DIY Build - 5'11" - 160lbs - 22BMI - Side-Sleeper in Canada

Mattress Talk Needs & Personal Preferences
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Hi all!

I’ve been creeping for the last couple of days, ingesting all the info on this awesome site (amazing that this exists, by the way). I was hoping to get a bit of advice on a build I’m contemplating. Money is fairly tight, but I also want something of good quality that will last.

Quick backstory: I bought a Douglas before I knew anything about mattress construction. It was great for the first 30ish days, but the top 2 layers (2" 10ILD and 2" 11.5ILD) have since softened up, and I just feel the 32ILD support base under my shoulders and hips, with very little lumbar support. So it’s going back since I’m still in the window.

5’11" - 160LBS - 22BMI - pretty much exclusively a side-sleeper - Thin with broad shoulders.

Mario at MFC was very helpful with all my questions about foam types and configurations, but I didn’t want to bug him further haha. I’ll be using MFC for everything since he was so helpful.

I have my 5 year old Sealy Posturepedic Optimum, which I’m going to do some surgery on and hopefully use the opticore, which Sealy’s brochure on this model says is an 8" with Coresupport, which I couldn’t find any info on (The smaller, 6" Opticore is: 4" of 32ILD poly under 2" of 20ILD poly) but if that doesn’t work out, I want to have the full DIY build figured out so I can move on that quickly and not buy anything I don’t need.

For the full DIY build (bottom to top):

3" - HD 2lb / 40 ILD
3" - HR 2.75lb / 28 ILD
2" - HR 2.75lb / 20 ILD
2" - Organic Dunlop 4lb / 20 ILD

I’m hoping for a mixture of support and no pressure points, with a cooler sleep surface than with memory foam (high bar on a budget). Talalay is very expensive and not super available in Canada by the looks of things.

All I have for reference is my Sealy (cheap materials, wore out much faster than I hoped) and the Douglas (top layers too soft, 32ILD hurts when there’s no cushioning or support)

Does this mixture sound in the ballpark?

Thanks in advance!

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Hi SleepyChrister.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum. :slight_smile:

We are so glad you have found the resources useful and that Mario at MFC has been a guide in your journey towards a DIY!

This looks like a very supportive and durable build. The latex will definitely sleep cooler than a poly/memory/gel foam. I think the 20 ILD foam under the 20 ILD dunlop will help create a solid “cradle” for the curvatures in a side sleeping profile.

What’s your Sealy surgery plan?

NikkiTMU

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Hi Nikki!

Thanks for replying!

Perfect, that’s exactly what I’m hoping for. I’ve had both piriformis syndrome and a tear in my deltoid before, so finding the balance of support and while allowing the sensitive areas to sink in and not just get smashed against a firm surface is tricky.

For the Sealy surgery:
I think the coresupport is shot, which also means the quilted cover, and possibly the first 2" of comfort layers might also be worn unevenly. Hopefully the shoddiness stops at those layers.

Ideally, the coresupport is still intact, so I can use that 8" core again, and just rebuild the top 4" of comfort layers for now. But I’ll need to figure out what the top layer of the supportcore’s firmness is. My idea for that scenario is this:

  • 8" core support (assuming 32 ILD)
  • 2" HR 2.75lb / 20 ILD
  • 2" Organic Dunlop 4lb / 20 ILD

In the event the opticore is shot as well, the alternate budget build I thought of was:

  • 6" HD 2lb - 30 ILD
  • 2" HR 2.75lb / 20 ILD
  • 2" Organic Dunlop 4lb / 20 ILD

I should be getting the Dunlop topper this week, so the surgery can begin and I’ll see what I’m working with.

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I totally messed up the nomenclature in this sentence. It should read like this so there’s no confusion:

“Ideally, the opticore is still intact, so I can use that 8” core again, and just rebuild the top 4" of comfort layers for now. But I’ll need to figure out what the top layer of the opticore’s firmness is. My idea for that scenario is this:"

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Hi SleepyChrister.

I hope the 8" core is still holding up so it saves you the trouble of having to match that piece!

I look forward to hearing your updates as you operate on your mattress.

NikkiTMU

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Hi Nikki!

A little delay, but I finally have a result. I gave up on the Sealy just because I ran out of time in my schedule.

I went with the following from MFC and just finally put everything together today:

3" - HD Foam - 40ILD
3" - HR Foam - 28ILD
2" - HR Foam - 20ILD
2" - Dunlop - 20ILD

My initial reaction is that this build is too firm. I’m hoping the HR foam will soften up in a couple of days and start to feel better, so I’ll hold out for now.

I had tried the Dunlop layer on top of the Douglas mattress I had, but I was getting a lot of hip and leg pain because my hips would sink in too much (too soft). So trying to find the balance is a real pain (literally).

If this build doesn’t soften up after a few nights of usage, I’ll have to go back to the drawing board to see what I can add to soften things up without jeopardizing the support. Because it’s much firmer than I was expecting currently.

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Hi SleepyChrister.

If ultimately the mattress continues sleeping too firmly, you could try swapping out the 2" dunlop with 2" talalay or swapping out the 2" 20 ILD HR foam with more dunlop to see how that changes the “sinkage” you get.

Keep me posted!
NikkiTMU

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Hi Nikki!

That’s a good idea. I went a bit over budget on this one and the layers can’t be exchanged or returned so I’m definitely hoping the HR softens up a bit.

I think the unexpected firmness is due to the 2" 20 ILD HR foam being much denser/firmer feeling than I was anticipating (even when considering that it would feel firmer than the latex when I made the purchase). The support factor currently is great, just a bit too much of “feeling” the mattress under my hips and shoulders currently.

I’m hoping the HR 20ILD foam will soften up a bit, because the whole build is already very close. And if not, then I’ll definitely consider one of your suggestions to improve the softness of the comfort layers.

Thanks so much for all your help!

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Hi again Nikki!

So this is has been interesting. I was finding the mattress still too firm, and was waking up with pains in my neck and shoulders so I ended up taking apart my old Sealy (since it was garbage anyways) to see if I could use some of the layers to soften up my current build. From that, I pulled the 1" gel memory foam, and the 1" HD foam.

First experiment:
3" - HD Foam - 40 ILD
3" - HR Foam - 28ILD
1" - HD Foam (from Sealy)
1" - Gel Memory Foam (from Sealy)
2" - Dunlop - 20 ILD

First experiment verdict:
Immediately noticed that my hips and shoulders had no pressure points, but too soft as a whole. Resulted in lower back pain and leg pain.

Second experiment:
3" - HD Foam - 40 ILD
3" - HR Foam - 28 ILD
2" - HR Foam - 20 ILD
1" - Gel Memory Foam (from Sealy)
2" - Dunlop - 20 ILD

Second experiment verdict:
Felt like sleeping “on top” of the mattress, and unstable. Sleeping on my side would feel like I roll back or forth and didn’t feel supportive. Lower back pain.

Third Experiment:
Put the 1" Gel Memory Foam on top of the Dunlop.

This felt the most comfortable and supportive so far, but still feeling a bit of the firmness in my shoulders and hips.

My question is whether this 2" HR - 20 ILD is throwing off the whole build. Its firmness seems just about on par with the 3" 28ILD HR foam. If sleeping directly on the Dunlop with the 20 ILD HR under it, it’s far too firm; feels like laying on a slab.

The alternative hypothesis is that my body doesn’t like the 20 ILD Dunlop as the top layer. It feels more like it would be a good second layer underneath something softer. However, because the 20 ILD Dunlop on top of the 20 ILD HR is so firm, I’m worried that buying a softer top layer will just result in sinking through onto the harder surface the Dunlop and HR foam creates, and then I’m back to the same problem that started this whole journey in the first place.

Seems like a bit of a stalemate currently and I’m hesitant about spending another $300+ at this point. It seems like everything I try is counter-productive.