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The mattress and topper finally arrived here from Michigan on Wed, Nov 26th. We could not set it up until Fri as that is when the old bed was going to be picked up by JCPenneys. So it took 9 days from order to delivery; Michigan to Oregon. FBM did send out a UPS tracking number as soon as it was sent. As you can see by the pictures, it was packed up very well and although the boxes look a little ragged, it was well packed inside with several layers of plastic. On Friday morning, I went and picked up the two king foundation pieces from the local furniture store and then waited for the shippers to come and pick the old bed up. They arrived just after noon, and took the so-called "green" Simmons mattress and foundation set away, so we were able to then go ahead and set up the new king size latex mattress set. To call that mattress "green" is really stretching the core of the English language, but I guess they have a right to do it.
This message was modified Dec 27, 2008 by BillB
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Bill (and other sleep gurus), I'm about to do the same as you did, but my wife is a little afraid of the DIY approach (I'm very, very competent at DIY). All of my figures come from Foam By Mail. I probably won't consider another supplier. They did, BTW, tell me over the phone that this was not chinese latex, if that makes a difference, and that it was 100% natural Talalay. I did want to try the 2 twins, instead of 1 king (mainly to give her more options), but worry about the extra 2" in width. If its an issue, can I shave an inch off each side myself (our bed frame has an inset at the corners 77" wide max)? I'm a stomach sleeper about 180 lbs. She's a side mainly, about 130 lbs, and she likes the top soft and "luxurious". I figured a firm 36 ILD and medium 29 ILD base, for me and her respectively, than a firm 32 and soft 20 topper (his-hers). I thought of the 3" toppers just because it seemed she always gravitates to the thick pillow tops when we shop, and I still shouldn't sink much with the 3" 32 ILD topper. If I felt my side was too firm (which I doubt), I could exchange just my topper for a soft at minimal shipping expense. The Costco cuddletop sounds good too. Anyone have any words of wisdom? 3" too overkill for a topper? 36 ILD base and 32 ILD topper too firm in general even for me (I like soft too, but firm keeps my face from sinking in). It does seem like the FBM toppers, at 20, are still firmer than most (and I hear you when you say numbers don't tell the whole story, but I have to start somewhere). If I had to buy just one king, I would get the firm 36 base and soft 20 ILD 3" topper for both of us. I know she'd like the topper, I just worry if the base would be too firm...but would the 3" make up the difference for her? FBM says I worry too much, and there isn't much difference between the medium and firm base feel (29 vs 36) yet Bill says get the firm base at my weight, and that his wife felt too firm at the shoulder with the medium 29 ILD base and 2" soft 20 top...would the extra inch of a 3" soft top have helped her (and my Pam) even if I get the firmer base? Also, do you think the 3" topper would also fit in the terrycloth cover? |
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jeffandpamsmith wrote: Anyone have any words of wisdom? 3" too overkill for a topper? 36 ILD base and 32 ILD topper too firm in general even for me (I like soft too, but firm keeps my face from sinking in). It does seem like the FBM toppers, at 20, are still firmer than most (and I hear you when you say numbers don't tell the whole story, but I have to start somewhere). If I had to buy just one king, I would get the firm 36 base and soft 20 ILD 3" topper for both of us. I know she'd like the topper, I just worry if the base would be too firm...but would the 3" make up the difference for her? FBM says I worry too much, and there isn't much difference between the medium and firm base feel (29 vs 36) yet Bill says get the firm base at my weight, and that his wife felt too firm at the shoulder with the medium 29 ILD base and 2" soft 20 top...would the extra inch of a 3" soft top have helped her (and my Pam) even if I get the firmer base? Also, do you think the 3" topper would also fit in the terrycloth cover?
Let us know what you end up with and how you both like it, |
| If I get a 3" 32 topper and she gets the 3" 20 (too keep the heights the same) do you think we really need separate cores, The "firm" coreis only 36 (med is 29, and FBM says thr're not that diff, but maybe to a 130 lb woman they are) and I don't want her to lose all support with the 20/29 combo. |
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Jeff, I think you're on the right track. Yes, I do think that the XL twins are the way to go and I also like your idea of getting one firmness (firm and med) of each 6" base, and one firmness (med and soft) of each topper. You've got maximum flexibilty that way. You can try every combination out and see what is best for the both of you. If you are a true DIYer, you'll figure out a way to make the XL twins work. It does sqwuish up a bit so yes, it will fit into the 9" terrycloth cover just fine. Just make sure that FBM knows you want a King mattress cover. If I could do it over I would get the XL twins just for the extra flexibility of a different configuration, but like you was worried that it would work. One thing also, If you bought different firmnesses and you didn't like them and had to order an extra piece and you live in a big city; you could always unload the extra piece on Craigslist and I would bet you could get pretty close to what you paid for it as the prices from FBM are excellent. And contrary to what you will hear on some of these threads, the product is excellent. It compares favorably to all the latex I have seen with my own two eyes. A 3" topper would feel softer than a 2"... but if your wife really likes a soft mattress, then I would recomment the medium core 6" piece rather than the firmer one. The Costco cuddle bed cover is really a great product and you do need some kind of mattress cover to protect it, but the thing is, don't let your body get too far away from the latex or you're losing the reason for having it. You also need a nice smooth foundation for all of this to go on. I wouldn't put these on box springs, but these newer smooth foundation pieces work fine. I see the wooden slats being recommended and I understand the breathing concept, but I would not use them myself as you can actually feel any irregularities in the foundation. I know that sounds strange but its the truth, you can feel any irregularities under 8" of latex. This message was modified Feb 27, 2009 by BillB
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I wanted to give an update after sleeping on the FBM latex mattress for one year. This is a 6" med ILD Latex with a 2" soft ILD Latex topper. Its on a normal foundation (no springs) and is covered with a Costco Cuddlebed mattress pad. The entire package cost right at $1000 for a king sized setup. I am a stomach and side sleeper, 5' 8", approx 155lbs and my wife is a side sleeper, 5' 3", approx 140lbs. We chose the medium support layer as a compromise, I would have preferred just a touch firmer and she a touch softer. This has worked out well though. The mattress when it came was firmer than you might imagine, and we bought the Costco Cuddlebed mattress pad both for the mattress protection, and the additional 1" of softness. Before I bought this mattress, I spent several months on this forum, reading and studying and asking questions and also did my best to go out and find some real latex to lay on, look at, touch, etc, so we knew what we might be getting into. This a is very important part of the process. Trying to digest what these mattresses are going to actually 'feel' like by just reading is likely to bring unsatisfactory results. We are both very satisfied with the mattress and it looks and feels exactly the same today as it did a year ago. I was never that hard to please before but this mattress is much more comfortable than what I used for the last several years. I have changed pillows, I used to like an old down/feather mix pillow and really couldn't sleep on anything else. Now I use two down-only pillows that I bought for $15 each at TJMaxx and they are much more comfortable for me. My wife likes the mattress alot. She had alot of trouble with the older bed being too hard for her, even though we had a 2" memory foam piece on it. All in all, we couldn't be happier. If I had one thing I would have done differently, it would have been to buy two XL twin pieces, one firm and one med for the base layer. I got exactly what I thought I was going to get from Foam by Mail, a decent latex mattress at an excellent price. I am well aware of the continual bashing that Foambymail gets on this forum. I represent them in no way other than being a very satisfied customer who would buy from them again. |
| Bill, thanks for coming back and reporting to us. I appreciate your honest report! |
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BillB wrote: I wanted to give an update after sleeping on the FBM latex mattress for one year. This is a 6" med ILD Latex with a 2" soft ILD Latex topper. Its on a normal foundation (no springs) and is covered with a Costco Cuddlebed mattress pad. The entire package cost right at $1000 for a king sized setup. I am a stomach and side sleeper, 5' 8", approx 155lbs and my wife is a side sleeper, 5' 3", approx 140lbs. We chose the medium support layer as a compromise, I would have preferred just a touch firmer and she a touch softer. This has worked out well though. The mattress when it came was firmer than you might imagine, and we bought the Costco Cuddlebed mattress pad both for the mattress protection, and the additional 1" of softness. Before I bought this mattress, I spent several months on this forum, reading and studying and asking questions and also did my best to go out and find some real latex to lay on, look at, touch, etc, so we knew what we might be getting into. This a is very important part of the process. Trying to digest what these mattresses are going to actually 'feel' like by just reading is likely to bring unsatisfactory results. We are both very satisfied with the mattress and it looks and feels exactly the same today as it did a year ago. I was never that hard to please before but this mattress is much more comfortable than what I used for the last several years. I have changed pillows, I used to like an old down/feather mix pillow and really couldn't sleep on anything else. Now I use two down-only pillows that I bought for $15 each at TJMaxx and they are much more comfortable for me. My wife likes the mattress alot. She had alot of trouble with the older bed being too hard for her, even though we had a 2" memory foam piece on it. All in all, we couldn't be happier. If I had one thing I would have done differently, it would have been to buy two XL twin pieces, one firm and one med for the base layer. I got exactly what I thought I was going to get from Foam by Mail, a decent latex mattress at an excellent price. I am well aware of the continual bashing that Foambymail gets on this forum. I represent them in no way other than being a very satisfied customer who would buy from them again. Hey Bill, thanks for the update! Maybe this will steer a few people towards FoamByMail. It's good to get a post from someone who actually likes their mattress after a year on it! Congrats! |
| Bill, Thanks for your follow-up. Great to hear the product is holding up. I might make a comment regarding the Euro slats. I recently purchased a LARGE ottoman as it had a fold out single bed for visitor's with a "euroslat" support system with a thin layer of synthetic foam. It is quite comfortable. My quest is to isolate the motion, and add one further layer of variation to the bed by considering to purchase the euroslats from Flobeds as they look like the best constructed and will offer individual support for my wife and I. I am 6'5" and 210 lbs and she is 5'4" and 130 lbs. While I am not heavy for my size, I am solid. Might private message you for some more thoughts. |
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Bill, Thanks for the update, and that is great to hear one year later. I loved seeing your little schnauzer looking on. Does the little cutie get to sleep in that nice comfy bed? Hope so :- ) |
| I am going to post pics of my 2 inch topper tomorrow! I am sold on latex but NOT overpriced latex......as well as Costco 8 inch latex, equal in pic and quality. Overstock was selling 8 inch latex for less than $600. SOLD OUT! Twin is all they have left. |