Bought a firm mattress and it is too hard? Three fixes, cheapest first

You were told firm was good for your back, you bought firm, and now you wake up feeling like you slept on a table. This is the most common mattress regret there is, and it is fixable in most cases without buying another mattress. Here is what to do, in order.

First: give it thirty nights, but only thirty

A new mattress is at its firmest on day one. The comfort layers soften a little over the first month as the foams flex and the fibres settle, and your body adjusts to a new surface at the same time. What feels hard in week one often feels right by week four. So do not judge it in the first week.

But thirty nights is enough. If it still feels hard after a month, it is hard, and waiting longer will not change it.

Check the base

A firm mattress on a solid platform base is firmer than the same mattress on a sprung divan or slats, because a solid base gives nothing. If you have moved a mattress from a sprung divan to a platform-top frame or a solid ottoman, that alone can be the difference. Slats with a little flex, or a sprung divan, soften the whole feel. Also check that nothing is wrong: a slat gap over 7 cm or a broken slat makes a mattress feel hard in some places and soft in others.

Fix one: a topper

A 5 cm topper is the honest fix for a mattress that is too firm on the surface but supportive underneath. It adds the comfort layer the mattress lacks, and the support stays as it was. This is the right answer for most people in this situation.

• Soft memory foam, 50 kg/m³ and up, low hardness, for the sink-in feel. Warmer.
• Talalay latex for a softer landing that stays cool and does not take an impression.
• Wool for a gentler change, traditional feel, breathable.

Avoid thin toppers (2 to 3 cm do little) and low-density foam (under 45 kg/m³ dishes in a year). A good topper costs £100 to £250 and lasts years. Our own Soft Top is exactly this, and it is what we send first when a Chapter is too firm, before anything else.

Fix two: the swap

If the topper is not enough, or the problem is not the surface but the whole mattress being too hard underneath, a topper cannot fix it: it will be a soft layer on a board. That needs a different mattress, and the question is what your seller will do.

• Within 14 days of delivery, a distance-selling customer can cancel and return for a refund (the seller may charge collection and deduct for use). See your return rights.
• Many sellers offer a comfort swap or trial beyond that; read the terms before you order, and note whether you pay collection.
• Ask for the next tension down if the maker offers tensions: same feel on top, softer support underneath. That is what tension is for.

What to buy instead, if it comes to that

Not "soft". People bounce from too hard to too soft and get a hammock. The right answer for most is medium to medium-firm with a real comfort layer: 4 to 6 cm of memory foam or latex over supportive springs. That gives the settle at the shoulder and hip that a hard mattress refuses, with the hold underneath that a soft mattress lacks. If a bad back is the reason you went firm, read medium-firm or firm for a bad back: the evidence favours medium-firm.

How we handle it

Every Chapter comes with a 30-night swap: too firm gets a Soft Top topper first, free, and if that is not it, one swap for another chapter or the other tension, collected and delivered in one visit. Tension is chosen at order, Medium or Firm, on the chapters that offer it, and Medium is right for most people. The tension page explains the choice.

The short version

• Thirty nights, then judge.
• Check the base: solid platforms make everything harder.
• A 5 cm topper fixes a hard surface over good support.
• A hard mattress all the way through needs a swap, not a topper.
• Replace with medium-firm and a real comfort layer, not soft.