asking for advice on latex ild
Jan 29, 2011 12:45 PM
Joined: Jan 26, 2011
Points: 32
hello im new to the forum and need some advice, after reading all about your experience you guys and gals seem to know your stuff sandman seems like i could use you as a mattress investor specialist'

im 45 170 pounds have nerve damage and nerothapy in my ribs and back, im a slide sleeper but i toss and turn all night because of the pain. my wife is 33 and 130 pounds she is a side sleeper (even though ever time i wake up she is on her back). lol

we made a big mistake and purchased a bed through OMI its all latex it has a 10 inch base 6 " being extra firm 4 inches being medium. dont know the ild. :( and then we purchased a 3 1/2 inch 22ild to put on top because the firstt mattress was to hard for my wife and i. i know i know should have bought a flobed or sleepez, but here is the problem we are now to broke to due anything. we tried a 2" 14 but that was way to soft and now we are returning it. the 3 1/2 inch is almost right but it hurts my shoulders and my wife wakes up with headaches and her back hurts lower and upper, i awake with my middle back hurting and my neck. so we are thinking to buy a 1" 19 and a 1" 28 or so to try to have some options and we wanted to know what you guys thought? is 1" going to make a difference. we found a company that we can purchase 1" 2" 3" any ild and return it if its not right .. for a small fee.. so for we have spent over 4000.

the bed is on a slat foundation and the size is a queen. hoping someone can guide us in making a better decision then we have so far. cant believe the caveman slep on a rock and we cant sleep after spending 4 grand. :(

 

thanks  aaron

Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #1 Jan 29, 2011 3:31 PM
Joined: Oct 15, 2009
Points: 966
Getting it right can be difficult for some people.  Trying different things seems to be the only way.   Do you know the model of the OMI mattress?  It would be useful to know the ILDs and whether or not it is dunlop of talalay.  You may want to call them to get that information.  Also, what kind of mattress pad do you put on top?  That can affect the feel as well.

I think you are probably headed in the right direction.  The 22 might have been okay, but possibly just too thick.  Your wife might be sinking in a bit too much while on her back, resulting in the back pain.  Headaches might be the result of the wrong pillow for the mattress.   I was having neck & upper back pains with headaches until I went to a firmer shredded latex pillow.  But first you have to get the mattress right, and then try to get the pillows right.

You say the 14 was too soft.  What issues does it cause?

1" by itself will probably not be enough, but 2-3 1" increments might work.  I consider 28 closer to medium, so if the top 4" are already medium, then I am not sure I would go with any more of that.  Perhaps 24 would be a little better?  So possibly 1" of 19 and 1" of 24 as a starting point.

If you are trying to stick with 100% natural, then maybe you would want something like 1" (or more likely) 2" of 22-24 100% natural talalay.   If that is too firm, then add 1" of something softer like 19.  Softer than 20 will probably have to be blended though.

Who makes the latex you can buy?  Is it dunlop or talalay?

Sleeplikeabear carries a wide variety of latex, and they have a 30 day return policy.  I think you will lose shipping costs and a small handling fee.

One issue might be getting it right for both of you.   You can consider buying twin XL pieces and cutting them to size, to be able to customize each side of the mattress.  That is not the most desirable solution, but maybe the only way to get it rigth for both of you.

Good luck!

This message was modified Jan 29, 2011 by sandman
Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #2 Jan 29, 2011 4:00 PM
Joined: Jan 26, 2011
Points: 32
hi sandman thanks for responding to my post

 

 

we purchased the lago from omi at the start i called omi and they said the 6 inch firm is a 40 and the 4 inch is a 24. that makes up the 10 inches. that mattress was way to hard for us so we ordered the terra 3 1/2 inch topper to put on top, but after 2 weeks trying to adjust our upperbacks and shoulders we killing us. this is when my wife decided (since we can not return it or get a refund) to take off the outer mattres cover because it is padded with 2 inches of wool. ( i couldnt believe it either) but it did seem to help ..  we did a very good job taking it off so putting it back together will be easy we purchased 10 yards of zipper to redue the cover if need be.

omi is 100% talelay they say but im not certain of it. we purchased the 14ild queen 2 inch from sleeplikeabear and it was very nice on my shoulders and head but misaligned our backs not giving us enough support.

so here is what we have:

6" xfirm 40 ild

4" medium 24"

3 1/5 inches of 22ild

if i purchase a 1 inch 24 and a 1" 19              ( return the 2 inch 14) yes or no? hmm

i would have 12 combinations to choose from

40/24/22/19 or 40/24/24/19 or 24/40/22/19 or 24/40/22/24/19 or 24/40/24/22/19 ect ect

would like cut out the shoulder like you did with your 32 under ur hip and 24 under ur shoulder im thinking of how to do this the cheapest way .. i found there is no cheap way . as far as the mattress pad we r using omi flannel 100% organic pad that just lies on the top it does not cover the sides or front or back. so it does not constrict the latex.

on a side note the latex that we got from sleeplikeabear came from latex international says so right on the latex and is far more nicer than what we found under OMI cover the omi latex was cut glued and chunks missing ut of it. cant believe they are advertising that there company is the best that u can buy...  i will be adding pictures on here as soon as i find out  HOW  lol

thanks aaron

This message was modified Jan 29, 2011 by chas0512
Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #3 Jan 29, 2011 5:05 PM
Joined: Oct 15, 2009
Points: 966
chas0512 wrote:

hi sandman thanks for responding to my post

 

 

we purchased the lago from omi at the start i called omi and they said the 6 inch firm is a 40 and the 4 inch is a 24. that makes up the 10 inches. that mattress was way to hard for us so we ordered the terra 3 1/2 inch topper to put on top, but after 2 weeks trying to adjust our upperbacks and shoulders we killing us. this is when my wife decided (since we can not return it or get a refund) to take off the outer mattres cover because it is padded with 2 inches of wool. ( i couldnt believe it either) but it did seem to help ..  we did a very good job taking it off so putting it back together will be easy we purchased 10 yards of zipper to redue the cover if need be.

omi is 100% talelay they say but im not certain of it. we purchased the 14ild queen 2 inch from sleeplikeabear and it was very nice on my shoulders and head but misaligned our backs not giving us enough support.

so here is what we have:

6" xfirm 40 ild

4" medium 24"

3 1/5 inches of 22ild

if i purchase a 1 inch 24 and a 1" 19              ( return the 2 inch 14) yes or no? hmm

i would have 12 combinations to choose from

40/24/22/19 or 40/24/24/19 or 24/40/22/19 or 24/40/22/24/19 or 24/40/24/22/19 ect ect

would like cut out the shoulder like you did with your 32 under ur hip and 24 under ur shoulder im thinking of how to do this the cheapest way .. i found there is no cheap way . as far as the mattress pad we r using omi flannel 100% organic pad that just lies on the top it does not cover the sides or front or back. so it does not constrict the latex.

thanks aaron


Ok, so it seems like you have a very firm base.  Possibly too firm, but nothing we can do about that.  4" of 24 + 3.5" of 22 seems like a lot of medium foam, and it probably would be better to have part of that a bit firmer like 28-32, but not much we can do about that either. 

When you used the 2" of 14, was that without the 3.5" of 22 or was it on top of it?

So, with the current configuration of 6" + 4" + 3.5", does it feel okay in the hip area and just too firm in in the shoulders?   If so, the ideal solution would be put a softer zone under the shoulders.  Blended pieces tend to be about 0.9" or 1.8" for what is called a 2" piece.   One thing to consider, if the hips are right and you just want it softer in the shoulders, is to buy some twin pieces to cut up.  Perhaps something like 1.8" of 19 and 1.8" of 14.   Or .9" 19 and 2.7" of 14 if you want it even softer.   Maybe 2 1" pieces would be enough, we would have to do some calculations.

Then you would cut off the top part of the 22, and put in the 2 new pieces.   You can also custom order reasonably good PU foam to put at that level.   

I have to run, but think about what you think works under the hips and shoulders seperately and consider how you can get to that combination.  You may want to measure the thickness of the pieces as well (especially the 3.5" piece) , so we know exactly what we are dealing with.

 

 


 

Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #4 Jan 30, 2011 3:09 PM
Joined: Jan 26, 2011
Points: 32
ok so last night we tried removing the 3 1/2 22 ild all together and tried putting the 2 " 14 on top of the medium side of the lago. and i bottomed out on my hips and shoulders when sleeping on my side but on my stomache i was perfect. ( too bad im not a stomach sleeper. and my wife said she just felt like it was hurting her hips a little but perfect on her shoulders...

 

 

so we got up and put on a 1.5 piece of 3 lb memory foam that we have had forever form wally world and it was good for me on my shoulders but lost the support on my back again not much but enough to notice my wife ended up taking her memory foam off in less than an hour.

so here is the problem i think that a 2 " piece of 19 would prob work for both of us but than we prob never use the 3 1/2 inch terra topper. my wife thinks by trying a 1 " 24 and 1 " 19 on top of the terra it might work. money money money

the 1 " 19 and 1' 24 will be 344.00 and if we buy a 2 inch 19 it will be 314.00 plus we could return the 14 and get about 280 back.

question? should we be trying to see what will work with the 3 1/2 inch 22 ild or forget it all together and work with just the lago buy adding 1 " layers on top of it. im afraid that we will end up wth more money spent and a 18 inch mattress that wont fit any sheets.

if the 2 inch will work for both of us on top of the lago medium side up we might get lucky because the 14 inch is so close but the 24 and 19 we will have more options to play with .  this is so hard it cost to much to just keep guessing.

how much difference is there between the 14 and the 19, if the 14 is really close than will the 19 be ( do u think) good?

any thoughts

 

thanks aaron

This message was modified Jan 30, 2011 by chas0512
Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #5 Jan 30, 2011 4:20 PM
Joined: Jan 26, 2011
Points: 32
chas0512 wrote:

ok so last night we tried removing the 3 1/2 22 ild all together and tried putting the 2 " 14 on top of the medium side of the lago. and i bottomed out on my hips and shoulders when sleeping on my side but on my stomache i was perfect. ( too bad im not a stomach sleeper. and my wife said she just felt like it was hurting her hips a little but perfect on her shoulders...

 

 

 

so we got up and put on a 1.5 piece of 3 lb memory foam that we have had forever form wally world and it was good for me on my shoulders but lost the support on my back again not much but enough to notice my wife ended up taking her memory foam off in less than an hour.

so here is the problem i think that a 2 " piece of 19 would prob work for both of us but than we prob never use the 3 1/2 inch terra topper. my wife thinks by trying a 1 " 24 and 1 " 19 on top of the terra it might work. money money money

the 1 " 19 and 1' 24 will be 344.00 and if we buy a 2 inch 19 it will be 314.00 plus we could return the 14 and get about 280 back.

question? should we be trying to see what will work with the 3 1/2 inch 22 ild or forget it all together and work with just the lago buy adding 1 " layers on top of it. im afraid that we will end up wth more money spent and a 18 inch mattress that wont fit any sheets.

if the 2 inch will work for both of us on top of the lago medium side up we might get lucky because the 14 inch is so close but the 24 and 19 we will have more options to play with .  this is so hard it cost to much to just keep guessing.

how much difference is there between the 14 and the 19, if the 14 is really close than will the 19 be ( do u think) good?

any thoughts

 

thanks aaron


udate i think if this 3 1/2 piece of latex that is 22 ild with one side being flat and the other being sculpted surface doesnt work out we will being trying to sell it on the forum or craiglist it!
 

Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #6 Jan 30, 2011 6:56 PM
Joined: Oct 15, 2009
Points: 966
chas0512 wrote:

ok so last night we tried removing the 3 1/2 22 ild all together and tried putting the 2 " 14 on top of the medium side of the lago. and i bottomed out on my hips and shoulders when sleeping on my side but on my stomache i was perfect. ( too bad im not a stomach sleeper. and my wife said she just felt like it was hurting her hips a little but perfect on her shoulders...

 so we got up and put on a 1.5 piece of 3 lb memory foam that we have had forever form wally world and it was good for me on my shoulders but lost the support on my back again not much but enough to notice my wife ended up taking her memory foam off in less than an hour.

so here is the problem i think that a 2 " piece of 19 would prob work for both of us but than we prob never use the 3 1/2 inch terra topper. my wife thinks by trying a 1 " 24 and 1 " 19 on top of the terra it might work. money money money

the 1 " 19 and 1' 24 will be 344.00 and if we buy a 2 inch 19 it will be 314.00 plus we could return the 14 and get about 280 back.

question? should we be trying to see what will work with the 3 1/2 inch 22 ild or forget it all together and work with just the lago buy adding 1 " layers on top of it. im afraid that we will end up wth more money spent and a 18 inch mattress that wont fit any sheets.

if the 2 inch will work for both of us on top of the lago medium side up we might get lucky because the 14 inch is so close but the 24 and 19 we will have more options to play with .  this is so hard it cost to much to just keep guessing.

how much difference is there between the 14 and the 19, if the 14 is really close than will the 19 be ( do u think) good?

any thoughts

 

thanks aaron

OK, when you used the 14 ILD before, I thought it was instead of the 22, not on top of it.  I can see why that would have been too soft.

The 22 is a convoluted piece, and have you been using it with the bumpy side up?  If so, then it should effectively be softer than 22. 

One thing you may want to try is the 14 below the 3.5" 22.  That is not an optimal setup, but you never know.  That should be softer than the 22 by itself, but firmer than with the 14 on top of the 22.

My guess is that you need 2-3" above the 4" of 24.   Not sure what combo, but it might 2" of 19, or 1" of 19 + 2" of 14, or 2" of 19 + 1" of 14.  Really hard to guess, and you probably only will be able to tell with trial and error.   If you bought 1" of 19, you could try that with the 2" of 14 (above and below it) or folded in half to see what 2" of 19 would be like.  Or, as you suggest, go straight for the 2" of 19, then add 1" of something else later if needed. 

You seem to be sinking through the 2" of 14 and bottoming out below, so you might just need 1" of a bit firmer (19) transition piece below.

I really don't think you need any more 24, since you already have 4" of that on top.  Therefore, I would try to work with some 19 before and more 24.  There is not a huge, but it would be noticable difference between 14 and 19.

The 3.5" 22 piece might not fit into the mix at all.  If you really wanted to keep that, you probably should only add 1" above or below.  It is possible that 1" of 14 on top if it might have worked better than 2".

Good luck!   I think your case (and many others) shows the advantage of going with a sleepez or flobeds where you can exchange layers and also have each side different.  There is a lot of value to that because it is very difficult to get it right without some trial and errro.



 

Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #7 Jan 30, 2011 7:58 PM
Joined: Jan 26, 2011
Points: 32
well i think that we have come to a conclusion that we are prob not going to use the 3 1/2 terra topper, the only reason we were thinking of going with a 1 ' 24 was that the 24 that is on the top of the lago is glued to the 6 inch and wrappped in 2 inches of wool so it makes it extremely harder than a raw piece of 24. when we took apart the terra topper it became so soft it hurt our lower backs but if you put the mattress cover back on with the 2 inches of wool it is to hard. hard to explain but that is why i was thinking to bring a 1 inch 24 into the mix because it would be alot softer being raw and only 1 inch instead of 4, maybe im wrong but any how we are ordering the 1 inch of 19 tomorow and another prob we have is we only have 30 days to return this stuff so by the time we order wait for mail sleep a couple of nights then want to change we are going to run out of the 30 days real quick. i guees i could always open a latex and pillow store as much as we have!

anyway thanks for your help sandman your insight and past experience with this stuff helps people like us, and we do appreciate it.

for all of you readers out there please learn from our mistakes my wife and i have purchased a temperpedic, a simmons nxg 400 and now a OMI  all of these mattress are well into the 4000 mark a piece and none of them have been right. i could have gone to sleeplikeabear.com a purchase the same latex for under 1000 or went with a flobed for 2500 so its not how much money you spend its the right combination.... thats all for now ....thanks again sandman

 

will update when we recieve our 19

 

aaron

Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #8 Jan 31, 2011 12:11 PM
Joined: Oct 15, 2009
Points: 966
It is not clear to me now if you took top 2" of wool off of the mattress, or did you take it off the 3.5" topper?   From an earlier post, I thought you took it off the mattress, but maybe I misinterpreted your statement.

That will make a difference if you are putting these toppers over 2" of wool which is over the 10" of (24 & 40) latex.    That makes it a bit harder to figure out, and it probably makes it firmer. 

Are you going to be able to keep the 14 until you get the 19 ILD latex?

Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #9 Jan 31, 2011 3:04 PM
Joined: Jan 26, 2011
Points: 32
hi sandman sorry for the confusion .. im a little confused myself with all this ordeal. ok the bottom lago is 6 inches of firm with 3 1/2 inches of medium all wrapped up and stuffed with 2 inches of wooll in there mattress cover. than we purchased a second mattress/topper of 3 1/2 inches of 22ild all wrapped up in 2 inches of wool and incased in there mattress cover. if you go to OMI website you can see the terra matrress this is what we have only we have the lago on the bottom instead of there terra bottom.

so we are now using the just the lago the way it came just as it says on the OMI website and we took apart the terra topper and are no longer putting it into the mix.

we put the 14 2 inch on top of the lago and it was very close but my hips and shoulders still felt to firm and my wife was complaining about the same . thus i guessing it was just to soft.

so today we ordered the 1 inch of 19 and a 1 inch of 21 to put on top of the the lago hoping that in fact it will bring a slight new feel giving us enough support that our hips dont bottom out put still soft eough on our shoulders that it will be just right. plus we will have the option of using the 14,19,21 all thre or just 2. in any case i still think we just  need 2 inches of 19 but figured the 21 was a little extra option plus we can fold over the 19 to see what 2 inches would feel like or fold over the 21 to see what that would feel like. we are now on a mission, i remember the movie the money pit with tom hanks and we are not far from it. but at least talking to sleeplikeabear they are willing to help us evelyn said we could return up to three so im hoping that at least one of these combinations will work for us. we are getting close really close and we might end up cutting the queen down the middle with an electric knife if in fact she likes a different combo than I.

will update you when we recieve the 19 and the 21 they said we would get it thursday so i will give you an update.

thanks aaron

Re: asking for advice on latex ild
Reply #10 Jan 31, 2011 3:09 PM
Joined: May 12, 2010
Points: 241
chas, I feel for you. what we need is for these companies selling online to open outlets or sell their products through stores like costco/sams clubs.

Have you tried memory foam? Thanks.

This message was modified Jan 31, 2011 by roy1

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