Hello Phoenix and all,
I've got a bunch of questions/requests!
I would greatly appreciate a list of retailers .
I am looking for a 100% natural latex and I prefer talalay and an organic cotton/wool cover.
I also want to find a decently priced platform bed and I saw someone here recommend the nomad on Amazon, Anyone have recommendations for an unfinished solid wood bed?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi phatuity,
Latex International is a latex manufacturer which supplies supplies latex foam to many mattress manufacturers in North America. While they do have a fabrication plant in Wichita Falls, they don’t sell their latex directly to consumers. They do own a mattress manufacturer called Pure Latex Bliss however which make a line of high quality Talalay latex mattresses and while they are not in the same value range as most local factory direct manufacturers, they are better value than most of the major brands or chain store outlets.
http://www.imagoodking.com/ carries them in Lawton according to the Pure Latex Bliss retail outlet locator.
Other local possibilities (and all of these would take some research to make sure that they disclose all the materials in their mattresses and that the materials and layering have the quality that justifies their prices) include …
http://www.homezonefurniture.com/ Local retailer in Lawton which carries Restonic which is a larger brand which may have better value (depending on the outlet and model) than many larger brands, particularly in their Healthrest line. They do make latex mattresses but in some areas of the country they also include layers of polyfoam over the latex. They also carry their own private label Bree-O-Pedic memory foam line and are transparent about the materials they use.
http://www.wolvertonfurniture.com/default.php Local retailer in Lawton which appears to carry Dreamline mattresses which are made in Cabot, AR and may have better value than larger brands. I don’t believe they make all latex mattresses however.
http://lawtonsfurnitureleader.com/contact.php Local retailer in Lawton which also appears to carry Dreamline mattresses.
http://www.themattressstudio.com/index.html Local retailer in Lawton that carries Lady Americana mattresses which also may have better than average value. They do make some mattresses that include latex but none that I know of that are all latex.
If I was in your shoes, I would probably take a trip to Oklahoma City. Post #2 here includes the better choices in the area and first on my list would be Oklahoma mattress who is a member of this site (meaning I believe they are among the best manufacturers in North America in terms of quality/value). Jim is very knowledgeable and helpful and while it may be somewhat of a drive … in the end it will likely save you a lot of time and frustration in having to research mattress materials to determine quality and when you are dealing with someone who really does have your best interests at heart and is not working more for their profit margin. I’m not sure if Jim makes a split core though (and I’m not sure I would go in this direction for a 2 year old daughter anyway who will likely be fine with whatever you choose) but you could ask. I would tend to work with your current circumstances though and then as things change (either for your daughter or with an SO) then make the best choices that seemed appropriate at that time. It’s can be complex enough to find a great mattress that fits your current circumstances without introducing variables that can’t be known for certain 
I am certainly no expert on platform beds but hopefully there are others on the forum that have come across some good choices for platform beds.
There are some weight/height/body shape guidelines here and some sleeping position guidelines here but because there are so many variables and different preferences I would use these as a beginning point and once you are actually testing I would let your body be the “expert” rather than ILD or more general guidelines. The most important part of testing is to make sure you come as close as you can to the pre-sleep state when you are completely relaxed and your muscles have “let go”. Test for pressure relief in your “curviest” sleeping position (which would be your side) and test for alignment in all your sleeping positions and make sure you spend at least 15 minutes (preferably longer if it takes you longer to completely relax) on any mattress you are seriously considering. The help of a knowledgeable “expert” can help a lot with making much better choices here.
Dunlop has a higher compression modulus (gets firmer faster) than Talalay so how firm it feels would depend on how you and the Dunlop interacted. Because most foam is tested for ILD at 25% compression … then if you compress a layer of Dunlop more than this it would be firmer than a similar ILD of Talalay. They also feel different as well and for most people the choice is a matter of preference rather than one being better than another. What may be too firm for one person (in either Talalay or Dunlop) be too soft for another. All latex … whether Dunlop or Talalay comes in several different firmness levels though so if someone was using a Dunlop support core that was too firm for them (or too soft for that matter) then it would be a matter of using a different firmness level. Dunlop is quite popular as a support core and many people also prefer it in the comfort layers. Talalay comes in softer versions than most Dunlop so it is often preferred (again depending on preference) for a comfort layer. thereis no right or wrong or better or worse here … only different needs and preferences.
Hope this helps (with everything except the beds :))
Phoenix