DIY Hybrid Build Questions

Hi,

Thank you all for the resources here, reading through this website has been extremely helpful. We’re currently sleeping on a very old, very firm mattress and are looking to upgrade. We’ve went to a few stores to lay on different mattresses and really liked Naturepedic, especially the EOS Pillowtop. While Naturepedic’s build quality is very good and we thought it was very comfortable, we can only fit a queen mattress at this time but would like to upgrade to a king in the future. For that reason, the price seems excessive. We liked their plush coil/soft latex/soft latex build at the store but would like just a bit firmer. After researching DIY options, I think that might be a better route at this time. Below are our stats, what I’m currently thinking for the mattress, and my questions. Thank you!

Sleeper 1 - 190 lbs, 6’0", mostly back sleeper with some side, prefers a firmer mattress
Sleeper 2 - 135 lbs, 5’5" mostly back sleeper with some side, prefers a plusher mattress

We’re both mid-20’s and athletic.

I’m currently thinking:

1" HD36-HQ 35 ILD foam (foambymail)
6’ Ascension X 1032 Pocket Coils (DIYmattress or LMF)
3" Medium Dunlop Latex 28 ILD (LMF)
2" Soft Dunlop Latex 19 ILD (LMF)
A quilted cover like on LMF

My questions are:

For the base layer should we have 1" or 2", and should this be the 35 ILD HD36 foam or the 50ILD Lux foam?

The coil options are 8" L&P Quantum Edge Elite Bulsa, 6" L&P Caliber Edge, or the 6" BB Ascension X, what would the best choice be? Also there’s a large price difference between the Ascension coils on the two websites, are they the same product?

I’m thinking all Dunlop for the latex because that’s what Naturepedic uses, and we haven’t laid on Talalay. Does the overall firmness of this seem correct (at least close)?

Is a quilted cover the wrong choice for a hybrid mattress? I haven’t researched the different cover types too much yet so apologies if this has already been answered.

Thanks again

Hi mtapp and welcome to the Mattress Underground :slight_smile:

We’re currently sleeping on a very old, very firm mattress and are looking to upgrade. We’ve went to a few stores to lay on different mattresses and really liked Naturepedic, especially the EOS Pillowtop

Sounds like your old mattress isn’t working up to its old potential any longer. As you know, any mattrsss you both decide on will be unique to you, based on your Stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and any underlying health issues) - well done providing those! - and your PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief and Personal preferences).

The EOS pillowtop, with 6" of latex and an 8" coil support, is a solid mattress which would be quite durable if you matched the comfort level to your preferences. You can see in the Mattress Specifications You Need To Know and compared to the Mattress Durability Guidelines, latex is one of the most durable materials you can have in a mattress.

we can only fit a queen mattress at this time but would like to upgrade to a king in the future. For that reason, the price seems excessive. We liked their plush coil/soft latex/soft latex build at the store but would like just a bit firmer. After researching DIY options, I think that might be a better route at this time

I’m currently thinking:

1" HD36-HQ 35 ILD foam (foambymail)
6’ Ascension X 1032 Pocket Coils (DIYmattress or LMF)
3" Medium Dunlop Latex 28 ILD (LMF)
2" Soft Dunlop Latex 19 ILD (LMF)
A quilted cover like on LMF

My questions are:
For the base layer should we have 1" or 2", and should this be the 35 ILD HD36 foam or the 50ILD Lux foam?

A DIY build can be, ultimately , the most rewarding way to customize a sleep system
for you and your partner, if you are willing to do the ‘leg work’ that it can entail….once you have a good idea of a comfortable arrangement of layers, ‘fine tuning’ is often required to adjust, moving layers around and trying out various permutations. Talalay latex is ‘bouncier’ than Dunlop (think angel food cake compared to pound cake). The firmness of the layers are a matter of preference for the most part; with your slightly higher BMI, if you go with a plush comfort layer you may ‘bottom out’ on the firmer layer(s) below. The base foam is there to support the structure of the mattress, and whether 36 or 50 ild is used, this should not affect the feel or support of the mattress. With both soft & medium ild latex layers you will be able to ‘swap’ them to experiment with how they feel for you.

The coil options are 8" L&P Quantum Edge Elite Bulsa, 6" L&P Caliber Edge, or the 6" BB Ascension X, what would the best choice be? Also there’s a large price difference between the Ascension coils on the two websites, are they the same product?

These are all different innerspring coil units. Typically coils are considered by their coil count, and gauge…lower gauge coils are more supportive for high BMI, and the higher coil count, the more responsiveness to multiple pressure points. With just the information you provided, any of the listed coil units would provide good support for consumers with your Stats, but, as they say, ‘your mileage may vary’.

I’m thinking all Dunlop for the latex because that’s what Naturepedic uses, and we haven’t laid on Talalay. Does the overall firmness of this seem correct (at least close)?
Is a quilted cover the wrong choice for a hybrid mattress?

Again, as Talalay vs Dunlop is really a matter of preference, as would be the quilted cover. If possible you may want to visit an in person showroom that carries different latex hybrids just to possibly get a feel for each type to expedite your consideration for your DIY build. Remember no one - here, in a showroom, anywhere- can tell you what type or firmness/comfort level of mattress is perfect for you, only the two of you can do this. Aside from the areas I commented on, the build looks good at this point, only your personal testing can tell whether it needs tweaking. Keep patient, and make notes of how each combination you try feels; it can be a little frustrating, but having a ew durable mattress customized to your exact preferences can pay off on the long run!

~ Basilio

Hi Basilio,

Thank you for the reply, much appreciated. We’ve ordered the comfort layer to try on our current mattress before proceeding with the rest of the pieces, as we’ve never actually slept on latex.

Mitch

Hi mtapp,

Good thinking! I hope you are pleasantly surprised with the latex topper, let us know how the testing goes!

~ Basilio

I wanted to provide an update for others looking at DIY options. I ended up ordering the mattress in stages so that we could try out the components and tweak the plan if need be.

First, I ordered the top layer - 2" soft Talalay latex (19 ILD) from Latex Mattress Factory. We slept on this on top of our current mattress for about a week to get a feel for sleeping on latex and enjoyed it. I was torn on whether to get Talalay or Dunlop for the top layer. While we think we like the Talalay better, I don’t think it would have made a huge difference and going with all Dunlop would be an easy way to save money.

Second, I ordered the pocket coils and base foam. The coils were 6" L&P Caliber Edge from DIY Mattress/APM. I chose these because they were 6" and were firmer than the other options. I had read that the Ascension were too soft for some. I think the Caliber Edge were a good choice for us, providing a firm base with the right amount of give. For the base foam I ordered 1" of HD36-HQ from Foam by Mail. I don’t really understand how this creates much more of a base for the coils to push against then just the underside of the cover but we like the mattress and this piece was relatively cheap so we aren’t complaining.

Once I received these I stacked the three up to get a gauge of the firmness. I understood that the second latex layer would soften it up while the cover would firm it up slightly. So we were looking for something that was just a little too firm at this stage, and that’s what we had.

Lastly, we ordered the latex transition layer and the cover. The transition layer was 2" of medium Dunlop latex (28 ILD) from Latex Mattress Factory. Ultimately I’m glad we didn’t go with 5 total inches of latex over the coils. I’m unsure if you would even notice the coils with that much latex on top and it would be a waste of money. With 20/20 hindsight I think we could have gotten away with a single 3 inch layer of latex which would have saved money but would also have been less adjustable and harder to get right.

The cover was DIYMattress/APM’s organic cotton cover. This is where I worried the most as I had heard that covers can create a drum effect and firm up the mattress a lot. I don’t think that was really the case and this cover worked out very well.

Overall, we’re happy with the new mattress. All three stores (LMF, APM, Foam by Mail) were also great. Items were as expected and shipping times were reasonable.

Thanks