I’m building my own mattress and wondering whether I should go with a firm latex base or a coil base. These are the two options I’m considering:
All latex:
top: 3" soft Talalay
middle: 3" medium Dunlop
bottom: 3" firm Dunlop
Hybrid:
top: 3" soft Talalay
middle: 3" medium Dunlop
bottom: 6 or 8" coil base
I’m a 6’2, 175 lb. side sleeper and quite pressure sensitive. More of my weight is in my core. I.e., I’m lighter in the shoulder area, so my sleep challenges are more focused on the hip area. I slept pretty well for about five years on a 6" firm Dunlop latex core topped with 3" soft Talalay, but by the end there was some deterioration in the feel of this configuration that started giving me some hip pain (I found myself shifting around to find more comfortable spots; the soft Talalay clearly was giving out, but it also seemed like the 3" of Talalay on top of firm latex was not enough in terms of transition zones). I’m also getting more pressure sensitive as the years go by.
I recently purchased a medium firm Winkbed. Not sure why I did that, but I was suffering from poor sleep, and I thought maybe I should try something with a coil base. The Winkbed was of course way too hard, although I actually sleep pretty well on it with my 3" soft Talalay topper. I plan to return the bed, however, since it’s not worth the cost if it only works with a topper. Plus, 14" + 3" is uncomfortable tall for a mattress.
I love the feel of latex, and I’m just wondering if there’s anything I should be considering regarding the advantages of a coil base–since the soft latex on top of the Winkbed coils is feeling pretty good. But I’m really drawn to the idea of going back to an all latex bed!
Personally I would choose a 6" Medium #32 Talalay base core and a 3" Soft Talalay top. You will get more durability out of the soft top if you rotate and flip it every 6 months or so and the comfort is worth having to do that. Alternately we have had a lot of success with our Bolsa pocket coil system and 2" of Medium Talalay #28 and 2" of Soft Talalay #19 on top. This way you have a choice whether to put the medium over the coil or firm it up a bit by putting it on top of the Soft Talalay
I appreciate the fast response. Regarding the bottom two layers of latex, do you think it would it make much difference if I got two 3" layers instead of the one 6" layer? Six inches of Latex is so heavy and unwieldy (and I have to carry it up four flights of stairs). Also, if I did get two layers instead of one, would it make more sense to get two of the same medium Talalay, or would it be better to use a combination of firm Dunlop/Talaway on the bottom and medium Talalay on top of it?
For that reason we always send 2 halves for kings and queens but you can order 3" layers instead. A Firm Talalay 3" under a Medium Talalay 3" will feel the same as having a solid 6" Medium. 2 3" medium will feel slightly softer than the 6" medium. You lose a bit of firmness when the layers get cut from the 6" core. No right or wrong, just wanted to explain the difference.
Late add-on question: I’ve read a lot about the Talalay/Dunlop difference and I know I want Talalay for the top 3" layer, but I wondered why you’re recommending Talalay for the base layer(s). Why not Dunlop underneath instead of Talalay?
Dunlop has a firmer feel than the equivalent Talalay which is why I would stay with Talalay throughout in your case. It’s just a better choice for side sleepers in your weight class. If you were a back or stomach sleeper I would have no issue with dunlop for the base core.
What about a combo side/back sleeper, 195 lb (26-27 BMI) and a second side/back sleeper, 150 lb (26-227 BMI)? Tried Talalay and Dunlop today and Talalay was so much better for side sleeping, by far. I would start with a soft top layer because I love the plush comfort, but assume I should go medium for the middle layer. With this setup, would I go firm base layer, or medium would be fine? What about the other individual?
Lastly, if we decided to go coil base, should we be doing one or two Talalay layers on top of the coils? I see 6" and 8" coil bases, and of course 6"on top of an 8" base gets to be pretty tall. But we want whatever is best for our sleep position and weight/BMI. The exchange deal makes me less worried about getting things perfectly right on the first go-round, but I definitely hope to get the base layer right whether latex or coil, so we’re only exchanging comfort layers if we must.
Medium should be fine for the base layer but I don’t know if you would really tell the difference if you did go with a firm. The real comfort comes from the top 2 layers. Alternately if you wanted more bounce you could do our 6" coil on bottom of the 3" soft, 3" medium Talalay. Most couples prefer less bounce not more.
Thanks Ken! We’re definitely more concerned about comfort than bounce, but please tell me more about what you consider to be an optimal setup for us. I’ve been leaning toward 8" coil + two of your Talalay toppers in split fashion. A few questions:
Background: I am 6’0" 195 lb (26-27 BMI), no pains from sleeping, actually like our Serta iSeries Applause Plush from 2015. She is 5’3" 150 lb (26-27 BMI), terrible hip and low-back pain upon waking and sometimes felt while sleeping.
What would be the indication for someone choosing coil vs 6" latex base?
Same with 6" vs 8" coil base if deciding to go with coil?
What about one 3" topper vs two 2" toppers vs a 2" + 3", or two 3"?
Finally, given our size, combo side/back sleeping, my wife’s pain pressure/alignment issue, and the above possible components, what would be optimal or at least your strongest suggestion for a build and why?
Also, I do understand that no bed build can fix hip and back pain, but she’s doing the lifting, cardio, yoga, healthy eating, and PT, but here we are. Just wanna help her in any way possible.