"DIY" Latex Mattress?

Hi all, first time poster here. My husband and I are currently sleeping on a hand-me-down Spring Air innerspring queen that is giving us lots of pain and are in the market for a new mattress.

At first we considered another innerspring, but then we started reading about formaldehyde, PCBEs, etc. used in their creation and began leaning more toward 100% Dunlop latex. In addition to being 100% natural and biodegradable, they also supposedly last much longer, making them a better value. We’re going out to an organic mattress store this weekend to lay on a few, but based on what we’ve read about these mattresses, I don’t think we’ll be disappointed with the feel.

My question is whether we should go the “DIY” route. We came across this blog post with information on how to “make your own” latex mattress (http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2011/03/22/make-your-own-natural-organic-latex-mattress) and wanted to run it by the experts here. I put “make your own” in quotes because they’re not actually pouring the liquid latex, etc… they’re simply inserting a ready-to-go latex slab into a cover and zipping it. However, this method does seem to be less costly than buying from a mattress maker by a few hundred dollars if not more. It looks like they purchased their core from this retailer: Nontoxic.com might be for sale. Request the price today.

With all that said… how much value does a latex mattress maker really add on to a basic latex core, and is it worth the markup of a few to several hundred dollars?

Another “DIY” option I came across was to stack latex toppers to create a mattress… this appears to be much less expensive than other options. For example, one could buy two 3" king toppers from this company (http://www.rockymountainmattress.com/natural-latex-products/natural-latex-dunlop-medium-firm/) for $488.99 each, have them shipped free, and end up with a king latex mattress for $977.98.

Any potential disadvantages to this?

Hi pastacats,

The first place to start is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices.

I would also read post #15 here and the posts it links to before going in the direction of a DIY mattress and I personally would look at the online manufacturers who are members here who make a “kit” mattress where you can put your own layers together inside a high quality cover and where you have the ability to exchange layers if you make the wrong choices.

It may also be worthwhile looking at some of your local options because there is often some great options available locally. If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of.

[quote]Another “DIY” option I came across was to stack latex toppers to create a mattress… this appears to be much less expensive than other options. For example, one could buy two 3" king toppers from this company (www.rockymountainmattress.com/natural-la…-dunlop-medium-firm/) for $488.99 each, have them shipped free, and end up with a king latex mattress for $977.98.

Any potential disadvantages to this? [/quote]

The “risk” with any mattress that you haven’t tried in person and where you are putting “random” layers together (whether they are individual layers or covered toppers) is that you make the wrong firmness choices and they won’t be the ideal firmness choices or a good match for you in terms of PPP. 6" may also be on the thin side for many people and most (but not all) people would be do best with something in the range of 8" to 9" (see post #14 here). If you have tested a local mattress that has the same two layers as the ones you are considering (in terms of thickness, type of latex, and density/firmness level) with a similar cover (which will also have a significant effect on how the mattress feels and performs) then it would be a less risky choice.

I would also make sure you have experienced the difference between Dunlop and Talalay latex because they have a different “feel” and many people prefer one over the other although neither oneis “better” than the other. You can read more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.

Phoenix

Can you recommend any manufacturers that offer kits?

We’re located in the Berks County, PA area. We’ve been to the Magic Sleeper showroom in Pottstown but that was before we were seriously considering latex. We’re planning on paying a visit to the Organic Mattress Store in Hellertown, PA this weekend (http://www.theorganicmattressstore.com).

I am 168 pounds and my husband is 204. We’re both side sleepers. He’s had a lot of lower back pain of late. Given that, would 8-9" be better for us than 6"?

I linked to Rocky Mountain Mattress because they have a very generous 90-night satisfaction guarantee with no restocking fees. Their toppers are also available in a 4" profile. I was thinking one of their firms (5.7lb density w/ 33-36 IFD) on the bottom and their medium firms (5.2lb density w/ 25 IFD) on top. Based on your advice, I’m going to see if a local retailer has a mattress with similar layers/firmness values.

Hi pastacats,

Post #21 here (also linked in the tutorial post) includes all the members of the site that sell online. All of them are recommended manufacturers or retailers. Many of them make “choose your own layer” latex mattresses with a wide range of different designs and options.

Each of them have more details about their mattresses on their websites and of course I would also make sure to talk with the ones that are of interest to you. I would also make sure you are aware of any shipping costs involved in exchanging or returning layers. In many cases topper purchases or individual layers that are purchased separately are not returnable at all.

Probably yes (at least based on averages) but it would depend on the specifics of the layers and your own testing. Post #2 here has more about the best ways to choose a mattress that is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP.

Post #6 here has links to all the forum lists that are closest to you and includes the better local options or possibilities that I’m aware of (they have some overlap but Magic Sleeper in Pottstown and the Organic Mattress Store in Hellertown would be among the better local options).

Phoenix