Bed mattresses made out of visco elastic foam, or memory foam (MF), are certainly hear to stay. There have been claims that they are a miracle cure for lower back pain and claims that they produce unpleasant odors. Despite these extreme rumors, one thing is certain. These foam beds have helped people who suffer from morning back pain. I know, I used to suffer from morning back pain, the kind of pain caused by a bad bed.

Not everybody experiences this kind of lower back pain. Some people can sleep on anything - the floor, a couch, a sofa chair and never wake up with back pain. Year after year my morning back pain increased until one morning I could barely get out of bed. I could not figure out why this was happening. I worked in an office and did no heavy lifting or any activity that would cause back pain.

I wanted to try one of these space-age beds to see if it would help but the price was outrageous to me. I wondered why should they cost thousands of dollars. After all, it was just a piece of foam. I simply refused to spend thousands of dollars just to see if maybe they would help. With the Internet at my fingertips I did a little research and found out I could make my own and save thousands of dollars.

The visco elastic memory foam market used to be dominated by the now famous Tempur Pedic brand. However, today there are many reputable companies manufacturing this high quality space-age foam. With the Internet at our fingertips, you just have to do a little home work to ensure you buy the right kind.

Top end foam MF mattresses typically consist of the following layers: The first bottom layer is a firm base of conventional foam at least 4 inches thick. The next layer might be an egg crate layer also of conventional foam to provide air ventilation. Next comes the memory foam, at least 3 inches thick and at least 5 pounds per cubic foot. Sometimes a second layer of memory foam is used, for example 2 inches thick at 3-4 pounds per cubic foot. This fourth layer is optional and determined by personal preference.

For a visco elastic memory foam mattress to perform properly you must have a solid platform frame. This will also extend the life of your mattress. I spent a total of $600 for my finished foam mattress that also included the platform frame. At a retail store I could have easily spent over $2,000 for a bed of similar quality.

Save money, do it yourself. See how you can put together a memory foam bed. Free complete detailed instructions, pictures, resources plus plans on how to make the platform bed.