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Here is my story...hope this will help some of you considering buying latex foam. I have been searching for MONTHS which route to take on purchasing! Due to the chemical increase and health increase issues in this country, I decided to go latex. Finally convinced my hubby too! He suffers from allergies at night. Hoping this will also alleviate that and assuming it was from our previous conventional mattress. Our Foambymail.com latex arrived in 6 days
After ripping off the cardboard, here is our very tightly bound latex.
After getting all the saran wrap material off, this is what we have. There was a very slight odor, but could have been from the plastic. I have NOT noticed any sense of smell other then a "new" odor. Nothing chemical smelling, just a fresh natural smell. As you can see all 3 layers were already in the terry cloth zippered cover. I expected just the 6" core to be.
After initially laying it out, this is what it looked like.
After unzipping the terry cloth case, the latex appears to be clean, but the layers have shifted due to shipping and rolling it up. Naturally going to happen of course. On the other side of this, the layers were hanging off the edge.
We purchased a 6" firm core, 2" medium, 1" soft. Total of 9".
Total of 9". The latex is very clean. No complaints there!
I was told on the phone by their Cust Serv Rep there would be some imperfections. I'm assuming this is what they were referring to.
The top 2 layers appeared to be a little bit wider then the core. Or I could not get the core completly relaxed out since I was by myself doing this. It is VERY heavy! The latex material does give easily just awkward to move.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the "stretchy material case." FBM has an upgrade of terry cloth for $20, definitely worth it. This was a 10" terry cloth cover. Our latex was a total of 9". Although I'd rather have a completely chemical free bed (20% polyester in terry cloth cover), I'll take what I can get. We plan on purchasing the Dormier wool cover as well (thanks to the many recommendations on here.) The stretchy material allows you to tweek! You ladies will understand if you've ever put on pantyhose! Having it on the floor to tweek was much better then trying to do this on the bed itself, although I know most companies recommend doing the unfolding on the bed because of the weight of it. I was able to walk around the entire mattress this way though. The terry cloth is very soft too. Everything is an off white color. It's not as yellow looking as my photo shows.
I did lay on it for a few minutes with it on the floor and it was very comfortable. Time will tell sleeping on it a few nights once it's in our room on our foundation. We already expect that for the next few days, our backs will need time adjusting to it though. That will be my next post in a few days.
The total price for 9" QUEEN 100% natural latex (they emailed me the certificate from Europe testing-I know 'who's to say it's for theirs or not,' but I'm willing to trust them on this) was $877.97. (Although I could have gotten it cheaper had I of ordered it a few days earlier...they just had a price increase, which I was not surprised. I did see other companies stating there would be an increase on latex across the country very soon.) Overall though, based on appearance and value, I'm very pleased thus far for a "DIY sort of company" bed from foambymail.com Tracey. This message was modified Jul 22, 2010 by moneysworth4us
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after I ordered it online. UPS shipped it and left it at the sidewalk, without protection
. It weighed 130 lbs. I believe that is an "oil spot." FBM had the latex so wrapped in plastic that it did not leak through thank goodness! Not sure if that was from UPS or FBM. But, I'm willing to give mercy since it did not affect the mattress at all.
I decided to use our livingroom to open it rather then on the bed so I could get around it all to make adjustments. ADDED NOTE AFTER THE FACT...UNLESS YOU HAVE 4 PEOPLE, UNFOLD IT ON THE BED!!! IT'S NOT ONLY HEAVY, IT'S AWKWARD TO CARRY!!! 
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glad to hear...i always get confused when i read these two words together
latex foam
one is latex and one is foam, right? or is latex foam one thing and memory foam (tempurpedic) another? i have had all these beds so i should know but it is terminology i think
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| Latex foam is one thing and memory foam is another which is a form of polyurethane foam. Memory foam and polyurethane foam contain chemicals. Latex can be synthetic as well, unless you get 100% Natural Latex. Latex is made from the sap of rubber tree plants. |
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Thanks a ton for the post Tracey, very informative. Is there a reason you decided to go with 3 different layers? I was thinking of the 6" FBM Latex base, coupled with a 3" Medium Plush Latex topper from Rocky Mountain (http://www.rockymountainmattress.com/talalaylatextoppermediumplush-p-86.html). If there's a good reason for a middle layer I may go that route. Thanks again! |
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Hi, Thanks so much for posting! It would be super helpful to have your thoughts to advise on what to add. I am a 170 lb male side and back sleeper and the many mattresses and topper combos I have tried have not worked for me. I ama side and back sleeper who needs enough soft for hip and shoulder on the side but firm to support lower (bad) back. I decided today that the mattress under my latex toppers goes and perhaps you can share your experience to help me pick what I need? I have cut in half and stacked to 6 inches two queen FBM "soft" 20 ILD toppers: 1 inch and 2 inches x 2 = 6inchs. When I lie on that, it feels "very firm". When I lie on my back, I do not sink in much at all, and feel like my butt is "in the air" and I am supported by my butt, my spine, shoulder blades and little contact with the rest of my body. I am wondering if I am "bottoming" against the box spring and if another layer should be firmer or not? Logic seems to tell me that any additional layers should be soft, so I am really confused. A lot of people who have done the latex layers suggest starting firmer, so that's a conflict with my perceptions. I will have a better idea after attempting to sleep on the 6 inches tonight. Thanks for your thoughts. shovel99 |
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I was just thinking last night laying in bed...I need to get back on here and let you know how things are going with us.... It's been about 3 weeks and I really have no complaints other then we are lower to the ground! As far as comfort, I have slept very well. My husband is 175lbs and was really skeptical about buying a latex mattress....he said he no longer wakes up with back pain or stiffness and neither do it (which we both had been. He's 44 and I'm almost 39.) It's not like laying on something super luxurious. It's not tooooo soft and it's not toooo firm...apparently just right for our backs and comfort. I'm a side sleeper starting out, but usually end up on my back during the night and have found either way comfortable. I did have to chunk my contour pillow though and got a thick cotton pillow. After reading others comments/suggestions, I went with the 3 layers so we could replace one out if there were any issues of comfort. I figured it would be cheaper that way. We like a soft bed, but was advised from some on here to get the firm bottom. I think we would have been alright with a medium. By using FBM, their prices are much lower that we didn't need to worry about mailing them back a layer. But, that may not work well for everyone. We took the chance and it paid off. We are looking into getting a platform bed foundation. We have the 9" latex on a "boxspring" (minus the springs) but it's squeeky when we get up out of bed.
Shovel....do you work out? The only thing I can think of is you have a REALLY FIRM buttocks!! The mattress you had under your latex toppers...what kind was it? How did you sleep last night just on the 6" of soft? I'm thinking that may be toooooo soft for your bones...although initially probably felt pretty comforting!
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Tracey, Thanks again for the great post and getting back to me. Unfortunately, at 61 years and no more working out, I have lost the "buns of steel" I used to have. I have a 1 inch "soft" 20 ILD from FBM and 2 inch "soft" from FBM like yours. Because I have had both dunlop and Talalay latex before, I believe you and I have "Dunlop" because of the non uniform appearance. Not a problem to me (sleeps cooler and firmer... less jiggly than Talalay) ... but Dunlop is definitely firmer. A poster said add 10 to Dunlop ILD to compare to Talalay ILD. So my 6 inches of talalaylast night was like 30 ILD from most of the posters using Talalay International who supplies the big high dollar suppliers. And my previous experiments with one inch, 2 x one inch, one inch + 2 inch, etc. on a very firm Serta Auburn Firm matttress must be very close to your mattress. My conclusion is to exhaust possibilities with softening up the 1-2 inches of "comfort layer" in the mattress vernacular. Because I believe I have "dunlop"... equivalent of 30 ILD.... I believe there are some softer talalay one or two inch toppers to exhaust before pitching my mattress. As you may have seen here, not everyone is successful right out of the box... some never... with the DIY mattress experiment. Glad you were.
shovel99 |
 Well, at least I'm sure I made you smile today!!! FBM claims they are Talalay...do you think they aren't then? Mine was very jiggly trying to move it and with just 2 of us, we couldn't even go 1 foot without stopping. I know it makes it very difficult when you can't lay on one before hand to try out! Thanks!
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Hopefully you will find your perfect match soon! Buying a mattress is not an easy thing to do! I do think what's underneath the latex DOES make a difference.|
Hello! I'm back to give an update on our latex mattress...it's been 1 whole year now and I still have NO complaints. In fact, I haven't had a cold or sinus issues since sleeping on latex! It REALLY has made a difference. Tracey
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| w00t! Thanks for the update after a whole year! So many people have complaints about mattresses after a few weeks to a few months and we hear about them. But people rarely come back to report good news. There have been a couple of people who recently purchased from FBM and are happy with their purchase. You got a great mattress for a very reasonable price. |
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Hi, Thanks for sharing. "The total price for 9" QUEEN 100% natural latex (they emailed me the certificate from Europe testing-I know 'who's to say it's for theirs or not," I read that European companies are allowed to label something 100% natural latex, even if only 80% is natural, and the remaining 20% is synthetic. I can't find the link now, but I'll keep looking. Does anyone have information on this? Thanks, pimy |