DIY build critique for two

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

Mattress gurus please assist us as I have never built a mattress before! I am appreciative of the info posts, needed them to have Even made it to this point. I am interested in building a semi-split King for myself and my husband so we can get back to sleeping in the same bed again.

Me - 150 lb, 5’7", 90% side/10% back. Currently sleeping on a Sealy Med/Firm hybrid w a 2 in plush memory foam topper. Without the topper my shoulder hurt, hips hurt, back hurt as my hips did not sink in enough. I do fine w topper but I can tell it’s breaking down plus it is warm. Ideal bed would be: firmness ~ 4 on arbitrary scales (soft/med), pressure relieving and supportive.

Spouse - 165 lb, 5’8, 80% back/20% side. Currently sleeping on an Original Ghostbed, it’s ok but slightly too firm, shoulder and hip pain w side sleeping, sleeps a little hot. He liked the Sealy Med/Firm Hybrid (above), but is too soft w memory foam topper. History of lower back pain on softer beds. Ideal bed would be: firmness 6-6.5 (med/med firm), supportive, bit pressure relieving, not too hot.

We both like the idea of a hybrid for the more traditional feel, good support, and airflow to reduce heat. DIY seems a good option for split flexibility, cost, and adjustability.

Current build plan

Both sides support layers:
Cover 13" thinner wool quilted from Brentwood home,
Base - 1" Firm high density foam ILD 36 under coils,
8" Quantum Edge Elite Coils

My side transition and comfort:
2" Talalay Latex ILD 19 above coils,
2" 4lb gel memory foam on top

Spouse side transition and comfort:
2" Dunlop Latex IDL 26 above coils,
2" Talalay Latex ILD 19 on top

Reasonable? Thoughts?
Some Questions

  1. What approximate firmness do you think these builds will result in?
  2. Can you use Talalay ILD directly on coils?
  3. With my side I am torn deciding between a super soft Talalay Latex (ILD ~ 14) vs gel memory foam on the very top. I am concerned that all latex will result in too much jiggly push back and not enough sink in. Is there another comfort cooling foam option that I am overlooking? And a Talalay w ILD of 19 on 8 " coils, will this be too smooshy?
  4. For spouse side will this setup likely result in a med/slightly more firm than med, supportive though comfortable mattress for mostly back sleeping? I am concerned that maybe I should go w a higher ILD Dunlop (higher than 26) on the coils. I’m having difficulty imagining how firm the coil setup will be.
    Wanted to run these ideas by you before pulling the trigger and spending all the money on these particular components.
    Thanks!!!
2

Hey crymyselftosleep,

Welcome to The Mattress Underground :slight_smile: !

Congrats on your new DIY mattress shopping adventure :slight_smile: ! Thanks for your kind words on the site, and happy to hear that you’re finding the forum posts useful for your research. Hopefully, you’ll find the tools you need here to get you started on your semi-split king hybrid that will best suit you and your husband’s needs. Thanks too for including your personal stats and sleep history for evaluating your current build plan ideas.

You’re on the right path with the 8" QEE coils + HD foam base, this is a quality pocket coil unit and quite popular in hybrid mattress construction. Which L&P QEE unit are you considering, the Bolsa or Combi-Zone? How long have you been using your 2" plush memory foam topper over your current Sealy Med/ Firm hybrid mattress? If it is rated a plush firmness, it is likely a lower density than the 4lb/ medium firmness gel memory foam that you propose for use on your side.

I am curious about your choice of talalay latex as a transition layer. Latex is considered a high-performance foam and often used in the topmost comfort layer where its unique pressure relieving and body conforming properties are best experienced. You could certainly use Talalay latex over the coils, but a 2" 19 ILD/ plush layer seems an expensive add-on that wouldn’t necessarily add value to a memory foam comfort layer’s feel.

Talalay latex gives a buoyant, lively, “sleeping on” feel to a mattress, while memory foam has more of a sinking, “sleeping in” feel. Some do find that latex over pocket coils to be somewhat bouncy, but it really depends on the user(s) and what they prefer in a mattress’s feel. The pocket coils respond individually to movement as the user changes positions in the night, and those who move about often tend to like the freedom of movement those provide when paired with the uplifting feel of latex. Again, 2" of 19 ILD Talalay is probably too plush when used as a transition layer in this proposed build.

[quote]4. For spouse side will this setup likely result in a med/slightly more firm than med, supportive though comfortable mattress for mostly back sleeping? I am concerned that maybe I should go w a higher ILD Dunlop (higher than 26) on the coils.
[/quote]

As far as your spouse’s side goes, you are correct in the higher Dunlop ILD assessment, a 28 ILD/ D75 would get you closer to the 6-6.5 med/ medium- firm firmness that you seek. As a mostly back sleeper, you may also consider going a little firmer on the top as well, 19 ILD is more of a plush firmness. 2" of 24 ILD could be a better fit for him.

[quote]I’m having difficulty imagining how firm the coil setup will be.
[/quote]

Depending on which L&P QEE unit are you using, the firmness will vary. The Bolsa coil unit is a single-zone pocket coil support core of a medium firmness. The Combi-Zone unit is a 3-zoned pocket coil system with firmer- gauge coils and is designed for a more supportive feel. It would be in your best interest, if possible, to visit showrooms where you could experience the comfort and support feel of latex hybrid mattresses to better understand their feel. Are there COVID-safe practices showrooms in your area? My apologies for the delayed response and looking forward to hearing more about your project when you have updates to share.

Thanks,
Sensei

3

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! Yes I see how Talalay at the lower not great.
Upon further reflection and looking at the offerings of some of the trusted members of this sight I have begun to consider going w the Luma Natural Latex Hybrid which uses: 1" foam base, 8" Bolsa coils (their other Hybrid system used zoned coils but me as a side sleeper worry my hips will not sink enough in the zoned coils, plus both our BMIs not very high), 2" Natural Latex transition (I am not sure of the ILD), then a 2-3" separate topper section. Option to split firmness of 3" Talalay layer, I’ll probably go w Med/Soft split. What I lose w this configuration is memory foam on my side. What I gain is support of a company and a trial and return period. Do you think this much latex is too much for my husband’s side as a back sleeper. My gut says 2" comfort layer would be better over this much transition for a back sleeper, but no option to split firmness for the 2". But w the Luma NLH I will have ways to fine tune later w/o having to replace the entire thing.

4

Hey crymyselftosleep,

Thanks for your reply :slight_smile: .

Thanks for considering expert trusted member Luma Sleep for a possible mattress purchase, they are deeply experienced in the latex category and product design. Luma’s Natural Latex Hybrid mattress features an L&P QEE Bolsa coil unit over 1" HD foam base, with a 2" natural latex transition layer and a choice of either 2" or 3" of latex, in either dunlop or talalay latex as a separately encased comfort layer. The ILD of the 2" transition layer depends on which pillowtop layer is purchase. If you go with either a medium or plush pillowtop, the natural layer is Medium/ D65; if a firm pillowtop is ordered, a Firm/ D95 density is used. The separate pillowtop comfort layer can be exchanged for a different firmness if needed, to add a more plush or more firmer feel to the mattress.

The response feel of a 2" memory foam/ plush topper will be quite different from that of a 3" Talalay topper; do you have access to a local COVID-safe showroom for testing and comparing memory foam/ latex toppers? A 3" Talalay layer may be too much latex for you both, but again, until you are able to try something comparable, it is impossible to gauge what each of you may “feel” in terms of comfort and support. Do you have any new developments on your research? Hoping that your shopping is going well and that you both find better sleep soon :wink: .

Sensei

5

Hi Sensei!

An update on this situation. Unfortunately I don’t have acess to a showroom which sells much Latex, we live in Mid Kansas. Really all we know of sleeping on Latex is the Ghostbed origial, top layer (as an aside I ask Ghostbed what was the ILD of their top layer but they did not answer that question). But I like the idea that Latex it is more durable, environmentally friendly, and less toxic. We figured a Latex w coils was a good way to move in the Latex direction, we are familiar w coils.

I decided to go ahead and purchase

  1. Luma original mattress, king, in Medium (1" foam, 8" Bolsa coils, 2" Dunlop ILD 28)
  2. Seperate Luma 2" Talalay Medium Topper ILD 24, king
  3. Seperate 4 lb memory foam topper, twin xl, for my half

I did this to hopefully find a great fit for my husband, the back sleeper, and this configuration seemed consistent w feedback I’ve gotten earlier on this post. And w the extra topper on my side hopefully it will work for me too, we are not too worried about the aesthetic weirdness of different thickness on half. I went w the mattress and seperate topper instead of the Luma natural latex hybrid system as I ask Luma about the ILD of the transition later for Med and they said it would be Dunlop ILD 21-26, then with the additional 2’ of topper (or 3" depending on selection) I was worried my husband would not find it supportive enough. I also liked that the Luma original had Bolsa coils, as a side sleeper I worried I would not get enough hip sinkage on zoned, the coil selection eliminated a few other brands of latex hybrid mattresses. This setup should give us lots of later flexibility to swap and half toppers to adjust our different sides. I am super excited for everything to arrive. We shall see how it goes. Fingers crossed! Was great to use the Luma discount from this site. Thanks soo much for your help! :slight_smile:

Crystal

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It is interesting to read the answers, now I will also use your services

7

Hey Crystal,

Thanks for your update :slight_smile: .

Congrats on your new mattress purchase from expert trusted member Luma Sleep! Their customizable product design allows for a free Comfort Exchange of the pillowtop layer, should a different firmness be desired within the first 365 days from delivery.

[quote]I decided to go ahead and purchase

  1. Luma original mattress, king, in Medium (1" foam, 8" Bolsa coils, 2" Dunlop ILD 28)
  2. Seperate Luma 2" Talalay Medium Topper ILD 24, king
  3. Seperate 4 lb memory foam topper, twin xl, for my half

I did this to hopefully find a great fit for my husband, the back sleeper, and this configuration seemed consistent w feedback I’ve gotten earlier on this post. And w the extra topper on my side hopefully it will work for me too, we are not too worried about the aesthetic weirdness of different thickness on half. I went w the mattress and seperate topper instead of the Luma natural latex hybrid system as I ask Luma about the ILD of the transition later for Med and they said it would be Dunlop ILD 21-26, then with the additional 2’ of topper (or 3" depending on selection) I was worried my husband would not find it supportive enough. I also liked that the Luma original had Bolsa coils, as a side sleeper I worried I would not get enough hip sinkage on zoned, the coil selection eliminated a few other brands of latex hybrid mattresses.[/quote]

Good job on all of the hard work and research you’ve put into your setup, Crystal. You have a sound understanding of both you and your husband’s personal preferences and you’ve put much thought into materials and layering that benefit each of you best. I’m intrigued with your memory foam + Talalay latex experiment and look forward to your reporting on how that goes. Your instinct regarding use of Bolsa coils, a medium-firmness single zoned coil should work well in your case. Curvier individuals often find that multiple-zoned support cores can be too firm in the lower lumber/ hip area for their side-sleeping positions. Let us know how your Original Luma mattress experience goes after a 30 night sleep adjustment period. Happy to hear that the discount helped and hope that you both find more restful sleep soon :wink: .

Sensei