I was able to try several combos of latex mattress builds yesterday seemed to like a build of 2 inches soft, 4 medium and 4 firm talalay latex. I also liked a build of 3 soft 3 medium and 7 firm. How would these builds hold up for a 5’10 230 pound sleeper that currently losing weight? Hoping to be around 200 in 5 months or so.
Hi taylor310.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum! 
Losing weight complicates things a bit. To start off… 30 lbs weight loss would put you in a lower BMI range which would not present issues in terms of mattress longevity for the two mattress configurations you tried. (Moving toward a combination that you’ve already tested with positive results is always a good idea.)
Some things to keep in mind as you move through your DIY and losing weight journeys.
~ Losing that much weight would also make a difference in how firm a mattress feels (foam mattresses will feel softer for those that are in higher weight ranges than the same mattress will feel for those that are lighter). A significant weight loss may change your needs and preferences in a mattress quite significantly. Again, a DIY is ideal as you’ll be able to open the zippered cover and change the internal design at a lower cost rather than replacing the whole mattress,
~ While you lose weight and depending on the time it takes you to reach your target weight, the foams will go through a bit of stress as the higher the mass placed upon those foams, especially the uppermost layers, the higher the mechanical stress. There is more about the varied factors involved in mattress durability in post #2 here. Higher BMIs ranges (over 30 kg/m2), have special challenges both in terms of the useful life of the mattress and getting the right balance of comfort/support for their various sleeping positions and body weight. Durability issues would start to show up faster than for normal BMIs especially in the uppermost layers of softer foams.
This said, Latex is one of the most durable materials and generally the higher the Latex ILD and density (there is a linear relationship between density & ILD) the more firm, supportive and durable the layer is. At your present 33 kg/m2 BMI, no materials will last as long as with lower weights and a soft latex comfort layer will wear and tear faster than it would for your target lower BMI but again a DIY construction with a zippered cover will give you the option of changing any compromised layer if it shows signs of breaking down over time
~ I’d also keep in mind that the overall feel of your final DIY construction might feel quite different from what you tried in the shop as feel depends on multiple factors e.g. type of latex (NR, SBR, Blended) used, the way the mattress you tried was finished, etc
All in all the same basic principles apply to heavier people as anyone else except that if you maintain your present weight for a while you’ll need to put a special emphasis on more durable materials and constructions and probably on mattresses that have firmer comfort and support layers (firmer materials feel softer for heavier people and firmer support layers are usually important to for good alignment for higher weights). I would especially make sure you read post #4 here about the factors that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress. Post #2 here has some generic guidelines for different body types and sleeping positions, the first part of post #2 here also has more information about couples that have a larger weight differential and post #14 here has more about the benefits of thicker comfort layers and thicker mattresses (most of these are in the tutorial post but I thought I’d highlight them here as well)
The two Talalay constructions you are looking at… (10") ~ 2" S + 4"M + 4" F … vs … (13") ~ 3"S +3"M + 7"F
Although there is no way to tell this for sure, theoretically the 10" DIY would be better for your target weight and the 13" for your present weight. A higher BMI individual can go through the softer comfort/transition layers very quickly and feel the firmness of the layer(s) below. With a 13" mattress … the firmness would need to go up (than what you had for a 10" mattress) on average because thicker mattresses will “act” softer for most people. Generally, if you make changes to one of the specs (such as the layer thickness of the top layer) … then you may also need to make other changes to the other layers to compensate.
Do you have a particular reason to go with a Talalay core vs Dunlop core? Or … are you going by default with the Talalay constructions you tried? I am asking because you may want to consider replacing the Talalay core with a Dunlop core which would be less expensive and it is superior when a higher compression modulus is desirable. As the support layer is further away from the surface it will not have a large impact on the overall feel but would be a little more supportive.
I hope this gives you some food for thought as you move through your DIY and losing weight journeys.
Phoenix
They just had all talalay at the store so I figured I would keep with what they had. I also mis spoke about the 2nd mattress. The 13 inch was actually 3 x 3 x 4 so it was actually a 10 inch as well. I liked the softness of the 3x3x4 but I am curious if my bad back would do better with a 2x4x4
Hi taylor310.
Thanks for the clarification. I figured that something was off.
Understood the reason for Talalay is sourcing. You seem to like the “all Talalay” overall feel so there is no concern using it for the support layer. As it’s 6" further away from your body you’d need to be quite sensitive to feel any major difference between a Dunlop vs Talalay core.
It’s hard for anyone else to say for sure which option you’d do best with. It all boils down to your experience with either construction and running it by your “gut feeling”
If it was me, (unless I strongly lean towards 3x3x4 and the vendor does layer exchanges), I would go with 2x4x4 just in case I’d had trouble meeting my target weight and also because it is possible to add a thin topper for more softness but you can’t make a too-soft mattress firmer by adding a firmer topper. A firmer topper will only “bend” into the softer layers below and the only solution you’d have at that point would be to replace one of the 3" for a different firmness.
Phoenix