adding middle layers of foam

[phoenix]

Hi dastur,

On top there was 1" of latex plus 1" poly foam plus more poly foam or fiber in the cover. None of this material seemed substantial. I felt mislead that I bought a so-called latex mattress with advertised 20 years lifespan when I am sure the manufacturer knew that the poly was going to break down in a few years max.

Unfortunately this is far too common with many of the “so called” latex mattresses that are sold by the major manufacturers. Several of the forum members have done “mattress surgery” on these types of mattresses (see post #2 here) and removed the lower quality materials and replaced them with latex (or other higher quality materials) similar to what you are doing and ended up with a better mattress than they started with.

So my next step was to go modular, which was great. But the mistake was to go with an air mattress thinking that I could dial it in. Great marketing, but not so good results. I found that the air does not support but rather just gives out.

I certainly agree with this. You can see my thoughts about airbeds in this article.

But I have kept the pillow top so it is better stated that I am building from the bottom and top and adding to the middle. Perhaps the better approach is completely bottom up and eliminate the the pillow top for now.

The pillowtop most likely contains lower density polyfoam and polyester fiber which could be a weak link in a mattress no matter what you use underneath it. You could use it as a temporary topper on your mattress while you were deciding on additional layers to add so that your mattress was a little more comfortable but it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to use it on a more permanent basis.

Question: I understand that synthetic latex can harden quicker. If this 6" latex core is 100% synthetic, what is the life span realistically, not just spec-wise? It certainly feels harder than 44 ILD 100% natural Dunlop. The problem is that I don’t know what I don’t know and I hesitate to burn through money when I can learn from someone else’s experience.

I don’t know all the specifics of the latex core that they used but I believe it was synthetic latex or mostly synthetic latex in either a C4 or C5 range made by Mountaintop foam. It’s not possible to attach a number of years to the durability of a mattress component because there are too many variables involved and durability is always relative to a specific person (see post #4 here). Some of the variables include the layers above it, the body type and sleeping position of the person, and how sensitive they are to foam softening or impressions before they are outside the comfort or support range that is suitable for them (see post #2 here). A mattress that is “on the edge” of being too soft for a specific person when it is new and that goes through even a normal break in period may cross the threshold and become too soft for someone that is sensitive in a matter of months but for someone else where the same mattress is more inside the comfort and support range that is suitable for them or that is less sensitive to foam softening, the same mattress (and the materials and components inside it) may last for a decade.

Synthetic latex in the softer or medium ranges is a durable material but in the firmest ranges it would generally be less durable and be more subject to impressions than firm latex that had a higher natural rubber content. Having said that … the weakest link of a mattress is generally in the upper layers not in the support materials so while your core may be less durable than other types of latex, it would still be a more durable material than other types of foam. I would test it on the floor to see if there are any soft spots or impressions that are obvious and if it’s still in good condition and has no significant impressions or soft spots then in a typical mattress construction with comfort layers on top it that are a good match for you in terms of PPP it would be reasonable to expect that it would have years of life left in it and if it ever does become an issue then you can replace it when and if that becomes necessary based on your actual sleeping experience.

Phoenix