a latex mattress in montreal, canada

Hi ohnoadrummer,

[quote]I also went to literie provinciale and bought a mattress. I got a memory foam though. Serge (the VP and presumably the same person chanpou talked to) told me that they have a 25 year warranty covering any sagging. In my amazement over this he told me that since he uses good quality foam (the memory foam is a 5lb density) that it will not sag or compress over time.

Does it seem like a reasonable claim that a higher density foam will last significantly longer, something like 25 years? (15 full, 10 prorated) I’m only about 135lbs so maybe that’s also a factor.[/quote]

Even the most durable foam materials will soften over longer periods of time (even if they don’t sag) which leads to the gradual loss of comfort and support and the need to replace a mattress but with higher quality/density and more durable materials such as 5 lb memory foam it will take much longer. There is more about the many factors that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to each person in post #4 here and the posts it links to.

I would also keep in mind that warranties only cover manufacturing defects in a mattress and not the gradual loss of comfort and support that is the most common reason that people will need to buy a new mattress so they really don’t predict how long you will sleep well on a mattress (see post #174 here).

While there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for any particular person, if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isn’t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new and meets the minimum quality specs that are suggested in the guidelines here then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer.

It’s always more realistic to think of about 10 years as a maximum reasonable expectation for any mattress no matter what the quality or durability of the materials and then treat any additional time after that as “bonus time” because after about 10 years the limiting factor in the useful life of a mattress will often be the changing needs and preferences of the person sleeping on the mattress and even if a mattress is still in good condition after a decade … a mattress that was suitable for someone 10 years earlier may not be the best “match” any longer.

Having said that … with higher quality materials throughout a mattress and/or for people whose needs and preferences or physical condition or body type hasn’t changed much over 10 years then “bonus time” or even “extended bonus time” with higher quality/density and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam or natural fibers is much more likely than with less durable materials.

Phoenix

Hello Ohnoadrummer,

Regarding the warranty, I didn’t pay all that much attention to it for the following reasons: I bought all natural latex and know what to expect in terms of useful life, as detailed by Phoenix; also, any premature sagging or other unusual problem (like the one I am experiencing, as per the photos above), would be covered by a legal recourse for manufacturing or latent defect - so any express retail/manufacturing warranty is a bonus. And yes, I do speak French.

Serge does seem knowledgeable and I believe they sell quality products. However, I am still waiting for them to fix the problem with our King mattress. So I’ll be able to give a fuller, more definitive report on all aspects of their business once all is taken care of. I’ll post the results in about 2 weeks, as we’ll be away next week with the kids for Spring break !

Hi chanpou,

From the pictures it also looks like the cover is a bit too tight, which pulls on the corners of the mattress and gives it this irregular shape…

Hi MFC Memory Foam Comfort,

I’m not so sure that the cover is the issue or at least it doesn’t look like it to me (based on the second set of pictures especially).

If the cover was too tight then the top surface would be tight and it wouldn’t have a sag line in the area of the tape the way it does and the border edges would be also be pulled taught and wouldn’t have the irregular line or bends they do in the area of the tape and only the corners would be pulled up.

Phoenix

Hi, everyone,

I too am shopping for a latex mattress in Montreal. I was pretty decided on a Green Sleep (Pure Sleep at Matelas Bonheur ) but couldn’t go through with the purchase because of the high cost.
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: matelasbonheur.ca/en/pure-sleep-green-sleep.html

After reading this thread with much interest, I visited Literie Provinciale. Everyone’s raving about their prices. And they’re right to—LP has the lowest prices I’ve seen (cheaper than Futon d’Or, Matelas Selection, Matelas Personnel, Green Sleep, MFC, etc.). The company’s website and several posters in this thread have mentioned that LP’s latex is 100% natural talalay. However, during my visit, one of the mattresses was “open” (that is, two layers of latex topped with a layer of cotton were exposed and unglued/unassembled). And on the core 6 inch layer was printed an ILD spec of 36. If LP is really using Latex Intl’s Talalay Natural and not Talalay Classic (blended or synthetic), wouldn’t the spec be an N rating?

Thanks for your input!

Hi Stephanie,

There is some confusion about Latex International’s terminology because they often call their blended Talalay “natural” and their 100% natural Talalay “all natural” which is very misleading and results in many manufacturers mistaking or misdescribing one for the other.

You can see some examples of their labels here and here and you are correct that their 100% natural has an “N” rating on the label while the blended Talalay has an actual ILD rating on the label.

There is more about the difference between 100% natural Talalay and blended Talalay in post #2 here and they are both high quality materials. Even though the blend can be a little more durable, the 100% natural is more costly and I would want to have accurate information about the type and blend of the latex in a mattress I was purchasing so I could make more meaningful “apples to apples” comparisons.

Phoenix

I’m writing from Killington, Vermont, where we are staying for our annual spring break ski week vacation. This is where I was initially supposed to have our Sleep EZ mattress delivered to save shipping charges. I ended up buying locally at Literie Provinciale … :dry:

You are right, Stephanie, I think LP has blended Talalay latex. When we visited them and tried out the mattresses, Serge brought us in back to try different firmness levels, and the latex cores were in plain view. I now recall seeing ILD 40 labels when we tried the firmer core. So I guess he wasn’t trying to hide anything … and it may just be confusing the “100% latex” vs “100% natural latex” labelling …? I’ll follow-up on this when I next speak to him because the exact composition of the latex should be clearly specified on the website and sales dealings. I even made it a point to question him repeatedly on the “100% natural latex” claim because the pricing seemed too good to be true (caveat emptor: buyer beware). When we had our phone discussions following our initial visit and before I confirmed our purchase, we discussed “N” ratings vs ILD ratings for blends, and he seemed to understand the differences … But at that time, even though I had read on this site the difference between N and ILD ratings, I just didn’t make the connection with the labels I had seen in the store. I guess part of me was on mattress shopping overload and I just wanted to finalize a purchase. And my husband liked the mattress we had tried in the store, so at least we knew what we were purchasing in terms of our comfort preferences. So now that we probably have a Talalay blend, I’m OK with it because it’s still a quality product and highly durable, and the LP pricing is still very competitive, even for blended Talalay. But of course I’ll follow up on the “100% natural latex” claim … and get my mattress fixed!

Thank you, Phoenix and chanpou, for your replies.

It turns out that buying organic latex isn’t all that important to me anymore. It’s simply beyond my means! But knowing the contents of a given mattress is important—when that information isn’t transparent, I have trouble trusting the manufacturer and seller. So thanks for backing me up on that. B)

Knowing that you, chanpou, were able to try different layer combinations at LP does assure me that I can find something great there. It was that personalized service and construction that I enjoyed at Matelas Selection. I’m a bit overwhelmed by how much mattress shopping I’ve done, and I only discovered this (amazing) site weeks into my research.

I have a couple of questions about foundations and reversible latex mattresses, which I’ll post in other more relevant threads.

Thanks again! I look forward to reading about your new mattress once you’re back in town.

We returned home on Saturday, March 7th and the defective mattress was picked up by Literie Provinciale on Thursday, March 12th. They delivered a new mattress 2 days later, on Saturday, March 14th. We were told that the problem with the previous mattress was that the latex glue was probably not completely dry and when they rolled up the mattress in the wrapping machine, parts of the mattress got permanently compressed. We now have a new mattress which is fine. I am sleeping well and my husband is also starting to appreciate the latex feel (he is no longer rolling into the depressed markings of the previous defective mattress).

As for the 100% natural latex vs blend, I brought up this issue with Serge again during a telephone call yesterday. I questioned him repeatedly on 100% natural vs blend type Talalay latex, and he assured me that he knows the difference between the two and that what they sell is 100% natural Talalay latex. Regarding the labels, he stated that when they receive their latex from the manufacturer, it has a “natural” label on the outside of the packaging, but then they put their own labels with ILD ratings on the individual components when they unwrap them and set them up before they are configured into an actual mattress. He explained that it is easier for clients and their warehouse / manufacturing people to work with the ILD ratings. For my part, I remember seeing an ILD rating when we went into the backstore to try a firmer latex core, but I cannot recall the specifics of this label.

The bottom line, for me, is that I am quite happy with the feel of my mattress and the quality of the materials (insofar as I can tell for the latex - but I also find they have quality accessories like mattress protectors made to our specifications) - and, more importantly, the price factor.

Perhaps someone else from the forum will look further into the labelling issue on a future visit to Literie Provinciale and report back.

Hi chanpou,

Thanks for the update … and it’s great to hear that your issue was resolved :).

It’s also not unusual that a manufacturer uses their own labels on their layers for the reasons they mentioned.

Latex International’s terminology can be confusing because they call their blended Talalay “natural” and their 100% natural Talalay (with no synthetic latex in the blend) “all natural”. If the label you saw was their own and they are aware that the “natural” they mentioned usually refers to blended Talalay and that “all natural” refers to 100% natural Talalay then they are probably providing you with accurate information.

If the label you saw was a label from Latex International and referred to a specific ILD then it would almost certainly be the blend.

Phoenix

Hi Chanpou,

The only way to really find out if you bought 100% all natural latex, would be to ask the owner were they source their Talalay from, and contact the company directly to confirm what type of latex the company is buying from them and how it is labeled.

Good luck with your purchase

Hi, chanpou,

I’m glad to hear you’re happy with your bed. Comfort is so important!

We end up buying our mattress at Matelas Selection, and it arrived yesterday. We chose a “super soft” comfort layer, and yet the mattress feels firmer than the firm comfort layer we had tried in the showroom! (We end up buying an innerspring mattress with a latex and foam comfort layer.) I’m wondering if it isn’t a manufacturing error. I’ve been searching with no success for a thread on showroom vs. home comfort—Phoenix, can you point me in the right direction?

Hi Stephanie,

While there’s always a possibility that your mattress is the wrong firmness level … it’s completely normal for a new mattress to feel firmer than a mattress in a showroom because there will be a break in and adjustment period over the course of the first few weeks. There is more about this in post #2 here and in post #3 here.

Phoenix

Thanks for the links, Phoenix. We’ll be patient and let the mattress loosen up a bit before making further assumptions about our comfort. :wink: 30 nights it is!

I thought I’d post an update given that it’s been over 6 months since our purchase, and I can now give a more accurate account on our comfort with our new mattress… We just came back from a 1-week vacation and I was sooo happy to get back in my own bed - that made me realize how much I’ve come to love my new latex mattress. Even my husband, who wasn’t too sure about the latex mattress initially, has confirmed recently that he really loves it as well, even more than our prior coil mattress with pillowtop. Speaking for myself, the latex mattress feels just right: soft enough for pressure relief, but firm enough to offer good support. I’ve come to appreciate it more and more as the weeks went by - so I certainly recommend giving it some time even if it doesn’t feel quite right or “perfect” from the start, after the initial purchase. To complete my new mattress, I also now sleep on a latex pillow, also purchased at Literie Provinciale, and I have a Lanoodle body pillow that I purchased after reading about their products on this site - it’s heaven! The only downside to all of this: it makes it difficult to get out of bed in the morning ! :slight_smile:

I forgot to add: thank you Phoenix for this site. Had I not found this site, I would probably have made another purchase of a lower quality traditional coil mattress with pillowtop, or have paid too much for a latex mattress. The information you provide is invaluable.

Hi chanpou,

Thanks for taking the time to come back and share an update with your comments and feedback … I appreciate it.

It’s great to see that your mattress and the other accessories you purchased are working out so well for you :slight_smile:

Thanks for the kind comments as well … and I’m glad the site was able to help you.

Phoenix

Reading chanpou’s post today, I was reminded that I didn’t send an update on my mattress. I purchased a coil mattress with a top latex layer from Matelas Sélection last spring.

The mattress is heaven! I too always look forward to get home in my bed, even if away only for one short night. The latex is soft enough to relieve pressure points but provides great support. It is the most comfortable mattress I’ve slept on! And it’s worth every penny paid and every hour spent researching the ABCs of mattresses and spent trying different mattresses.

Thanks to everyone who answered my questions in previous posts!

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks for taking the time to share an update as well :slight_smile:

It’s also great to hear that your mattress is also working out so well for you!

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix and everyone,

After some research on the net and the feedback from this board, I also decided to go with my first latex mattress. I went to check in 2 local stores, Futon d’or and Literie provinciale. I found the dunlop latex matresses at Futon d’or too firm, so I decided to go with Literie provinciale.

I purchased a 9 " (6 +3) with tencel cotton, which they refer to as their Vienna model for $1395, taxes incl. Having slept on it for a few days, I can say it is very comfortable and good as advertised.

My only issue is that the matress looked thinner than the floor model, so I decided to measure it, and it came at around 8" with the tencel cover. Is that due to normal compression of the latex when it is being wrapped with the tencel? Or should i contact them to verify if there was a mistake in the order.

Thanks