Well, i can't seem to get some of my questions answered, and i'm probably posting too much as a result! Anyway, here are some of my questions: 1) will two twin foam mattresses (HR foam) pushed together, in the same mattress cover, reduce--considerably--motion transfer as opposed to a king-size foam mattress? What is the ideal setup for two people who want to sleep together but can't tolerate motion? 2) What should i get as my base--HR36-hq or LUX-hq? 6 inches or more? We're mostly side sleepers, boyfriend likes more firmness than i do, but doesn't really care. 3) Should i get super-soft foam or egg-crate as a topper? 2 inches or less? 4) Why can't i have different toppers for our (hypothetically separate twin) mattresses, if i can get different bases? 5) is 2.8 density HR foam the same in two different stores, or can they be very different? 5) Lastly, a salesman at Verlo told me that Latex can be bouncy, but doesn't have motion transfer. Are the two qualities (bounciness, no motion) compatible? I would think one would eliminate the other! Thank you SO much for any advice/recommendations!! |
1) Lux-HQ and HD-36 solid cores are support layers, and you shouldn't plan to sleep directly on either of them. I'm not sure if that's what you were implying. They are simply way too firm for most people as a top layer and will cause pressure point issues. So yes, you'll need toppers over it. You need to add probably at least 3" of some softer material... but don't overdo it. Unfortunately there is no winning formula here. You've obviously been doing your homework and I think you are to the point where you have to just come up with a plan and pull the trigger -- you'll go crazy otherwise (been there). This is truly a trial and error process, based on making educated guesses and then testing them out for several months. Starting off with 5" LUX-HQ at the base and then working your way up with softer material is a solid plan I think. TIP : Make sure the ticking cover you go with is 360 zippered. I can only imagine how impossible it would be to try and shove such large and heavy foam cores into a cover only opened on one end! Eggcrate in general shouldn't make your back hurt. Too much of any soft material on the top layers probably will. I do not have any eggcrate so I don't have any strong opinions here, other than I really want to buy some latex eggcrate one day (but it is expensive and not as many places sell it). 2) FBM is the best bet for good value on quality PU foams (like LUX) and Latex, based on all the searching I did. FoamByMail has another website www.foamdistributing.com that is the same business, but with slightly different products and prices. I used FoamDistributing to order my LUX-HQ (High Quality) and HD36-HQ, and the FBM site for the latex. 3) I don't think so. I'm very happy with how 'dead' my top layers of latex are. Yes, I think the general consensus is that latex is much more durable than PU foam and should last many years. I really enjoy the feel of latex on the top layers. To be perfectly honest, knowing how well this has all worked out for me, and realizing how much I do like latex foam, if I were to do it all over again I'd probably go all out and order a FloBed and get top-notch material. But like you, I wasn't so sure at first and didn't want to blow a lot of money. I'm not suggesting you need to go out and spend $3500 to get a great bed. I do love my FBM/FD bed and I recommend that to anyone. When you do get your bed setup, if after several days you are sure its too hard, order another soft topper (it can go on the outside of the ticking cover) or a CuddleBed. The CuddleBed will essentially add a pillow-top feel, or if you've ever slept in a Heavenly Bed, something like that. If you don't use a CuddleBed, at the very least use some kind of fitted mattress pad with a little bit of padding -- you probably already have one. Good Luck! |
You are like my fairy god- (or mattress-) father! (I think you're a dude, for some reason, though i guess i really don't know!) Thanks again for the response. 1) Ok, so it seems that buying a 5" base of LUX-HQ should be a good start. I checked out foamdistributing.com, and it seems like the products are a bit cheaper. Why are the products different--or differently priced, here? 2) I know you can't give me a definite answer on top layers, but i noticed you have a couple of layers of HD36-HQ...Did you go with this to keep the mid-layers firm, below the latex layers...?And do you think I'd *need* a layer of the HD36-HQ, or just some eggcrate/supersoft foam/latex/whatever i decide on top? I guess i really don't know what these top layers feel like...and not sure of the purpose of egg crate design! 3) Good to know the latex doesn't feel motion-y; i might stick with the cheaper stuff on top for now, but will consider latex in the future! Thank you, and i promise to end my questions soon! ;) |
1) That's a good question that I've never seen an answer to. They also sell on eBay with different prices -- higher I think. 2) My original bed was, from bottom to top : 5" LUX-HQ, 2x 1" HD36-HQ, 2" Medium Latex, 1" Soft Latex, CuddleBed. After about 5 months or so, we felt that some of the firmness had been lost, and this was evident by laying in the middle, which felt much firmer like we remembered the bed being when brand new. I traced it down to the HD36 layers. There were no body impressions, but rather a loss of ILD -- meaning it just was simply less supportive than when new, in the torso areas. As others with more knowledge about foams than I have posted, PU foam cells will tear and break (or something to that effect) causing the resilience to degrade over time. So, I relocated the HD36 to the very bottom, thereby rasing up the LUX -- you see, I still needed to maintain 10" total stack. Eventually I may order a 2" piece of LUX to replace the HD36 entirely. I suggest you start with 3" of softer material over top of the LUX. It's your best guess as to what exactly to use. Mix it up with different materials and/or ILDs, keep it all the same, whatever. So long as its 'soft' enough. The idea for the top layers is to provide comfort, to relieve pressure points, but not so much that you start have back/neck pains. Eggcrate is nice, it is very cushy, and very popular as the top final layer. It is more pillowy than a solid piece of the same material. I'm not sure what LUX or HD36 egg crate would feel like... maybe a bit too firm for the very top layer. I really don't know. But I'm pretty sure that PU foam eggcrate is going to flatten out some within a year or so. The softer it is, the more it will flatten I think. But that stuff is fairly cheap and they sell it at every Walmart, Target, BBB, JCP, etc. The three basic things that you are shooting for are: 1) Is the bed supportive enough? 2) Is the bed soft enough? 3) Will the bed last? 1&2 are a balancing act -- too much of one tends to cause the other to suffer. 3 is pretty much determined by the materials you choose. |
thank you again--very helpful! I'll eventually post what we decide to buy, and how it works out. |
I just spoke with a woman at FBM, who suggested (if i were to get the HD36-HQ as a base) that i get 8" of it, and add softening layers as necessary. She said the foam is denser when there's a thicker slab of it. This seems a little much, though...I guess with the LUX-HQ i don't need as thick a base; If i wanted a 'softer' base would going with the 8" of HD36-HQ work out--i.e. would it last longer, etc? |
Jeez. This lady is a real trip. I wonder where she came from. She should NOT be trying to help people make informed decisions, IMHO. It must be the same FBM salesperson who told someone in another thread that ILD can change with thickness. |
Yes, i believe she said that "the density of foam changes with the thickness". Is that what you mean? Thinking now about about a 4" LUX-HQ layer, with 2" HD36-HQ on top, and 2-3" of softening layers on top of that (egg crate, super-soft foam, something like that). How does that sound for a start? Too much base/mid layers? thanks! |
Don't forget that standard twin mattresses are 5" shorter than king mattresses. If you want to use two twins to make a king you need to use extra long twins. |
i know--learned that the hard way! I think we'll stick with one king...From what i can tell, the motion won't be considerably resolved with two twin mattresses (DIY foam layers) in a king frame. |
Yes, that is what I meant. I think your plan sounds like it could work. I have never slept on the LUX-HQ or HD36-HQ before, so I can't comment on the feel of them. However I can say that 6" of base and 2-3" of cush is a workable idea in general. |