About to buy an Innerspring, question about customizing comfort layer

I am in central Indiana and after much research on this site, I found my way to Holder Bedding in Lafayette. Merrick there has been great and I’ve decided on their firmest Innerspring matress. It uses their thickest Bonnell coils, with some type of fabric (can’t remember specifics) over the coils for protection followed by two 5/8 thick pieces of their best 1.8 firm polyfoam for a support layer. The comfort layer is also two 5/8 pieces of the same 1.8 polyfoam. It’s stitched down pretty tight in a 4x4" square pattern. This is the mattress that’s on the showroom that we like the most. It’s very firm and I am wanting to soften the top feel just a tad. He said we could make the comfort layer one 5/8 firm and one 5/8 soft, both of which are 1.8 polyfoam. I can see this working but I was wondering if just adding another piece of 5/8 firm foam (for a total of 3 pieces 5/8 foam) to the comfort layer and instead of stitching it down so tight maybe doing the “button” circle stitch so it doesn’t pull the foam down so much would get it where I want it. Do you think this would be too much foam in the comfort layer and lead to early break down? I’m 6’0" 215 or so an am a side/stomach sleeper. My current mattress is broken down to where my hips sink in when on my stomach I experience lower back pain throughout the night. Maybe I should just leave it how the mattress is on the showroom with the two 5/8 firm layers and be done with it. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hi Kmfl98,

I think you may be asking the wrong person :slight_smile:

There is no way for me to know how someone else may feel on a particular mattress or design and a manufacturer themselves would have much more detailed knowledge and experience with their own mattresses and the effect of any design changes than I have. I’m happy to speak to the quality of the materials (and 1.8 lb polyfoam is a higher quality material than most mainstream manufacturers use in their mattresses) and help the members here make connections with more knowledgeable, experienced and better quality manufacturers and retailers but comfort choices are much better left in the realm of your own personal testing and more detailed conversations with the manufacturers and/or retailers of a mattress. When it comes to comfort choices … “theory at a distance” would be a poor third best for this type of information.

You are in good hands IMO.

Phoenix

Do you think approaching 2" of 1.8 polyfoam in the upper layer is asking for “premature softening” shortly down the road? Or is that high enough quality foam that it would be acceptable?

Hi Kmfl98,

1.8 lb polyfoam is a better quality polyfoam than most major manufacturers use in their comfort layers and in general is getting into the lower end of higher quality polyfoam. It is in a density range that is often found in better value traditional mattresses but not in premium budget ranges where you will usually find more premium foams like HR polyoam, latex, and good quality memory foam.

Durability though can’t be assessed by a single layer alone though because of all the variables involved because it depends on the rest of the mattress and how it is constructed (tufted, one or two sided, etc) and on the many other factors that are part of durability that you can read about in post #4 here. In terms of “value” … it is also relative and also depends on the budget you are in and how the mattress compares to others that are available to you and on the “tradeoffs” that are most important to you (see post #2 here).

Any foam or component can be “acceptable” by itself depending on what else is in the mattress and on the construction, design and budget range you are in but in general terms I would certainly consider it if I was in a budget where HR polyfoam or latex was or other premium materials and components were not available to me. 1.8 lb polyfoam in a mattress made by a good local manufacturer who stand behinds their mattresses and has the knowledge and experience and integrity to be able to tell you from their own experience how long you could reasonably expect it to last can certainly be part of a durable mattress and would probably be better quality and value than most of the alternatives that are available to you.

Phoenix

It is a two sided matress and the price after tax will be 1600. They say they don’t have any latex foam and this 1.8 poly is the best foam they carry. He also mentioned I’d be hard pressed to find a company that uses a better poly foam than their 1.8. I’m just trying to make sure the value is there. My only other local options are S brand stores where I know value won’t be found. The 1600 is matress only and King size. I appreciate your input!

Hi Kmfl98,

In a two sided mattress and with a good design … this would be a very durable mattress and a mattress that is “finished” on both sides is certainly a value bonus as well. How well it feels and performs as well as all the other parts of a mattress purchase that are important to you (see post #2 here and the post it links to) would also be a significant part of it’s “value”. You can see some of my comments about a similar mattress that uses 1.5 lb polyfoam at the end of this post. Everything is relative to what else is available to you and you are certainly correct that this would be much better quality/value than the mainstream mattresses you could buy in this price range although $1600 is also in the range of some one sided latex hybrid mattresses so it really does depend on what is most important to you in your personal value equation.

I can tell you that you are looking at better quality and value than the large majority of people end up purchasing a major brand or a mattress sold at a chain store but whether it is the “best” available to you only you can decide and will depend on what else you are comparing it to and what is most important to you.

Phoenix