Mattress Forum

It was really easy, and just as JImsocal and sandman described.  Thanks to their encouragement and documentatin here,

I hope to be sleeping better soon!  Took about 15 minutes with a sharp utility knife.  Punched through and just held it up and

slice slice slice and the top was off.  I am very encouraged that this is going to work out well, and that I will be recomending it

to everyone.

I have already arranged my first trial stack and it feels really, really good.  If I don't get it the first time, I am guardedly optitmistic that

some fiddling will get me to a good night's sleep.

If someone can recommend an easy to use picture webhoster, I will put up the pictures I took.

My Serta mattress had from top down:

1.    approx .75  inch of soft foam sandwiched between top fabric and a layer of fabric underneath.

2     1 inch Poly foam just like foamdistributing.com's HD36 on top, oddly enough.  This is ;pretty firm stuff.

3     1 inch polyfoam just like foamdistributing.com's "supersoft foam" ... next to the springs.

4      A thin layer of carpet backer like fabric (less than 1/8 inch) on top of the springs.

5,    foam encased edge coils which helps to hold the form.

The spring system is a bit of a misnomer... it is closer to a box spring than "springs."  All the accommodation of your back bone must

be accomplished in the comfort layer, and I understand why I have slept better with beautyrest mattresses.  For sure, those individual

coils provide a good bit more accommodation.  I may ultimately have to get one of those and do the surgery on it, but for now:

My first stab at comfort layers will be, from top down:

A.     1 inch of 14 ILD extra soft latex from sleeplikeabear.com.  This is quite soft & the softest I could find on the internet.

B.     1 inch of 20 ILD "soft" latex from FBM.  This piece is considerably softer than the 2 inch piece below, which is supposed to be the same material.  This feels like perhaps 60-70% of the ILD or resistivity of the 2 inch piece... so a good bit softer.

C       1x2 inches of 20 ILD so called "soft" latex from foambymail.com   It is really dense,firm.  When I lie on 2x2 inches on the springs  on my back, I only have five contact points:   calves, butt, shoulder blades.

D      1/2 inch of fairly firm foam from foamdistributing.com to protect the latex layer

As soft as this sounds, while lying on my back, it is quite supportive.   I do not penetrate the latex surface much. My whole back is in contact, but I do not sink in much.  ( 170 lb back and side sleeper with lower back pain.)   

I actually expect it may not be quite soft enough for me, and will add 1 inch of 4 lb eco friendly memory foam (overstock.com green streaked stuff... quite good quality)... or 2 layers of the 14 ILD... etc.  Firmer.... replace 14 ILD with second inch of 20 ILD....

I will report how this works out and the evolution, and will put up pictures if someone can point me to a picture hoster.

Update 9-13-10

After two more failures at storebought mattresses out of frustration with little progress on stacking my own surgery mattress, I had more pain from the bought mattresses and had to come back to DIY, and have some interesting progress to report.  Taking this to a new thread with a possible breakthrough for we lower back sufferers, as well as some do's and don'ts .

shovel99