Mattress Forum

First post here!  I just discovered this forum and it's nice to see a group of knowledgable people helping each other out with something as difficult as mattress shopping!  We've been looking at all types of mattresses and found we don't like Tempurpedic, like the Sleep Doctor - Dr. Breus all latex bed (know anything about this bed - type of latex, will it get body impressions, etc.?), and like the Sealy / Simmons innerspring with latex topper beds.  But, I like the idea of an all-latex bed, yet they're pricey, I don't know what type / quality of latex is used in these and whether it will hold up, and I hear horror stories (user reviews) of the mattresses developing cavities / body impressions that lead to people sleeping in a valley...  I want to avoid that!   

Anyway, I'm intrigued with the comments here about things like SleepEZ 10,000 beds where you can customize the latex layers and adjust as needed (but still kind of pricey) as well as the idea of building our own bed as many have done (again, to customize our bed to fit our needs, make sure we're getting good quality latex that will last, and also hopefully save some money).  But, I have no idea what I'm doing and would need a lot of help.  Can you guide me in this process?  We'd like to stay below $2,000, but can go up a bit if necessary. 

I think I'd like my mattress right in the middle for firmness / softness, and my wife would probably like a bit more soft (I'm 5' 11" and weigh 150).  I have some low back pain and not the greatest posture.  Little pain with my wife, but she doesn't sleep well. 

1. Starting at the top - it sounds like we need a wool / cotton blend mattress pad?  Sounds like those would be best for heat dissipation and other reasons?  What would you recommend that's reasonably priced? 
2. Next comes the latex layers.  From reading here, it sounds like Natural Talalay latex would be best, correct?  I like the idea of SleepEZ's 3 layers - soft, medium, firm.  If we go that route, what / where should we get our:
   1. soft latex layer?
   2. medium latex layer?
   3. firm latex layer?
3. How do we wrap the latex layers together?  It looks like SleepEZ has a zippable cover?  Or is just the mattress pad sufficient for this? 
4. Then we need a base.  What's a good base that's reasonably priced (I'd looked at SleepEZ's at $310)? 
5. Also, is anything needed to make the edges around the bed sturdier - or just the foam all the way to the edges (does that make sense?)? 

As an alternative, are there good, reasonably priced talalay latex mattresses we could consider that won't have the cavity issues?  Unfortunately, no IKEA, no Original Mattress Factory, and it seems like a lot of the others are online only so we can't try them out.  I'd be nervous to try it (and people seem to think they're too firm in user reviews), but there's these E.C.O. Natural Latex mattresses for cheap at Overstock - $750 - but no returns accepted. 

We have a 14 year old innerspring queen mattress (Serta - medium-firm) that's due to be upgraded and we're getting a king bed this week (no mattress yet!), so anything should be an upgrade.  Thanks in advance for any help!  Take care,

--Kyle