Help considering DIY setup.
Mar 10, 2009 1:32 PM
Joined: Mar 10, 2009
Points: 7
We have the typical 8 year S brand bed that has had divots for at least 7 years, its so bad we don't even bother to flip it anymore.  We went to a store and I told the salesman I didn't want a bed that was going to get divots, so he showed me select comfort and vera wang.  The airbeds still felt like camping air mattress.  And the wife and I liked the vera wang.  My wife loved the latex pillow.  My wife likes the soft beds I like the firm beds.  But we both felt pretty comfortable with the firmest vera wang they had.  She prefers soft when she tests a bed but thinks a harder bed would be better for her since she never really sleeps very well.  I am 6'2 195 lbs she is 5'6 150 lbs.  So I have a few Qs  As a side note neither of us liked the memory foam bed.

1. Could I really expect to get 20 divot free years out of an S brand latex mattress, like the salesman claims?

2. how many years should I expect out of a foam by mail mattress?

3. How does this combo sound?  All from foam by mail.  King size:  6 inch talay latex firm mattress, 1 inch soft latex topper, 1inch medium latex topper, and a costco cuddlebed.  About $843  How would this feel compared to the firm vera wang?  I like with this setup I can cut the two toppers and give my wife the two softs and me the two mediums if it was too firm for her.

4.  What about this combo?  FBM again.  lux-r firm convential foam 5 inches, 2 1inch latex medium toppers, 1 soft latex topper, and a cuddle bed.  total cost around $500  I like this option because the cost is lower, since I am a little concerned about how a diy mail order matteress is going to work out, so I could minimize losses if its a bust.  And I could order another 1 inch soft topper for even more adjustability.  She could have 3 softs 1 medium, and I could have 3 mediums, 1 soft etc.  Once again how would this compare to the vera wang?

Re: Help considering DIY setup.
Reply #10 Jun 2, 2009 8:10 PM
Joined: Mar 10, 2009
Points: 7
Thanks for all the help here!!!!    We are very happy with our diy bed.

I ordered what I had listed above.

5in conventional firm foam

2in conventional med foam

1 1in med latex topper

2 1in soft topper

a cudle bed and zippered shop satin mattress cover.

I didn't use the shop satin cover, the one I ordered only had a zipper on one side it would of been way to difficult to use.  We just use the cuddlebed and another waterproof cover we had from before, it seems to work fine and is plenty of protection.

The bed was too firm, so I would order diffrently next time, I wanted a firmer mattress but this was way to firm.  I decided to cut open the old S brand mattress to see where it failed and to ease in disposal.  To my suprise it had a 3/4 inch thick layer of soft latex on each side I could not see/feel any divots in them so I took them off carefully and placed them on the bed, still to firm, but much better.  Then I took the pillowtop off of the old bed, probably 1.5 inches of soft PU foam and put it on the bed.  It was the same way, couldn't feel or see divots.  After I had the two layers of latex and the pillowtop on I kind of notice minor divots, my wife thinks I am crazy because she does not feel them.  So I would say 15% of the divot in the old bed was the latex and pillowtop and the remainder was in the springs.  At any rate the wife and I are pleased and happy with the new setup.  It feels plenty comfortable and supportive and I like knowing if I have a divot problem with the convential foam I can just replace it by itself for low $$.  Massive improvement from the old bed! 

I did build a platform out of OSB and 2x4s to evenly support the foam.  It also added the height back to where the old bed was at and where my wife liked it.  I just put the platform on top of the old boxsprings.

I also got the latex pillows from FBM they are good, but we liked the higher profile ones we tried from a local store.  We have adjusted to the less height and I like the feel of them and I like that all the cushion doesn't go the side as you sleep or roll around.

Re: Help considering DIY setup.
Reply #11 Jun 3, 2009 3:17 AM
Joined: Jul 10, 2008
Points: 69
Thanks for letting us know how it worked out. Resourceful  thinking on your part to scavenge the old mattress.  Good luck with the fine tuning and keep us posted. BTW, what you described would be way too soft for me.
Re: Help considering DIY setup.
Reply #12 Jun 4, 2009 3:28 PM
Joined: Mar 10, 2009
Points: 7
I made an error in the above post we only got 1, 1inch soft latex layer from FBM.

It does sould like it would be soft, but I would put it in the medium range as compared to the mattresses at the store.

Re: Help considering DIY setup.
Reply #13 Jun 4, 2009 11:06 PM
Location: Yosemite area
Joined: Sep 10, 2008
Points: 249
Before selecting a Vera Wang bed, you should research to find out what is inside it exactly.  Chances are, it is springs with lots of layers of foam on top.  You don't even get down to the springs in these beds when you lay on them...all you feel is the foam.  Foam breaks down faster than springs do. 
It is so difficult to order a bed sight unseen, never touched, on suggestion alone.  Have you tried finding a bedmaker in a town near you to see what they have to offer?  If you liked the Vera Wang, maybe they could make something with better foam and less of it that you both would like.  Plus, they can make a bed with a zip-open top so you can play with your own foam if you want to.  These beds often are less expensive than the major manufacturers because they have no middlemen.
Personally, I like offset coil springs topped with burlap, then cotton batting, then minimal foam...latex is a good choice because it wears longer than P/U.
Good luck,
Kait
Re: Help considering DIY setup.
Reply #14 Mar 15, 2012 7:55 PM
Joined: Mar 10, 2009
Points: 7
ok I am back, 3 years later, we finally ditched the old foam pillow top portion from our 11 year old S brand bed.  So I am looking to add some more soft latex, however our foam by mail pillows are starting to crumble pretty bad and the FBM latex looks like it is getting ready to crumble.  Is this normal?  I was thinking the latex would last longer....  Please advise?  the 11 year old s brand latex layers we scavenged from the old matters still look like they are in good shape.