Trying my hand at building a king size mattress after seeing a thread on reddit. I went and looked at a few stores and have decided to try and build my own. I was looking into it and noticed there is so many different options and opinions. I tried the icomfort in store and was more of a medium plush type. Looking into diffrent suppliers of the foam has my head spinning. Would I be better off following the thread on reddit which is http://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/yc2sz/diy_request_tempurpedic_mattress_buy_layers_of_hq/c5u73ug or Memory Foam Mattress | Memory Beds | Foam Bed Toppers | Visco-Elastic which is there p re done mattress and then add a topper with the gel infused in it? The reddit thread had base layer, egg crate foam and two layers of memory foam? Im confused! Help phoniex your the mattress magician!
Hi hose406,
You can see my thoughts about designing your own mattress vs other alternatives in post #15 here.
I would also keep in mind that a mattress that is suitable for one person in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for the next so I would be very careful duplicating anyone else’s mattress unless you have tested that specific combination of materials and know they are suitable for you in terms of PPP…
Because you won’t have the guidance of a specific manufacturer that has mattresses with known material combinations that they can match to different people based on “averages” of others that may be similar to you … this approach will take extensive testing on different types of materials and different styles of mattresses so you have enough experience to first know what combinations are most suitable for you and then source the same materials in the layer thicknesses that are as close as possible to the ones that your testing shows you do best with.
Post #2 here along with post #2 here about “specs” post #14 here about some of the challenges that may be involved both in terms of finding out what is in the mattresses you are using for testing and being able to match them would be well worth reading. The mattresses section of the site also has a lot of more detailed but generic information that may be helpful.
It will also depend on where in the “design sensitivity range” you are with “princess and the pea” being on one end and “I can sleep on anything” being on the other end. The closer you are to the “anything” side the more likely your odds of success. On the other end of the scale I wouldn’t suggest it at all.
Phoenix
Ok so making it would be difficult. If I showed you the oicture of what was used in the store model could you help me to reverse engineer it? Lol I know its going to be difficult but if it saves me some cash I’m worth it. Or should I just ordwr the novaform from Costco. I am trying to keep it around 800 or so as I’m not sure if I will love the foam yet. Can you recommend something in that range?
I’m in the process of building my own mattress. One thing I noticed pretty early on was that there’s very little consistency in the way that memory foam’s firmness is quantified. With latex, you get a much better concept of what you are getting from the ILD ratings, assuming you buy from a reputable reseller. My point being, if you build you own memory foam mattress, you will probably have very little control over how it will feel when it is done. I would stick to latex if you are going to build your own.
One mistake we’ve already made with the DIY latex mattress is that we bought one layer at a time to see how it felt, but we tested it on top of our old mattress. Once we replaced the mattress with a solid core of poly foam, we REALLY felt that through the top 6 inches of latex. It firmed out mattress up a lot more than we wanted. So like Phoenix stresses, be prepared to spend a lot of money buying new layers to get it right. We’ve spent about $1000 so far with at least another $300 coming up.
Hi hose406,
That would depend on where you are in the “princess/anything” scale.
No … pictures don’t say anything about the materials … you would need to know the actual specifications of every layer in the mattress. If you are working with memory foam you would also need to either buy the same memory foam made by the same manufacturer or have enough information about the memory foam properties (which can be difficult) to try to approximate it with other types of memory foam made by different manufacturers. You can read more about some of the differences between different types of memory foam in post #9 here and post #8 here. Even in the same density/quality different types of memory foam can be quite different from each other.
Depending on whether you choose every layer “correctly” or if one or more need to be replaced … it can end up being more costly than working with a manufacturer that has good quality and value.
You can see the guidelines I use for memory foam mattresses in post #10 here. You can also see my thoughts about buying from Costco in post #2 here and the more detailed post it links to. They are certainly not the best source of quality and value and they also have no idea of which mattresses they sell may be most suitable for different types of people (body types, sleeping positions, preferences etc). At least you get a “free roll of the dice” if you guess wrong though because of their return policy.
As you can see in post #2 here there are too many variables and unknowns for me to help with what to choose but I’m happy to help with how to choose.
Post #1 here is always the best place to start and has the basic information steps and guidelines that can help you make the best choices.
Post #12 here has some of the better online memory foam options that I’m aware of if that is the direction you prefer to go. There are are some good quality mattresses available there that are inside your budget and you would have more knowledgeable and experienced people available to help you with your choices as well (and some of them have a similar “feel” to some of the Tempurpedic models that your can test locally to get a sense of what they would feel like)
If you let me know your city or zip I’d also be happy to let you know of any local options or possibilities I may be aware of in your area.
Phoenix
I took a picture of the tag on one of the beds I liked and was going to try and mimic that. It said what foams were used but im thinking it would be better to buy one that is done. I would say im a little softer then a medium. The one I like was icomfort prodigy. I wonder if there is a cheaper version of it? I live in modesto ca 95350. Im not opposed to ordering online, just wonder how sending it back would be? I have bad allergies as well as a girl friend and 90 pound lab that will be enjoying this bed. Thanks for the help!
Hi hose406,
The law tags don’t provide any information about the quality or density of the materials or the design of the mattress (layer thickness and order or the layers). It’s like saying there is some fruit in a basket without saying what kind or how much.
Modesto is one of the few places in the country that doesn’t have a local list on the forum so I’ll include one here. I would always call first and talk to them so that you know that they arer willing and able to disclose the quality details of the materials that are in their mattresses.
There are two local factory direct manufacturers close by I know of …
http://www.starmattress.net/ Modesto, CA. Makes latex and memory foam and others and would be well worth a call or visit.
http://info.ikea-usa.com/ See post #3 here for the mattresses I would consider here. I wouldn’t consider their memory foam mattresses though because they use memory foam that is less than 4 lb density so I’m including for reference for others that may be in Modesto.
There are also a few retailers that I would consider and I’ve included the manufacturers they carry that are more transparent and are more likely to provide you with information about what is in their mattresses.
http://www.sleephavenbedding.com/ Modesto, San Mateo, Redwood City, CA. Englander, Organicpedic (a wholesale manufacturer based in Grass Valley, CA. of high quality “organic” latex mattresses that are also more premium priced), and Diamond (a regional manufacturer based in Rancho Dominguez, CA that also makes some higher quality mattresses with “better than average” value).
http://www.woodsfurniture.com/gallery/mattress Modesto, CA. Cannon (wholesale manufacturer based in Fresno)
http://alsfurniture.com/furnishings/mattresses Modesto, CA. Cannon
http://www.mantecabedquarters.com/ Manteca, CA. Cannon, Stress-O-Pedic (regional manufacturer based in Ontario, CA)
http://www.unitedfurniturestockton.com/ Stockton, CA. Stress-O-Pedic
These and your online options would probably be your most likely sources of good quality and value memory foam mattresses.
Serta (or any of the major manufacturers) doesn’t disclose enough information about their mattresses to be able to use them as a guideline based on specs (which is difficult at the best of times anyway because similar quality/density foams can have different properties) and other manufacturers wouldn’t design their mattresses to “match” it so the only way to know whether another mattress approximates it in terms of feel and performance (or is an improvement) would be your own personal testing and experience.
Different online manufacturers have different return and refund policies with different costs involved and this may be an important part of your personal value equation (the things that are most important and valuable to you in a mattress purchase) when you are buying a mattress online so I would make sure that you check their websites or talk to each of them that you are considering to make sure you are clear on what their return policy is and any costs involved.
Hope this helps.
Phoenix
ok, thanks for the info, i have called the local places and it seems as if they want more then what is online by far… They are also moving locations so I cant try any out… which brings me to my current build on foambymail.com. 2.5 lux hq egg crate, 4 inch lux hq, 5lb visco max topper in 3 inch and a talalay latex topper 2 inch 20ild. Does this seem like a do able set up or should I just stick with the king version of the brooklyn sold on amazon. That one is about 1000, whereas building this set up is only 750 and would be cheaper without the latex topper that im still undecided on. I have bad allergies and am hoping that would help some. If 1 was rock hard and 5 was soft Im thinking I would be in the 3.5 to 4 range. Im 5’7 190 and girl friend is 5’7 145 and we have a 90 pound lab that likes to snuggle. Thank you so much for your help, I would be even more lost without you guys…
Hi hose406,
All of them?
As you can see in post #2 here and post #2 here I personally wouldn’t deal with FBM. They also don’t sell Talalay latex (or latex that is 20 ILD) although they say they do. I would personally deal with suppliers where you can have more confidence that what they claim they are selling is what they really are selling and what you would be receiving.
As you can see in post #3 here and as I mentioned in my previous reply … there is no way for me (or anyone) to know with any certainty what you will feel on any particular design unless you lie on a similar mattress (or sleep on it) and let me know how it works for you in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences).
If you have some reference points of mattresses and designs you have slept on where you know the specifics of all the layers and can provide feedback about how they worked for you I may be able to offer some insights that would be helpful in terms of any changes that you want to make but without your feedback about mattresses you have tested where you know the details of all the layers … then it’s not possible for me to know how anyone will feel on any particular design based on “theory at a distance”.
I also wouldn’t trust the specs of what they are selling you because even something like the compression modulus of the foam can make a bigger difference than ILD and they don’t seem to provide accurate specs about what they are selling.
I would personally deal with a reliable supplier or manufacturer where you know what they are selling is what you will receive, where they have already done the designing, and where you will have access to better information and ideas about what may work for you and can make exchanges at a reasonable cost if you guess wrong about your layers.
Phoenix