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After all the help I received here, I wanted to report on our new foambymail (aka The Foam Factory, and here just "FBM") mattress. We ordered on 5/27/11, and even with the Memorial Day Holiday, received our order exactly 1 week later on 6/3/11. Here is what we ordered: Latex: 6" 36 ILD core + 2" 32 ILD mid-core + 2" 20 ILD topper (all 100% natural talalay), upgrade to 10" Terry cloth cover, at a cost of $1,216 total with free shipping. Foundation: http://www.amazon.com/Thick-Foundation-memory-latex-mattresses/dp/B002RVCSRI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1305859732&sr=8-3 $229 with free shipping. I added 4 more slats to this to bring the spacing from 3.75" to 2". Cost at Home Depot was around $10. Pad/Protector/Topper: undecided at this point For background on how we got to this point, see my thread here: http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/advice-needed-my-diy-all-latex-project/19004-A-1.html So, here are the pics: We are absolutely loving our new FBM DIY mattress. As we were putting together the layers, the two 2" layers were not labeled with ILD numbers or descriptors "medium"/"soft." However, it was very obvious which one was softer. Laying just on the 3 layers of latex, without even the terry cloth cover, the mattress was very, very soft (but still supportive). However, there was a bit of a jiggly feel to it that others have mentioned. I wonder if a firmer Dunlop core would feel as jiggly. With the terry cloth cover on, the mattress felt slightly firmer and less jiggly. Overall, I consider the feel of this mattress soft, but it is very supportive - sort of the best of both worlds. It is amazing how much anything on top changes the feel of the latex. Since I was unsure of what mattress pad or topper I might want to go with, I first tried this one (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=110636&RN=559&) I picked it up at Bed, Bath & Beyond with a 20% off coupon just because they have such a liberal return policy. I liked how this pad gave a slightly more "enveloping"/"sink in" feel to the mattress, but it actually firmed up the mattress a little too much. Also, after sleeping on a natural feather bed for years, this pad with poly fill felt hot to me. We took it back to BB&B the next day. Just for kicks, we did an even exchange for this 2" featherbed topper (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=126595&RN=560&) which is on order for us. In the meantime, we have slept 2 nights with just a fleece winter sheet (for some protection of the mattress) under our normal cotten summer sheet. This feels really nice and we're both sleeping great as is, but I did like the little more enveloping, plush feel the pad gave. My guess is that we will ultimately take back the 2" featherbed too, but I'd rather try different options from a store that allows returns. We may love it and be done, but I am thinking we will end up with a thinner topper comprised of either down/feather or wool. My thought here is that anything in the 1/2" to 1" range will give a cush feel but still allow the latex to do the job of supporting us, and the natural fibers will do the job of regulating temperature. I have scoured the net looking at options in this thickness and am considering the following: http://www.thedownstore.com/catalog/mattresspads&toppers/downmattresspads&toppers.htm (1/2" pure down pad for $225), http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/57166?pi=950603&subrnd=0&qs=3006448_pmd_amazon (all down pad for $189), or http://www.naturaworld.com/topper-classic (18oz per s.y. wool fill topper for $220 from The DownStore). If we end up deciding that we want to keep the feel as is, we'll go with the Dormier pad - http://www.flobeds.com/product_details.htm?ID=2140EK ($160). If anyone has any other recommendations or thoughts on the pad/topper, I would love to hear them. Overall, we are extremely pleased with our new latex mattress and the experience we had with FBM. I am glad to answer any questions. -Cliff |
| TheLTFM - did you notice a strong odor from the core or topper when you got it? I ordered a latex topper from FBM but haven't been able to sue it yet because of the smell. It permeated my whole house at first, but after airing the past few days it's only noticeable upstairs. Interestingly, my son can't smell it at all. I wonder if this means I will develop a latex allergy if I use it? Does anyone know about that? |
| Thanks for the report. I love all the tinkering and DIYs that people on this site do. :-) Beats heck out of just taking whatever junk the mattress makers are cranking out nowadays. |
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Susan123 wrote: TheLTFM - did you notice a strong odor from the core or topper when you got it? I ordered a latex topper from FBM but haven't been able to sue it yet because of the smell. It permeated my whole house at first, but after airing the past few days it's only noticeable upstairs. Interestingly, my son can't smell it at all. I wonder if this means I will develop a latex allergy if I use it? Does anyone know about that? |
| Cliff - I had heard that FBM uses the same ILD latex for the 6" 36 ILD and the 2" 32 ILD, just cut to different thickness. Do you have any impressions based on comparing the softness of the 6" 36 ILD and the 2" 32 ILD pieces you have? |
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proof1st wrote: Cliff - I had heard that FBM uses the same ILD latex for the 6" 36 ILD and the 2" 32 ILD, just cut to different thickness. Do you have any impressions based on comparing the softness of the 6" 36 ILD and the 2" 32 ILD pieces you have? My understanding is that the ILD's in reality are more of a small range with the stated number a kind of average. With these 2 being just 4 ILD's apart, it would make sense that they would have a similar feel. I didn't really A-B compare the 2 with that thought in mind, but I did lay on each layer as I "built" the mattress. I do recall that the 32 ILD on top of the 6" core felt a bit softer, but not by much. I don't know if that helps any, but that was my experience. |
| This was an extremely helpful post with photos - and links. Thank you. |
| Great post! And I'm happy you are happy with your DIY mattress! |
| Thank you so much for taking the time to put together this post it is wonderful. The moderators should sticky it! |
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Absolutely love this post, Great looking bed and so many new ideas. Hopefully you are still sleeping happily.
Sleep well my friends sleep well :) |
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Thanks so much for the kind comments. Glad to be able to help out since I learned so much from everyone here. I wanted to give a 6 week update. I am sad to say that my new mattress has resulted in one major problem - I am now keenly aware of how awful most hotel mattresses are and have a harder time sleeping while travelling. As chronicled above, we tried out a number of toppers before settling on the one we are now using. I reported above on the Down Town wool topper that I ordered from Sierra Trading Post. They are not stocking anymore, but I found it here: http://www.finelinenandbath.com/store/down-town-pillows-and-comforters/product/down-town-wool-filled-mattress-pad/ A little more than I paid for it, but still a nice price at $209 for a king size. Here are some pics of the topper: This pad has been great. It is only about .75" thick so it doesn't change the feel of the latex too much. I think another thing that helps is that the pad is slightly oversized, so I intentionally put it on without stretching it tight so that it can give more with the latex. The pad gives the latex just the right amount of plush feeling. The latex itself is plently soft enough and sleeps great, but to me it lacks a "luxurious" feel to it. With this topper, the mattress has that. And it is great to be sleeping on natural wool fibers. In our 100 degree Mississippi heat, it is sleeping cool! The one knock some might have on it are the anchor bands, but I think this is an advantage to not fitting the pad too tight to the latex. We have not had any problems with it moving on top of the FBM terry cover. -Cliff This message was modified Jul 16, 2011 by TheLTFM
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Seriously, a latex mattress is so unique in the feel that it has that it is not replicated by other mattresses. Fortunately, I don't travel that much, so this isn't that big of a problem. We continue to love our latex mattress! ![](<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LcxelkVJ4bZxLZTEk8HH1Vue-FPMApYxSaiDV86OQQM?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hPlsxDT1Mc4/TiI42C4-1RI/AAAAAAAAAN8/sODwJiL52Tw/s800/143.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a>)
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