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I have been incrementally building a DIY foam mattress. FIrst cut was (all from FBM) 3" of LUX-HQ and 3" of HD36-HQ, with a topper of 1" 20ILD latex. Not bad, but a little firm on the shoulders. Experimentally folding the topper double was a little better, as was putting some old cheap p/u eggcrate on top of it.
Last two nights, I slept with a configuration where the lower 2/3 of the bed (from feet up through mid-torso) is the 1" latex folded double, and the top 1/3 (shoulder and pillow area) is the eggcrate folded double. I think I like it ! Feels like spine is straighter, shoulders more comfy, without butt area sagging down too far. (I am a side sleeper with wide bony shoulders and narrow hips/waist). Some might say 20ILD is too soft for the firm part of a zoned situation, but by all acounts the FBM 20ILD is firmer than 20ILD is supposed to be, and I think I agree. Next on the agenda is trying the 2" memory-foam topper the girlfriend bought (locally, and returnable), although people seem to be saying MF is not good for back-pain sufferers. Assuming I'm not crazy about that, I'll continue to sleep on the zoned configuration for awhile, to make sure I like it, before spending the bug bucks for some softer low-ILD latex from SLAB. I think building a mattress like this, incrementally, is the way to go, rather than plopping down a big pile of cash for a mattress that you laid on in a store for 5 minutes ...
This message was modified Dec 12, 2011 by RustyShackleford
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Yeah, Custom Sleep Design's tool is cool, but their prices are amazing - I was quoted $3425 for a queen. I can buy, test, and even discard a lot of latex layers from FBM and others and still be well below that. My main problem is finding latex soft enough for the shoulder area (and maybe for an overall top comfort layer). The softest FBM has is 20ILD, and I'm pretty convinced it's not really that soft; SLAB sent me some Talatech samples, and although the FBM 20ILD is softer than the SLAB 32 ILD, it is considerably firmer than the SLAB 19ILD. So I'm wondering where I can find something that is significantly softer than the FBM 20 ILD without paying roughly $200 per 1" queen-size layer (SLAB's price). Any ideas ? |
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Sall wrote: I actually tried to mimic the Custom Sleep Design model that they sent me with what I had on hand.... Well, that makes sense. Thanks for the info. Sure wish I'd known about that CSD tool months ago. Although even now that I know about it and have used it -- twice -- I'm a tad lost. The zoning I'd need for back sleeping is different from the zoning I'd need for side sleeping, and lately I've been sleeping on my back a lot more. Both designs start with 2" of 14 ILD under the shoulders -- and I have 14ILD (in a full-size piece) and don't actually like it. Thought I did, at first, but would prefer 19 or so now. I needed soft near my shoulders and used a 14 ILD (2 inches) for my upper body, and used 2 inches of 22 for my hips on down. Under that 2 inches, I had 2 more inches of 22-24 ILD, and then a 32 ILD latex mattress from Original Mattress Factory (too hard for my shoulders). It worked pretty well but when FloBeds had a half price sale on V-zones I bought one of those for myself and gave mine to my wife (we're working with TXL here). The Vzone is pretty good but i think the Custom Sleep Design model is better and more customized but much more expensive than the half price model I got from Flobeds.... Where did you get the 22ILD latex? (mattresses.net?) I know that SleepEZ has 22-24 ILD available. And yeah, CSD's prices are really up there. Are you satisfied with the Flobeds VZone or are you going to tweak it more?
RustyShackleford wrote: The softest FBM has is 20ILD, and I'm pretty convinced it's not really that soft; SLAB sent me some Talatech samples, and although the FBM 20ILD is softer than the SLAB 32 ILD, it is considerably firmer than the SLAB 19ILD. That is really useful information. If I toss more $ at this and try zoning again, I might try using an inch of FBM 20ILD as a medium layer for the hips --> feet.
So I'm wondering where I can find something that is significantly softer than the FBM 20 ILD without paying roughly $200 per 1" queen-size layer (SLAB's price). Any ideas ? Keep an eye on SLAB's "miscellaneous foam scraps" page; in addition to the scraps of various sizes, sometimes there are entire toppers. Still not cheap (and not returnable), but I'm sure they'd be in decent shape. I bought a 1" 32ILD scrap that was flawless. Other than that... I dunno. Any independent bedding manufacturers in your area? Might also be worth calling SleepEZ, Flobeds, and mattresses.net just to see if they have what you want and it just isn't listed on their websites. I have a 2" full-size 14ILD topper that I'm not using. It killed my back. This message was modified Dec 22, 2011 by Catherine
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Catherine wrote:
Where did you get the 22ILD latex? (mattresses.net?) I know that SleepEZ has 22-24 ILD available. And yeah, CSD's prices are really up there. Are you satisfied with the Flobeds VZone or are you going to tweak it more? For the zoning, I used the 1 inch of 14 ILD folded over (rather than cut) for the upper part of my body (shoulders) and the 1 inch of 22 for the lower part on the same level. I am happy with the Flobed but I may tweak it a tad because the 1 inch wool cover mutes the feel of the latex and the vzone layer is covered by the wool cover and the 2 inches of convoluted latex. Besides changing the layers around, I've even considered taking the top cover off and/or covering it with a thin stretchy zipper cover....not sure I want to do that but I do like the feel of just sleeping on a sheet or something thin on top of the latex. I tried that with the 6 inch slab of 28 ILD and it was great for my shoulders and I slept really well. I think my lower back didn't like it though.... Sometimes it's hard to separate the medical issues from the bed comfort issues in making these decisions (maybe it was the lack of my wife's snoring that allowed me to sleep better in the other room?). I probably would have stuck with my original configuration but couldn't pass up the Flobeds 1/2 price deal since it almost cost more to buy all those pieces separately than the $900 for the whole vzone mattress. I hope this helps anyone who is considering a DIY job in the future. This message was modified Dec 23, 2011 by Sall
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Thanks for the info, Sall. Sall wrote: ....I've even considered taking the top cover off and/or covering it with a thin stretchy zipper cover.... I've been pleased with the terry-cloth zippered cover from FBM. Didn't think it would fit when I first unpacked it, but it did expand and fit just fine. Very stretchy.
Rusty, another possible source for latex (or other foam): http://www.foamonline.com/ -- click "Custom" in the navigation menu, click the shape you want, enter dimensions, and select latex from the drop-down list. Then you can select Very Soft (10 ILD), Soft (18 ILD), Medium Soft (28 ILD), and so on. (The actual ILD numbers don't show up until you add the item to your cart. You can click Delete to delete the order if you're just looking to see what they have and what it will cost.) The site does not provide any more information (that I have found) about the latex -- don't know if it's Talalay or Dunlop processed, blended or natural; don't know the source. ------ This message was modified Dec 23, 2011 by Catherine
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Ok, I'm experimenting with a different twist on zoning ... I'm still using a piece of FBM 20ILD latex, 1" folded double for the lower 2/3 or so of the bed. But for the head/shoulder area, I am using a scrap of 2" memory foam I found. I think I like it - sorta the best of both worlds - the sinking in and conforming to shape of memory foam for the shoulders, but the firmness of the latex (and the FBM 20ILD is really well firmer than that, many think) for the butt area.
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RustyShackleford wrote: Ok, I'm experimenting with a different twist on zoning ... I'm still using a piece of FBM 20ILD latex, 1" folded double for the lower 2/3 or so of the bed. But for the head/shoulder area, I am using a scrap of 2" memory foam I found. I think I like it - sorta the best of both worlds - the sinking in and conforming to shape of memory foam for the shoulders, but the firmness of the latex (and the FBM 20ILD is really well firmer than that, many think) for the butt area.
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