Calling Flobeds experts
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I've read through a TON of threads about Flobeds and Latex mattresses in general and am pretty much certain that we will end up purchasing a Flobed. But I have a few specific questions about firmess and foundations that I would love some input on. First, the stats: Hubby - 6'-1" and 300+lbs Me - 5'-7" and 230lbs We both prefer a firmer feel, but not hard. Hubby has a bad back, which is what has triggered our research and eventual purchase of a new bed. We are obviously not small people, and I am concerned about how the mattress wear in the long term under our weight. My research indicates that we should be sure to order high ILDs and opt for more or thicker layers in order to have sufficient support. My question is whether the all natural talalay is dense enough for us. I would prefer to order an all natural set, but have heard that the blended talalay is firmer and available in higher ILDs than the natural. Any other larger people out there have input on what worked for them? I've also heard that the blended product is not as allergy-free as the natural. Can anyone verify that info? We co-sleep with our infant son, which means I am sometimes in the "middle" of the bed rather than "on my side". Do those of you with different configurations on each side of the bed notice a ridge or seam in the middle? Finally, we would like to buy a new slat system but might not be able to afford it after the cost of the mattress (we are buying a CalKing). We have an standard set of box springs that are in pretty good shape. Has anyone used their existing box springs with a new Flobed? How did it work out? Or is a slat or platform essential? Thanks for your help! |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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Lia: Given your husband, and your self, height and weight, and the fact that you want to go with all natural latex, I believe you will need to purchase your mattress with all extra firm pieces. if your box springs are still strong enough you might try putting a half inch piece of plywood over the top of them as a foundation. Try this configuration out. It if it is too firm you can always remove the plywood, and select a top layer of firm as opposed to the extra firm top layer, thus giving you F/XF/XF. Of course leaving the top most 2 inch convoluted layer in place as delivered on all FloBeds. I believe this layer gives the softness that we all seem to want. This is the beauty with FloBeds. Unlimited exchanges for 90 days, with only the cost to the customer of paying a return UPS charge. You can get your return shipping label through FloBeds when you order your replacement. It will come in the box with the replacement layer and is much less expensive I feel by purchasing it through them. If the all extra firm pieces are not firm enough, you can begin to order blended pieces in super firm. Only blended has this level of firmness which is 42-46 ILD. I personally did not care for my firm piece of blended that I tried out because I did not feel that it had the density ( density and ILD are different things) that I wanted. I just got it in my mind that all natural is better. But I could be wrong! Without actually owning an all natural latex mattress and an all blended latex mattress, and testing them over an extended period of time, you just would not know. Besides we are all so different physiologically, and psychologically, that what would be good for me could be very bad for you, and vice versa. Dave Turner, or his son Dewey, are quite enjoyable to work with and will be glad to help you. Oh, I might mention the fact that they have hired a new female to help them with the increasing customer traffic. So you might have a chance to talk to her. But she's new and not going to have near the experience of Dave and Dewey. Good luck with your experience. This message was modified Jan 11, 2010 by eagle2
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Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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I am tall and heavy (though not as heavy as your husband). I ordered my first Flobed in a blended Talalay with Firm over Extra Firm over Extra firm. Or I may have even ordered a medium layer, I don't remember now. But the bottom line is that with my height, weight, and bad back, I ended up with all three of my layers being extra firm (each layer is 36 ILD). Anything softer did not offer enough support. I did not purchase the slat system. I ordered a new box spring from my local mattress store for $200. I didn't like the cost of the Flobeds foundations and didn't want to pay shipping for it either. The box spring seems to be working fine. |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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Thanks to both of you for your input. I think we will probably try it out with the existing box springs first. I figure we can always upgrade to a slat foundation later. And I appreciate your input on the firmness factor. We'll definitely be going for XF all around to start out. Does anyone have any comment on whether there is a ridge or other noticeable seam when sleeping in the middle of the bed if each side had different firmness? Thanks again! |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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Pryncesslia, We have a "split" bed and I don't think you would enjoy a bed with 'different configurations on each side' if you intend to spend a great deal of time trying to sleep in the middle. I would bet, however, that there would be no visible ridge because the flobed top layer is not split. |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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I agree with Philip that you probably won't feel a ridge because the top convoluted 2" layer will cover the entire mattress. While I have xf/xf/xf, my husband currently has f/xf/xf, and we don't feel a ridge at all. This message was modified Jan 12, 2010 by KimberlyH
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Re: Calling Flobeds experts
| I had a split mattress (which I had to return for unrelated reasons) and felt no ridge in the center due to the taut mattress cover as others have mentioned, but did get bad back problems from the different configurations when I laid with part of my body on each side. I.e., having part of my body on a F layer and the other part of my body on M led to my body contorting overnight and major back pain. |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
| My two sides of the bed are slightly different but I feel no ridge from my split FloBed latex layers since I have a natural latex topper over this that is not split. |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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Unlike some here I did notice a ridge developed down the middle of my California King after sleeping on it for several weeks. I particularly noticed it when I had a medium piece on one side and a firm peace on the other. Once I changed both top pieces to firm I noticed it happening less, but it still occurred. I found the solution to be to just lay on the middle of the bed for a couple of hours. This fixed it up just fine. It has been several nights now and the ridge has not reappeared. If it does, I will just lay in the middle for a bit and fix it. No problem! I do not believe, from my own experience, and from what others have posted, that it is something to worry about. This message was modified Jan 14, 2010 by eagle2
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Re: Calling Flobeds experts
| Maybe Queen and Full latex split beds do not feel the ridge but King Size does? |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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I have not noticed what I would call a ridge, but I have noticed that it can feel a little softer near the center. I think this was mainly when I had it configured so one side was softer than the other. Also, you have to make sure that the pieces of latex are pushed tighly against the other half. If a gap develops between the 2 sides, then it will feel softer in the middle. Having a 1 piece convoluted layer seems to help mitigate this problem. |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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What was causing my Ridge in my California king mattress was when I would roll back and forth from side to side testing out different comfort layers. When I had a top layer of medium on one side and a top layer of firm on the other, the different ILD's would respond differently and since latex has such a strong propensity to "cling" to other pieces of latex, one 3 inch piece would hang up on the other 3 inch piece causing a ridge down the middle. For a while when I changed my sheets I would unzip the top cover and straighten this ridge out. I got tired of doing this and tryed just laying on the middle of the bed for a while. This would flatten out this ridge. Once I changed my two top layers to the same ILD, namely, firm, I had this occur much less often. It is not a problem for me at this point in time. This message was modified Jan 16, 2010 by eagle2
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Re: Calling Flobeds experts
| Thanks for all the additional info. Since this is such an important (an potentially expensive) purchase , I am exploring ALL my options before making a final decision. I found a private party (not a mattress shop) selling an unused Englander Nature's Finest latex mattress and box spring for $800. Needless to say, the price tempts me. The Englander website says they use 100% natural Dunlop latex. I've sent them an email asking for more details about the thickness and ILDs, but in the meantime, does anyone have any experience with the Englander latex mattresses? |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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question for you Eagle if you don't mind. your Flobeds mattress, the convoluted 2" piece that sits atop of everything. is this piece split down the middle like the core pieces or is it 1 solid king size piece? |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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budgy wrote: question for you Eagle if you don't mind. your Flobeds mattress, the convoluted 2" piece that sits atop of everything. is this piece split down the middle like the core pieces or is it 1 solid king size piece? No. It is glued down the middle into a one piece unit. Since I changed my top three in. pieces to both firm, my problem has been reduced by approximately 95%. Now all I do is sleep on the middle of my bed a little bit, once in awhile and I have no problems. |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
| gotcha, thank you for clarifying, at least they have taken steps to reduce that issue even if you run a different firmness on each side. |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
| We have a king flobed, all natural talalay, which we love, and I can detect the difference in the two sides of the bed with regard to firmness, but there is no ridge or valley in the middle. |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
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You should look at the Electropedic beds in southern CA. We got a Talalay latex split king and really like it. They recommended a slightly firmer mattress for DH because he's bigger but he preferred the softer one for his back so I sleep on the firmer side. We've had the bed for a year and had no problems, no sagging or ridges. The quality it excellent. http://www.electroease.com/Latexpedic.html |
Re: Calling Flobeds experts
| I tried the latex at Electropedic and went with FloBeds as I live in Southern California. Although they felt good and were Latex International Blended Talalay, their mattresses are limited in choice ...all are comprised of 6" mattresses with a 1" layer of latex on each side for the "pillow-top" effect. Total size = 8". The covers were not made of the quality that FloBeds has...that is..organic wool and cotton for breathability. I found their pricing to be very pretty close to FloBeds' with a much smaller and limited selection. Also, there is no trial period, so what you buy is what you get. They were great to do business with, very reliable and a good companywhich has a lot to be said for, but if you are on a search for that "perfect" mattress... I think that FloBeds gives you the best variety and the best customer service out there! |