Adjustable vs. Topper

Talk To The Experts Sleep EZ
1

Hi there,

As you may have seen on another topic, I’m looking at latex mattresses and trying to get the right feel. So far the advice I’m getting is that 3" soft/medium talalay over 3" medium dunlop over 3" firm dunlop would be a good fit. Unfortunately, I’m a little anxious about going the full DIY route, as I’ve already sunk a fair bit of money into my search and I really want a solid trial/return policy.

That leaves me with two major options: an adjustable/customizable sleep system (like the Sleep EZ Lifetime Dreams) or a thinner sewn-shut mattress (like the Sleep EZ Roma) with a topper. The latter, of course, is cheaper.

Will there be a difference in feel between:

-a stack of 3 x 3" latex slabs inside a quilted mattress cover
-a stack of 2 x 3" latex slabs inside a quilted mattress cover, plus a 3" topper

And if so, how noticeable can I expect the difference to be?

Thanks,
Noah

2

Hi Noah! I did see your post on the Latex Mattress Factory thread, and I absolutely agree with their recommendation for 3" medium Talalay over 3" of medium Dunlop over 3" of firm Dunlop. To answer your question, there is a noticeable difference between a 10" mattress and a 7" mattress with 3" topper. Having a top layer that is not encased with the rest of the mattress will allow that top layer enough spatial freedom to flex upwards when you lay on it, making for a very plush and enveloping feel. This is what I recommend to customers that are used to pillow top mattresses, memory foam mattresses, or people that are looking for a softer or plusher mattress in general. Please note that there is no price difference either way, and please also note that if you start with one or the other and decide you want to change the mattress, you can do so for no charge except for the cost of shipping. For example, if you start with a 10" mattress and decide you want to change that to a 7" mattress with 3" cover for the extra plushness it offers, you can ship us your 10" cover and we’ll alter it to a 7" cover and send it back to you with a 3" 4-way stretch cover that you can use to encase the top layer of the mattress. Conversely, if you start with a 7" mattress and 3" topper and find that the mattress is too plush, you could ship us your 7" cover and we’ll alter to a 10" cover and ship it back to you. If you’re considering the Roma, I would recommend starting with just the mattress to see if it works for you, and if you need to add a topper later you certainly can. This way, you won’t pay more than you need to on the initial purchase.

3

Thanks so much, that’s really helpful! I think I’ll probably go with the topper – I like a plush feel and having some flexibility is appealing.

Would there be a noticeable difference between using a 3" topper on the Roma and using a 3" topper on a 7" adjustable mattress?

4

Hi again HavDov,

I know we discussed all of this earlier via chat, but I’d like to answer this question for other readers on the forum. There will be a noticeable difference between the two mattresses, namely the Roma with a 2" or 3" topper will be especially soft, and would be far too soft for someone at 225 lbs (not that that’s particularly heavy, it’s just that the Roma would be super soft if you put a topper on it).

5

As the forum rules were changed, so I cant post a new topic, I can try to ask my question here.

  1. Thanks Phoenix and this forum, I made great decision to buy our king latex mattress. Its great. Have no complains.
  2. Unfortunately, now I need to do something with my existing needs again. Budget is very limited. 170lbs, 5’10" stomach/back sleeper/prefer soft/medium.
  3. I bought ikea morgedal foam mattress in firm.

My options now are:

  1. Buy latex topper. Prefer Talalay. I can find 14 ILD in 1", 1.5", 2", 2.5" and 3"
    Or 19 ILD. I would guess 1.5" in super soft would work? $200 only.

  2. If experts would tell me that my Ikea foam is not great as foundation? then I need to buy 6" medium firm Dunlop + 2-3" supersoft Talalay.
    LatexGreen Canada can sell 6" 30-34 ILD for $778 + I can buy 3" supersoft for $369
    Prices in CAD.

Difference between option 1 and 2 are $500 vs $1400 (plus I need cover). Money is a factor now for me…

6

Thank you for the inquiry and I’ll be happy to help! We have plenty of customers that order a firm and less expensive mattress and place either a 2" or 3" Talalay topper on it, and this provides the plushness and feel of a $2,000 mattress. I cannot attest specifically to the longevity of the Ikea mattress you have now, but according to the Ikea website, the mattress is made of the following:

Ticking: 64 % cotton, 36 % polyester
Ticking: 50 % polyester, 50 % viscose/rayon
Ticking: 64 % polyester, 36 % cotton
Comforter filling/ Part 3: Polyester/viscose (rayon) fiber wadding
Lining/ Part 04: Non-woven polypropylene
Part 05: High-resilience polyurethane foam (cold foam) 2.2 lb/cu.ft.
Part 06: Polyurethane foam 1.7 lb/cu.ft.

As such, this mattress may last anywhere from a couple of years to over 5 years, and I can’t say in advance which will be the case for you. With all that said, I think it would be a great idea to get a 2" or 3" Talalay topper to put on the mattress you have now. If you try this and it doesn’t work for you, you could always get two more latex layers and integrate the Talalay layer into a DIY all-latex mattress. Once you get three different latex layers within a zippered removable cover, you would have the option to unzip the cover and rearrange the layers to make it firmer, or you could replace a layer if you decide it needs to be softer.

Please keep the following in mind when choosing a thickness for your topper: A 2" topper will make a noticeable difference but, depending on how much you want to change the feel of your mattress, may still leave something to be desired. The 3" topper will change the feel of your mattress the most, and if that’s the change that you’re looking for then this would be the best bet. The best way to summarize it would be to say that a 2" topper will make the mattress feel moderately softer and the 3" topper will make the mattress feel much softer.

Both the thickness and the density make a difference when choosing a topper. Ultimately, how you make your decision will depend on the following: how firm your mattress is now; how much softer you want your mattress to be; your height, body weight, and sleeping preference (For example, if you weigh more than about 250 lbs I would recommend a medium topper; if you weighed more than 250 lbs and bought a soft topper, you would likely bottom out and sink right through the topper to the firm mattress that you’re trying to move away from). Based on the information you’ve provided, either a super-soft or soft Talalay topper would be just fine. Between the two firmnesses, I’d recommend the soft over the super soft and this is for a few reasons. Super soft toppers tend to break down sooner than normal, and that topper may last only a couple of years. Additionally, the super soft topper may be too soft for a stomach sleeper, so it may lead to lower back aches for the nights when you sleep on your stomach.

7

Happy to report that this weekend I ordered my new 7" Lifetime Dreams mattress (3" medium dunlop over 3" firm dunlop) and 3" topper ( 3" medium talalay). I’m excited for it to get here. Thanks so much for your help and advice!

-Noah

8

Hi Noah,

Thank you so much for the order! Well I’m certainly glad I was able to help you make an informed decision. If you get the mattress and need to make any comfort adjustments, or if there’s anything I can help you with please don’t hesitate to contact us. Additionally, the mattress you’re getting typically lasts 20 years, so if there’s anything we can do for you in the next 20 years please just let us know!

9

[quote=“Sleep EZ post=81678”]Please note that there is no price difference either way, and please also note that if you start with one or the other and decide you want to change the mattress, you can do so for no charge except for the cost of shipping. For example, if you start with a 10" mattress and decide you want to change that to a 7" mattress with 3" cover for the extra plushness it offers, you can ship us your 10" cover and we’ll alter it to a 7" cover and send it back to you with a 3" 4-way stretch cover that you can use to encase the top layer of the mattress.

Hi I’m considering a SleepEz internal Split King but worried that we might prefer the topper feel. Would we feel the split if close a 9" and decide we want a 7" encased separate from the 3" Comfort layer? I spoke to someone from Sleepez and also saw on this site that the wool in cover quilt prevents the split from being felt. But if we reconfigured and encased our two pieces in the stretch 4way, will it be enough to prevent us from feeling the split without gluing the pieces together? Thanks!

10

Hello Lynn and thanks for reaching out on this! You will feel the split in the topper if there’s no longer an inch of wool between yourself and the top layer, so you would almost certainly want us to glue the topper together to be one piece (for king and cal king sizes) or just order the topper as one solid piece of latex for queen size and smaller. Just FYI, we use a non-toxic water-based glue that is Green Guard certified against harmful chemicals and off-gassing. However, it takes 2 business days for that glue to cure.

11

Thank you so much for your reply! What if we already have the topper as part of an original 9" mattress purchase? Is it possible for us to glue it ourselves without having to ship it back? Also, what if one of us wants to change out his/her glued topper side to another firmness level. Is it possible to cut through the glue and reglue to a new piece? Would you recommend it? Thanks!

12

Yes you can glue it yourself, and I’ll include our instructions on that just below. My advice is to try the mattress with the mattress before you glue the layers, because we wouldn’t offer any exchanges or returns on the layer after you glue it yourself. In order to see if your current topper is eligible for return or exchange from us, we would ask that you contact us directly so we can look up your order and get all the details from you. If you glue the layer and in a few years decide you want to cut it, change one half, and re-glue it, my advice would be to cut it right down the glue seam as best you can, then put the side of the layer that was previously glued facing the outside edge of the mattress, so that you’re not gluing the same side of that latex layer twice, you’ll end up gluing the face that was previously unglued (I hope that made sense!)

When we glue our layers we have to make sure to let them dry for 3 days without moving them, so that’s probably going to be an important part of gluing the layer you have now. We recommend using a foam and fabric spray glue. The glue that we use is Simalfa 309 which is Green Guard certified and it’s only available in cases of 12. Sometimes we use the Enriquez 722 which is also only available in cases of 12. I’ve included a link to another type of glue that you can get in single cans and it’s called Camie 303. The most important thing is that it be a spray glue made specifically for foams and fabrics. Other types of glues can harden too much, allowing you to feel the glue in the topper, or they can look fine for a bit but when someone uses the topper, the part that was glued will compress and then stay compressed, leaving a divot in the topper. As such, I definitely recommend using Camie 303 so that you don’t ruin the topper (honestly my recommendation is just to leave the tear as it is because it really doesn’t hurt anything or affect the feel or longevity of the product). Nonetheless, if you have to glue it, here’s a link you can use to purchase the Camie 303 glue - https://www.gluegun.com/products/camie-303-foam-and-fabric-spray-adhesive

13

This is awesome info SleepEz, thank you so much for such a detail and thorough reply!!