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First post, great forum here with lots of information. I've been reading for hours and feel I'm ready to post to get some advice specific to me. About us - me, I'm 6'0" 170-175lbs, 38 y.o., mainly a stomach sleeper but usually flip to my back at some point during the night. My wife is 5'0" 110-115lbs, 36 y.o., mainly a stomach sleeper, but also flips to her back some. We both occasionally deal with low back pain usually brought on by our workouts. We are sleeping on a 14 year old el-cheapo king inner spring mattress we bought early on in our marriage. We have a very thick feather bed on top of our mattress. My wife has been having pretty bad back pain lately, so I started our mattress replacement search. One thing that helped us both last night is that I flipped our mattress for the first time in years and fluffed up the feather bed. We both woke up this morning with our backs feeling better than usual. A friend of mine recently purchased the Skybed from habitatfurnishings.com, and he and his wife both love it. We plan to go over and try their bed out just to get the feel of a latex bed before we make any final decisions, but he has convinced me to go the latex route. Not loving the $2,600 price tag on that bed, I started searching which led me here. I've now read enough posts, that I'm pretty sure I want to try to do a DIY setup with latex from thefoamfactory.com aka foambymail.com. I'm all about saving dough, and I love doing things myself. The Skybed from Habitat is 6" of Dunlop (26 ILD) with a 3" Talalay 19 ILD over it. I read with great interest about Freedom1955's setup here: http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/love-our-new-talalay-latex-mattress-foam-factory/18970-0-1.html F1955 went with The Foam Factory setup as 6" 36 ILD, 2" 32 ILD, with 3" 20 ILD on top (all Talalay). I'm considering setups similar to and in between these. We are in Mississippi, so actually trying different configurations out will be impossible. With us used to the very plush feel of a thick feather bed, I do want to have some softness to our mattress. However, since we both have back issues and are stomach/back sleepers, I also realize we shouldn't have something too soft. I want to try to sleep on our new latex setup without any kind of toppers just to get the full benefits of the latex. I've read alot about doing a split setup using Twin XL pieces so my wife and I can dial in our comfort. However, my wife is not very picky, and she said she didn't want to hassle with a lot of combinations. She asked me to pick out something that should work well for us both. One question I have is on the base 6" being Talalay instead of Dunlop. I know a lot of systems use the denser, firmer Dunlop for the base. Do y'all see any problems with it being Talalay, especially if we go with the 36 ILD? I could set this bed up very similar to Habitat - 6" Talalay 36 ILD and 3" Talalay 20 ILD. Do y'all think this would be a good setup for my wife and me given our profiles? Here, I'm wondering if a 3" soft layer is too much for the stomach sleepers that we are? Would we be better served with a 2" soft layer? If so, should we consider changing the base down to the softer 29 ILD so the bed is not too firm? What are the advantages of going with the 3 pieces as Freedom1955 did and is it worth the added cost? If we went the 3 piece route, should we maybe go 6" 36 ILD, 2" 32 ILD, and 2" 20 ILD? Again, thinking of moving down to 2" of the soft layer since we are stomach/back sleepers? But moving from a thick featherbed, should we go with the 3" for the plush feel? Finally, should we replace our existing foundation that came with our cheap mattress that is 14 years old? It is a platform type foundation (no actual box springs) but it does seem to have a little bit of padding on the top of it. It appears to be level and in fine shape, but I'm not sure if this little bit of padding would be good under a latex mattress and if it is strong enough for the weight of 9" - 11" of latex. Many thanks for any advice you all can share! -Cliff |
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First off, I'm no expert by any stretch of imagination; the little that I've learned came from this great forum. I don't believe FBM is a favorite at this forum, so some of the more experienced members may not be familiar with the specifics of FBM's latex. I have also went the FBM route due to a limited budget.
"What are the advantages of going with the 3 pieces as Freedom1955 did and is it worth the added cost? If we went the 3 piece route, should we maybe go 6" 36 ILD, 2" 32 ILD, and 2" 20 ILD? Again, thinking of moving down to 2" of the soft layer since we are stomach/back sleepers? But moving from a thick featherbed, should we go with the 3" for the plush feel?" I've been told the advantage of keeping the top layers less thick provides more flexibility. If the comfort layers are too soft or too firm, you could easily add another layer too suite you needs. "One question I have is on the base 6" being Talalay instead of Dunlop. I know a lot of systems use the denser, firmer Dunlop for the base. Do y'all see any problems with it being Talalay, especially if we go with the 36 ILD?" Although Dunlop may be the choice for a base, I haven't read anyone who's built a mattress from FBM and used talalay as a base complain. "I want to try to sleep on our new latex setup without any kind of toppers just to get the full benefits of the latex." I'm assuming you're talking about thick mattress pads. I got one from cosco (cuttlebed plus) just in case the latex feel was a little too firm. Check this thread out. |
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need2sleep, thanks so much for the reply and the help! I had a chance to go by a mattress store this evening that had a couple of mostly latex setups. They had the Sealy Embody and a new line from Stearns & Foster - Luxury Latex collection. This line is not on their website yet, but the one I liked the best was this one: http://www.gotomattress.com/p-515-stearns-foster-italian-garden-villa-plush-mattress.aspx I still want to do a DIY setup to save money, but I'm wondering if the makeup of this mattress will help inform my decision on the components to get. The S&F is made as follows: 8.75" Smart Latex w/ Interlock Support System, Comfort Layer - 1" HD Supersoft Foam, 1.5" x .5" Convuluted Hypersoft layer, with a 1" Hypersoft quilt. This mattress felt very supportive with just the right amount of support. It is labeled as Plush, but interestingly it felt firmer (in a good way) to the stepdown mattress in this line which is labeled as Cushion Firm with a 7" latex core, 2" HD Supersoft Foam, .79" Smart Latex, + the same 2 Hypersoft layers. This "Cushion Firm" mattress felt kind of mushy and I was bottoming it out as I sat down on it. Would it be worth replicating any of the HD Supersoft Foam just for comfort? A 1.5" layer in king size is only $35 from FBM. At that price, I could buy a new one every year or two if need be. Would that add a lot more softness/comfort vs. a 20 ILD soft Talalay latex layer? Thanks, Cliff |
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Wow, what a lot of buzzwords that mean nothing. What is actually inside that Sterns and Foster mattress? I can't even find it on the S&F web site. I'm sorry but I want more details than that when spending $1900 on a mattress. As for stomach sleeping, I tried a Savvy Rest Dunlop F/F/M on Saturday which was good for stomach. Not so great for side. There was almost no sinking in and was a little uncomfortable on elbow and shoulder. The F/F/S was still firm enough for stomach and provided sufficient cushioning for side sleeping. I am very uncomfortable sleeping on my stomach if there is any sag in my back so no soft mattresses for me. I also tried the M/M/S they had and it was way too soft for stomach. It still fell too soft on my side. They also had Talalay mattress at the store. I can say that the soft Talalay felt softer than the soft Dunlop. But both the Talalay and Dulop in F/F/M felt the same. I don't know what ILDs these layers are. This link has information on ILD for the Dunlop that Savvy Rest sells. http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/savvy-rest-report/1815-0-1.html A firm lower layer would provide good support for stomach sleeping. As for how much cushion on top, that would be personal preference. It sounds like you have done a bit of research and have a pretty good plan. This message was modified May 18, 2011 by sleepswithcats
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"Would it be worth replicating any of the HD Supersoft Foam just for comfort? A 1.5" layer in king size is only $35 from FBM. At that price, I could buy a new one every year or two if need be. Would that add a lot more softness/comfort vs. a 20 ILD soft Talalay latex layer?" I'm assuming you are referring to the eggcrate supersoft foam. I was under the impression (from your first post) you didn't want anything between you and the latex? I guess this would be a matter of preference. I'm only guessing, but I believe the supersoft foam would be softer but less supportive than the 20ild talalay layer. So your mattress would consist of 6" Talalay 33-38 ILD base $727.99, 2" medium 32 ILD layer - $238.99, and 1.5" eggcrate supersoft foam layer - $35.99 Total $1002.97 Being you only weigh 175lb, it might work for you.
"Wow, what a lot of buzzwords that mean nothing. What is actually inside that Sterns and Foster mattress? I can't even find it on the S&F web site. I'm sorry but I want more details than that when spending $1900 on a mattress" I thought the same thing @ sleepswithcats - that link is not working for me This message was modified May 18, 2011 by need2sleep636
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Thanks again for the help here. I agree that the S&F setup sounds like a lot of smoke & mirrors. After thinking about it more, I definitely would not want to start out building this with the 1.5" eggcrate foam planned. I am now thinking it might be nice to find some sort of thin (1-1.5") quilted wool layer to replicate just the very top of this mattress. I know this is moving away from my original statement of putting as little as possible between me and the latex. I might wait on this only if I find the initial setup a little firm, non-cushy feeling. I just don't have any concept of how soft the 20 ILD Talalay layer is going to feel to me. On the foundation, I've decided I definitely need to replace that as what I have is of pretty flimsy construction and there is a some sort of approx. 2" foam layer as the top part of the foundation. I think that would be a weak link in the chain with all the quality latex on top of it, only to have the cheap foam giving and flexing underneath it. Now the question is do I go with a solid platform or a slatted foundation? Off to do more research here on that. I talked with foambymail today, and they were very helpful. They were definitely not upselling as he suggested I might go with just the 6" 36 ILD + 2" of 32 ILD, and add the soft layer only if needed. I would rather set this up one time if I can, and since we are on a featherbed now, I really think we need that last soft layer. So, I've decided to go with the 6" 36 ILD, and I believe I will definitely get 2 more layers, one each of the 32 and 20 ILD Talalay. My only question now is whether to get those both in 2" or if I should get the soft in a 3". It maks about a $90 difference. I'm not worried as much about the $90 as I am if 3" of the 20 ILD would be too much softness vs. getting that same thing in 2". Any thoughts on this? Option A : 6" 36 ILD + 2" 32 ILD + 2" 20 ILD or Option B: 6" 36 ILD + 2" 32 ILD + 3" 20 ILD ? (All Talalay natural latex both options) Thanks again! This message was modified May 18, 2011 by TheLTFM
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TheLTFM wrote: need2sleep, thanks so much for the reply and the help!
I had a chance to go by a mattress store this evening that had a couple of mostly latex setups. They had the Sealy Embody and a new line from Stearns & Foster - Luxury Latex collection. This line is not on their website yet, but the one I liked the best was this one: http://www.gotomattress.com/p-515-stearns-foster-italian-garden-villa-plush-mattress.aspx I still want to do a DIY setup to save money, but I'm wondering if the makeup of this mattress will help inform my decision on the components to get. The S&F is made as follows: 8.75" Smart Latex w/ Interlock Support System, Comfort Layer - 1" HD Supersoft Foam, 1.5" x .5" Convuluted Hypersoft layer, with a 1" Hypersoft quilt. This mattress felt very supportive with just the right amount of support. It is labeled as Plush, but interestingly it felt firmer (in a good way) to the stepdown mattress in this line which is labeled as Cushion Firm with a 7" latex core, 2" HD Supersoft Foam, .79" Smart Latex, + the same 2 Hypersoft layers. This "Cushion Firm" mattress felt kind of mushy and I was bottoming it out as I sat down on it. Would it be worth replicating any of the HD Supersoft Foam just for comfort? A 1.5" layer in king size is only $35 from FBM. At that price, I could buy a new one every year or two if need be. Would that add a lot more softness/comfort vs. a 20 ILD soft Talalay latex layer? Thanks, Cliff http://www.thefoamfactory.com/tech/SuperSoftTech.html
Whereas the HD-36 foam is 12-18 yrs: http://www.thefoamfactory.com/tech/HD36-HQTech.html
I started looking at this when I wanted to find out the life span of my "latex" mattress, which is made of various layers of foam topped with a 3" layer of 20 ILD dunlop. |
| Yep, I've decided to do all Talalay. See my post #6 above. Thanks! |
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"My only question now is whether to get those both in 2" or if I should get the soft in a 3". It maks about a $90 difference. I'm not worried as much about the $90 as I am if 3" of the 20 ILD would be too much softness vs. getting that same thing in 2". Any thoughts on this?"
At 175lb 2" should work. I ordered 2" and I'm 265lb, but if that doesn't work for me, I'll just add another 2" layer. You'd be very fortunate to get it right the very first time without ever testing FBM's latex out. My order will be arriving Monday per FBM so if you haven't ordered before then I would let you know how the 2" layer feels to me
PS It seems the wool mattress pads are much more expensive than the cotton ones This message was modified May 19, 2011 by need2sleep636
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need2sleep636 wrote: My order will be arriving Monday per FBM so if you haven't ordered before then I would let you know how the 2" layer feels to me I went over tonight and tried my friend's Habitatfurnishings Skybed (6" Dunlop 26 ILD + 3" Talalay 19 ILD) which he has on conventional box springs. My first impressions were that the bed feels very cushy and comfortable, but I could tell right away it would be too soft for me. When I laid on my stomach as I do to fall asleep, I could feel that I was sinking in too much in the mid-section causing my back to arch too much. Since the knock on the FBM latex is that it is not as soft as advertised, I'm now thinking that this will suite my preferences just right. This is all starting to come together for me, and I've decided (for now) to go with this setup from FBM: 6" 36 ILD + 2" 32 ILD + 2" 20 ILD It seems like the St. Dormier mattress protector is the way to go, and I'm trying to find the best price on that now. I've decided to replace my foundation, and it looks like the slat construction is the most recommended. Trying to find the best bang for the buck here, but am considering just building my own and putting a mattress protector around it for aesthetics. My friend's latex mattress on boxsprings made the bed pretty bouncy. Compared to my current mattress setup with a static foundation, I didn't really like the feel of the extra bounce. So far, I like the feel of the S&F mostly latex mattress that I referenced in my earlier post the best out of everything that I've laid on. In fact, it is the only mattress I've laid on that feels appreciably better to me than my current mattress. Of course, it is loaded with inferior foams that will break down in 2 to 5 years, so there is no way I'm going to go with it. I'm hoping that my DIY FBM bed can replicate this solid, yet comfortable feel with the durability of all latex. -Cliff |