My proposed DIY foam mattress--help or advice welcomed!
Aug 4, 2009 2:29 PM
Joined: Nov 4, 2008
Points: 223
Ok, so this is my proposed mattress. Keep in mind that one of my main concerns is motion transfer, and the other is cost (that's why we're not doing latex right now--oh, and it seemed a bit more motion-y to me).
It will be a king-size mattress, we're not big people, and we sleep mostly on our sides, *sometimes* our backs--I like some 'cush' to sink into, boyfriend isn't as crazy about that:

5" Lux-HQ (bottom)--maybe get 2" and 3" of this for more ease of handling?
2" HD36-HQ (mid)--I'm a little worried about the LUX being too hard, but maybe this HD36-HQ isn't necessary?
2 1/2" Poly or Super-soft Eggcrate (wish i could find a 'medium' one--*between* ILD 12 and 36!)
Cuddlebed if needed

Should i order twin-size of everything for 1) ease of moving layers around and 2) motion transfer--or will splitting it not affect the motion transfer too much?

Thanks to everyone for their helpful comments--it made figuring this out much easier!

P.S. I'm going for PU foam because, mainly, i need to reduce motion transfer, and i can't afford latex right now. I could *maybe* afford the latex from FBM, but in my (limited) experience the latex seemed to provide more motion...I'm a little nervous about buying this mattress without trying it out first, but i THINK it's the best for lack of motion, and for cost. If i'm missing something--related to motion--let me know!! ;)

P.S.S. I'm a little nervous about the 'toxicity' of PU foam, but not sure i have other alternatives right now!
Re: My proposed DIY foam mattress--help or advice welcomed!
Reply #20 Aug 6, 2009 3:58 PM
Joined: Jun 22, 2009
Points: 22
I dont think the temperature issue of MF is as big an issue are you are thinking it will be.  And to be honest, I hate the feel of a full MF mattress, especially a tempurepedic without a cover on it.  I really like the 1 to 2 inches of fiber cover.  It keeps me from having that feeling that the MF is grabbing me.  I thought I would like the latex top more but actually like the MF better.  I figure at the price from FBM I can do some experimentation and get it just right.
Re: My proposed DIY foam mattress--help or advice welcomed!
Reply #21 Aug 11, 2009 7:51 PM
Joined: Jun 29, 2009
Points: 19
OK, you can check my thread on a foamdistributing.com bed for details on my saga (http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/another-foam-factory-bed-foamdistributingcom/5571-0-1.html) but:

First, a 4" thick slab of the Lux-HQ (ILD-50, very firm, 76X82" so needs trimmed down to King) should weigh 40 lb, so 5" should be 50 lb.  I didn't find it hard to move around, but I'm a 6'+ male who while overweight  and sedentary is still in his 30's.  Your mileage may vary.  I've seen comments on this site about a single layer being better than several layers but I could not begin to testify to their accuracy.

Second, I personally found 4" of Lux-HQ topped with 2.5" of 1.8 lb egg crate PU to be delightful for a week, but too firm for long term use.  The 2" of HD36 might have fixed things for me, but the mattress was WAY too firm for my wife's back.

Third, with our bed set up with 5" of MF on top of the base I described,  I just had my wife lay down next to me and get up.  Noticeable lateral motion transfer consisted of the top sheet tugging as she rolled.  It wasn't much more noticeable when we just had the base, no MF.

I'm becoming a believer in PU, and maybe in MF time will tell.  Latex seemed too bouncy in the store.
Re: My proposed DIY foam mattress--help or advice welcomed!
Reply #22 Aug 12, 2009 8:00 AM
Joined: Jun 22, 2009
Points: 22
Which MF did you buy?  What was the ILD of that MF?
Re: My proposed DIY foam mattress--help or advice welcomed!
Reply #23 Aug 20, 2009 8:07 PM
Joined: Jun 29, 2009
Points: 19
last377 -

From what I've read MF should be rated by density, not ILD.  MF softens as it warms, so the ILD is measured at what temperature?

But I had 4" Lux HQ ILD 50 as a base, 2.5" of Lux 1.8 lb/cf egg crate above that, then 3" of 5.5 lb/cf MF and 2" of 4.5 lb/cf MF.  Just the base was wonderful for a week (sometimes just a change, any change is great; this is probably  why so many people buy a mattress, sleep on it a week, then hate what they loved in the store.) then I realized it was too firm for long term use.  My wife refused to sleep on it a second night because it had so little give, but she's a side sleeper and the reason we have so much give in the mattress.

With the MF it is much softer than the base (duh!) but it is still firmer than what we lay on in the mattress store.  But I can't quote you an ILD, I can just say the density was what I ordered.

I hope that helps.
Re: My proposed DIY foam mattress--help or advice welcomed!
Reply #24 Aug 21, 2009 4:56 PM
Location: L.A. area
Joined: Jan 18, 2008
Points: 1161
electracat wrote:
Ok, so this is my proposed mattress. Keep in mind that one of my main concerns is motion transfer, and the other is cost (that's why we're not doing latex right now--oh, and it seemed a bit more motion-y to me).
It will be a king-size mattress, we're not big people, and we sleep mostly on our sides, *sometimes* our backs--I like some 'cush' to sink into, boyfriend isn't as crazy about that:

5" Lux-HQ (bottom)--maybe get 2" and 3" of this for more ease of handling?
2" HD36-HQ (mid)--I'm a little worried about the LUX being too hard, but maybe this HD36-HQ isn't necessary?
2 1/2" Poly or Super-soft Eggcrate (wish i could find a 'medium' one--*between* ILD 12 and 36!)
Cuddlebed if needed

Should i order twin-size of everything for 1) ease of moving layers around and 2) motion transfer--or will splitting it not affect the motion transfer too much?

Thanks to everyone for their helpful comments--it made figuring this out much easier!

P.S. I'm going for PU foam because, mainly, i need to reduce motion transfer, and i can't afford latex right now. I could *maybe* afford the latex from FBM, but in my (limited) experience the latex seemed to provide more motion...I'm a little nervous about buying this mattress without trying it out first, but i THINK it's the best for lack of motion, and for cost. If i'm missing something--related to motion--let me know!! ;)

P.S.S. I'm a little nervous about the 'toxicity' of PU foam, but not sure i have other alternatives right now!

There is nothing really "wrong" with your plan, perhaps, but I would do this instead:
6" base of M-Grade foam from overnightmattress.com
skip the eggcrate and use a low ILD latex instead - 1 to 2", maybe 1.5"
Use a 1" sensus memory foam IF you need it softer still, but you probably won't with the low ILD latex
cuddlebed, to me, really does not add much except it holds the foam together nice (not that you really need that - they tend to stay in place good enough on their own) but the cuddle bed makes it all look like a real bed and is nice and soft, though very thin in terms of padding

I'd go the 2 x twin route because that gives you more flexibility in making changes and they stay in place together just fine. You might want to check every month to see if they are drifting apart but I've found that to be very minimal and not a problem.