozzle to the mattress plug. Put weight on the waterbed mattress to push some water out and start the siphon.
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4
Let the water drain out and remove the empty waterbed mattress.
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5
Remove the waterbed heater from beneath the liner. It is okay to leave the liner because it will help to hold the foam, but you must lift one corner to get the heater out.
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6
Put the regular mattress into the frame and move it all the way to one side and to the foot of the bed. You can center the mattress if you prefer, but it will require a lot more measuring and cutting of the poly-foam.
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7
Measure the distance from each edge of the regular mattress to the corresponding edge of the bed frame.
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8
Mark the dimensions on the poly-foam to create cutting lines.
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9
Cut the foam with the electric carving knife. Hold it straight up and down so the foam will not be cut at an angle. The electric carving knife will slide through the foam pretty quickly; be prepared for it to start with a surge.
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10
Tuck the pieces of foam into the edges of the bed between the regular mattress and the bed frame.
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Tips & Warnings
To reduce the amount of measuring and cutting time, try to purchase pieces of poly-foam that are the same depth, length, or width of the regular mattress.
Use extreme caution when cutting the foam with the electric carving knife.
