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Hello all, I've been reading this forum ever since I bought my new latex mattress from a local mfg. As you recall, I returned a "medium" latex mattress and got a "firm" from this company in Massachusetts. I found that I was bottoming out on the 8 inch "medium" mattress. They claim to use only Talalay Latex from Latex International. I assume this is blended rather than all natural, but they don't say. The firm mattress which I kept is a bit TOO firm for me with 6 inches of "40 ILD" under 2 inches of "32 ILD"....all enclosed in a permanent cotton/wool cover. I have added an old 2" piece of memory foam which helps immensely and I've been sleeping pretty well on this setup. However, sometimes I still feel like I might be "bottoming out" with this bed (I weigh 265 lbs) though it's hard to tell if I'm just hitting the FIRM latex underneath. SO, I am about to purchase another 3 inch topper layer of latex and wanted some opinions. I prefer a softer feel on top but don't want to "bottom" out. After researching all the usual sites, I am leaning toward a 3 inch "medium" layer from "Foam Sweet Foam" ($400) since they claim to sell only "natural" latex. Some recent posts seem to imply that the natural latex is a bit more dense than the blended latex.(?) Thanks for any thoughts or comments. |
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Sandman, Thanks for your excellent insight. I'm glad you think I'm on the right track as I'm sure my wife thinks I'm nuts....hahaha. Actually, I was hoping to get rid of the old memory foam when I got this new latex mattress. It was being used on top of my old 28 yr old innerspring mattress! So, 3 inches of medium might do the trick OR I could try 2 inches and continue to use the old memory foam. Part of my decision is to use as few added layers as possible so I don't have them slipping around. The new mattress is permanently encased and I'm just covering any added layers with the mattress pad and sheets. (I had a cover on the memory foam and it kept sliding off one side of the bed until I took the cover off) Kimberly, I also noticed that the toppers were in "ranges" and not a specified ILD. I"m not sure if this is a deal breaker or not. I'll have to price SleepEZ toppers and see if I can get the same item there. Their toppers all seem to be "blended" unless I call them for a special order maybe. |
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You should be able to get blended or 100% natural talalay or dunlop from sleepez. Their prices are good, but they do charge $49 per order for shipping. It is hard to know exactly what ILD will be right for you. It seems that trial and error is the only way. Note that latex will feel different than the memory foam. The memory foam seems better at pressure relief (molding to the body), but since the ILD is so low it does not offer as much support. However, I once tried 3" of memory foam on top of 6" of XF latex, and it felt pretty good. Kimberly, since the top flobed layer is convoluted, the effective firmness is less. They told me it is around 14, since half of the latex is cut out. That is just an approximation though. I wish that flobeds had more options for the top level - they probably do on request. |
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sandman wrote: You should be able to get blended or 100% natural talalay or dunlop from sleepez. Their prices are good, but they do charge $49 per order for shipping. It is hard to know exactly what ILD will be right for you. It seems that trial and error is the only way. Note that latex will feel different than the memory foam. The memory foam seems better at pressure relief (molding to the body), but since the ILD is so low it does not offer as much support. However, I once tried 3" of memory foam on top of 6" of XF latex, and it felt pretty good. Kimberly, since the top flobed layer is convoluted, the effective firmness is less. They told me it is around 14, since half of the latex is cut out. That is just an approximation though. I wish that flobeds had more options for the top level - they probably do on request. Sandman: I was curious about this as well and one of the times I was speaking to FlowBeds about one of my exchanges I asked them about their catalog. They told me that they did not sell individual pieces to individual customers. However they would work with an existing customer who have purchased a mattress from them for any of the parts that they have listed in their catalog. It would be worth giving them a call and checking them out after having reviewed what is offered in that catalog. Here is a link to the catalog in question. http://www.flobeds.com/catalog.lasso |
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Sandman, I think Flobeds will exchange your convoluted layer (if you're still within your exchange period) for a solid piece if you don't like the convoluted. If you're past the 90 days, they'll problably sell you a new piece, as Eagle said. I don't know if you tried it yet, but I think a thick wool mattress topper (like 3") will make your bed feel firmer. But that may be more of a surface feel. As you may remember, I found even my wool fleece pad made the bed feel firmer. I didn't try my old wool-filled topper (3-4 in) as I prefer the feeling of just the latex in it's cover and thin mattress pad (but not for heat--wish I could use my wool pad as it did help me with that, though I know you said it didn't help you....) But I would imagine the wool topper would have really firmed up my bed. |
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Mark, I would add 3 x 1" layers in various ILD's so you can mix and match them, rather than one x 3" layer. I think maybe a 1" soft layer on top might help you feel more comfort without screwing up your mattress's support. But 2" can be too much. (Sometimes even 1/2" can be too much!) I think 1" layers are always the way to go, so you have more options. |
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Jim, Thanks for the idea of more thinnner layers. I hadn't thought of that approach. My only concern is if several thin layers might move or shift more on the mattress. My original latex mattress is sealed in a cotton/wool cover so I will be laying the layers on top of it. So far, the 2 inch memory foam stays in place after I removed it's slippery cover and placed it on a non skid pad on top of the mattress. This is covered with just a good fitted mattress pad and fitted sheets. I'm now thinking of ordering a 2 inch "medium" and 1 inch "soft" from SleepEZ mattress components in the 100% Natural Talalay Latex. The "soft" would be kind of like the top layer that Flobeds uses. Mark in NH |
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Sorry I haven't responded sooner. But let it be known that foam does not shift, almost not at all. It may shift a half inch or so once in a while, but nothing that causes any problems. I've used: HR foam, M-Grade foam, latex, about 6 different kinds of memory foam, and none of them shift. We put them where we want them and they tend to stay there. We even use zoned layers, where the bed is divided vertically into 3 layers, 1/3 for the upper body, 1/3 for the middle of the body and 1/3 for the bottom (legs), and these don't even shift to make a gap between the layers. |
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Okay...thanks Jim. I don't see any online order page or form for SleepEZ, so I assume one must do it the old fashion way by telephone? I'm just waiting until after this holiday week. |
| after reading this post I'll be curious how my Costco latex mattress acts under my own 290lbs?! sounds like I'll be adding layers. Might try the NexGel, they've got a real deal on one close to my house. Nice mattress. I sure didn't feel like was bottoming out on it. |
| I have three layers of Talalay Latex from FloBeds ranging from 36 to 46 ILD with split sides. I love my bed but the soft topper was too thick for me being that I am petite and like very firm beds. Dave at FloBeds exchanged it twice trying to help me since first I thought I wanted a 2" Dunlap topper and then a 1.5" soft Talalay Lax Queen topper. When I saw that Brylane Homes was having a sale on a queen size 1" natural Talalay Latex layer over 2 years ago, I bought it to try out and it is perfect for me. It gives me just enough cushion for side sleeping but not too much so my bed is still firm and supportive for my small frame size. but then again, I am not quite 5 feet and petite everywhere. |