I was wondering if you put a spring mattress above a latex core, could the latex take the place of a box spring?
A friend of mine has a 3 inch medium/medium-firm dunlop topper, and he found it too hard as a topper. His slatted wood box spring just bit the dust. If he were to put it on the bottom and then a simple 6 inch spring mattress on top would that be insane? Could the latex act as an acceptable box spring replacement or put another way as an acceptable shock absorbing buffer. We couldn’t think of a reason why it wouldn’t. Have you heard anything in favor or against putting a spring mattress above dense enough latex? Is it folly? Would it be similar to a coil box spring? He keeps his mattress on the floor, so the issue of a bed frame is moot. He has never had any mold/moisture issues.
I’m not clear about exactly what you mean or the specifics of the mattress you are referring to or whether you are referring to a foundation or a box spring. A one sided innerspring mattress would have comfort layers above the innerspring and would probably be designed to be used on a foundation (that doesn’t have any flex) not a box spring (with springs inside it that flex) and a latex core would have more flex a foundation or platform bed which doesn’t have any flex at all.
It sounds like your friend has a rigid slatted foundation and not a box spring so again the latex would have more flex than the foundation and probably wouldn’t be an ideal support system under a one sided innerspring mattress.
Sorry for any confusion. Let me simplify the question:
Would using medium firm dunlop latex as a shock absorbing layer for a spring mattress on top of a solid platform be similar to a coil box spring under a coil mattress on top of a solid platform?
It would depend on many factors not least of which would be the type of mattress, whether it was one or two sided, and the type of support system the mattress is designed to use underneath it.
Without more detailed specifics about the mattresses and support systems you are trying to compare I would have to say “probably not”. It could also invalidate the warranty of the mattress if it’s designed to be used on a solid non flexing foundation.