I am thinking of “building” my own mattress from 6" Dunlop core and 3 " topper. Is there anything I should know or be concerned about?
I was thinking about doing something similar. There was one thing I remember Phoenix saying, and it’s that a 6" solid piece is going to be stiffer than two 3" pieces. I can’t quantify that, but it makes sense intuitively.
If you apply weight to a two-piece pad, the top piece will try to flex more than the bottom piece around its edges. That’s because the weight applied to the top piece will be less evenly distributed than on the bottom piece. Since said top layer has more freedom of movement, it will bend more than it otherwise would and allow you to sink down further than a solid piece. A solid piece’s flexing would be resisted by the attached matter underneath the edges; there is intermolecular tension opposing the bending.
If anyone here is a physics buff, let me know if this hypothesis is wrong…
I noticed that you registered with your email as your username which means that automated spambots can harvest your email and add you to their spam lists. If you’d like I can remove the @ and the domain after it and change your username to just jazminlee35 (or any username you wish).
If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own mattress out of separate components and a separate cover then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project … the best approach to a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).
If you decide to take on the challenge then I would either use the specs (if they are available) of a mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP as a reference point or use a “bottom up” approach (see post #2 here).
@GenericMattressShopper,
In “theory” a support core that used two 3" layers of latex that were both the same type and firmness of latex as a single 6" core could feel slightly softer but in “real life” I don’t think that most people would notice much if any difference in how they feel (see post #2 here).
Phoenix