Constructing Our Own Mattress - Advice on Layers?

Hi sandi_k,

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but what you are trying to do would be much like trying to prepare a meal that is just like a meal you liked based on taste and texture alone without knowing the recipe or even the ingredients. The only reliable source of information about the specifics of the materials and components in a mattress would be the manufacturer of the mattress or a retailer that sells it (and this would come from the manufacturer as well) and if they are unable or unwilling to provide it to you then there is no other way to find out.

There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting materials) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component and the mattress “as a whole” so unless you are able to find another mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials, components, cover, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be very unlikely) then there really isn’t a way to match one mattress to another one in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP based on the specifications of the mattresses (even assuming that you can find out all the specifications you would need for both mattresses you are comparing).

Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and don’t normally try to “match” another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that one of their mattresses in the same general category is specifically designed to “match” or “approximate” another one in terms of firmness or “feel” and PPP and/or they are very familiar with both mattresses and can provide reliable guidance about how they compare based on the “averages” of a larger group of people that have compared them (different people may have very different opinions about how two mattresses compare) … the only reliable way to know for certain how two mattresses would compare for you in terms of how they “feel” or in terms of firmness or PPP would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.

This would certainly make sense but there are no specifics about the type of zoning. It could be a belly band or zoning in specific layers and components or a combination of both.

You can read more about convoluted foam in post #2 here but they don’t provide any information about the specifics of the convoluted foam they are using although it would most likely be some type of polyfoam.

This would also be some type of polyfoam but again they don’t provide any specifics. The backing would probably be the fabric that is on the inner part of the eurotop compartment.

AZS is their acronym for “Advanced Zone Support”. It means that the polyfoam layer would be zoned but again they don’t provide any specific details.

This is just polyfoam but again they don’t provide any specifics.

Viscoelastic foam is just another name for memory foam (all memory foam is viscoelastic) but again they don’t provide any specifics.

It looks like the order of the layers is the way you listed them (from top to bottom) but the only reliable way to confirm this would be by asking the retailer or manufacturer.

No.

The “bottom line” is that you really don’t have enough information about the mattress to use it as a blueprint for building a custom mattress that would be similar.

Phoenix