Background
I wake up every morning or in the middle of the night with lower back pain. I’m a side sleeper. I purchased a Saatva Classic in December. I am in the process of returning it. I want to build an all Latex mattress or latex hybrid. I am not sure which is best for my sleeping situation.
Sleep Situation
Female 5’6 160 lbs
Male 6’1 205 lbs
Both of us are athletic and body build
Both of us are side sleepers and occasionally switch sides at night and sometimes briefly sleep on back
BOTH of us are experiencing bad lower back pain on current mattress
I also have outer hip pain on my sleeping side after my deep sleep
Budget - no more than $1200
Requirements
Queen size/ 100 percent Latex Gols no blended latex with synthetic latex etc or chemicals
I have looked at a few different sites and I am almost settled on Sleep On Latex because of certificates and price. However if there is another site that meets my needs I am open to suggestions.
I am not sure on the build configuration. I am thinking of the following (top to bottom)
Med 3"
Firm 3"
Firm 3"
Soft 2"
Med 2"
Firm 2"
Firm 3"
Or should I do a coil base with a 3" medium topper?
Unfortunately in Orlando I have not found any options to test latex comfort levels. I am hesitant to purchase without a return policy for all the components. It seems most sites will only allow one item return.
Anyways, thank you for reading my post and I look forward to your advice.
Although your BMIs aren’t too high (mid 20s) as body builders you’re likely on the extreme side of curvy body types and are also side sleepers (good quality alignment and pressure relief will be key). SOL is very inexpensive for latex foam but it’s made using the dunlop process which I don’t think will work well in your situation. I would personally stick to talalay (which is available in both blended and all natural versions if that’s a concern) even if you have to up your budget. I’d bet the end result will likely be considerably better in this case for you. I would also suggest using a split layer setup (instead of a full queen) so that you both can tailor your sides exactly how you want them.
Your side:
3" talalay 22ILD - Comfort Layer
3" talalay 32ILD - Support Layer
3" talalay 36ILD - Support Layer
3" talalay 44ILD - Support Layer
Her side:
3" talalay 22ILD - Comfort Layer
3" talalay 28ILD - Support Layer
3" talalay 32ILD - Support Layer
3" talalay 36ILD - Support Layer
So you’ll need a queen 22ILD, queen 32ILD, Queen 36ILD, twin XL 28ILD and twin XL 44ILD to build it. You’ll need to carefully mark/cut the 32ILD and 36ILD in half lengthwise and the edges of the twin XL will need to be trimmed 8" since a queen is only 30" wide per side vs 38" for a twin XL. The 36ILD (X-firm) and 44ILD (S-firm) can be special order so ask about that before placing any orders.
Going the DIY route does have some risk (wastng money if layers don’t work out) but you can greatly minimize this by being smart with your design and purchases. Most places to not take layers back, this is just part of the risk when doing a DIY but the end result can be way better than anything you could have bought as a premade mattress. I wasted quite a bit of time and money with SOL layers myself before I realized at a very athletic 6’2 and 250lbs that dunlop was entirely the wrong material for my situation. If you can’t afford it all at once then I would start buying what you can in layers from the top down. You can just put a mattress pad over the whole thing instead of a cover until you figure out what works, then buy the cover later. Never buy the cover until you know the final height of the mattress.
Oh man….I think I bit off way more than I can chew.
I without a doubt gave to return my current mattress. Adding a layer will not help. It sags in the middle.
I am not sure I can manage to do a DIY.
I will have to do some more research.
Your advice is really helpful but it is more than I can manage to do.
The fact that you want to build a queen instead of a king makes things a bit more complicated (precut split layers really only come in twin XL). Good news is at least you know what it would entail to be successful and then you can decide the best way to proceed given your specific situation. Alot of folks start down the DIY road without understanding what’s really involved and whether they are actually up to the task of seeing it through. Where I am up in Canada I litterally could not buy a prebuilt mattress that worked for me so DIY was really my only choice (perhaps unlimited budget I may have found something good enough eventually). I also had to increase my budget quite a bit more than I originally expected but after litterally getting injured sleeping (never would have thought that was even possible) I was determined to solve the problem once and for all. Very happy I went that route myself but again it’'s not for everyone and it’s also good to know your own limitations.
Here’s my build thread which you may find useful as well:
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/simmons-beautyrest-mattress-rebuild