DIY mattress build questions for Arizona Premium Mattress

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1

I could use some help with a DIY mattress build.

I slept on Sealy Posturepedics for many years, but about 10 years ago, they stopped working for me. I’ve since tried Tempur-pedics and a Leesa original mattress. With each mattress, it feels good for a few months, but my pelvis eventually ends up sinking down too far and irritating my low back. I seem to have a narrow range of support that feels good to my lower back when I’m on my back or sides. I also need a lot of pressure-point relief.

I tried flipping over my 2-year-old Leesa mattress and putting a 2-inch memory foam topper (ILD 11) on the support side (ILD 32). That was really comfortable and supportive, on both sides and back, for a couple of months, but then my hips sank in too far.

Now I’m experimenting with DIY. I got a few individual polyfoam and latex layers and have been trying different configurations, but nothing is great so far. My current setup is:

2" memory foam (ILD 11)
3" latex (ILD 20, a 1-inch layer folded in thirds)
3" latex (ILD 30, a 1-inch layer folded in thirds)
4" HD foam (ILD 35)
4" HD foam (ILD 50, bought before I found out that firmer isn’t always better)
foundation: adjustable base

It’s a little too soft for my low back, but with thinner comfort layers, I sink down and hit the 35 ILD support layer, which is uncomfortably firm for me.

I like the feel of memory foam and of inner springs. I don’t like the bounciness of all latex, though I don’t mind some latex layers.

So. I seem to like (2-year-old) ILD 32 but not (new) ILD 35 in a support layer. I’m happy to replace any layers in my setup. I’m considering pocket coils as a support layer, since polyfoam may not give the support and durability I want.

My physical specs: 5’5", 160 pounds, female. Weight pretty evenly distributed, with narrower hips and a round belly. I sleep about 70% on my back and 30% on my sides. Partner is about 6’, 160 pounds, male, back sleeper almost exclusively. We have similar mattress preferences, though his tend more toward firmer mattresses.

Any recommendations for pocket coils or another support layer? And for comfort layers that give a cushy feeling and good pressure-point relief?

Thanks.

2

Thank you for the questions. We are very anti memory foam here for many reasons but in your case lack of support would be just one. The bounciness of latex is actually a good thing, it equals resistance which means it’s supportive. I think a pretty good setup would be our 6" QE Bolsa pocket coil paired with 3" of #28 Talalay latex. I would wait to get a cover until you have the firmness where you want it. You have many items already that you could add if necessary to tweak the feel. Once you are happy you can then get the zippered cover to finish it off.

3

Thanks, Ken. That confirms what I was thinking. I’ll give you a call to talk about some more specifics.

4

Hi Ken,

Thanks for your expertise and for shipping out the pieces I ordered so quickly. It turns out that 3" 28-ILD latex on top of the pocket coils was too soft for me, so I ended up adding in some other pieces to create a mattress that seems okay so far:

2" 11-ILD memory foam
3" 28-ILD latex
4" 35-ILD HD polyfoam
6" pocket coils

At 15", it’s taller than I wanted, but I’m okay with that as long as it provides both support and comfort.

I figure as the layers break in, this setup also might become too soft under the hips. If that happens, I’m thinking I might replace the 3" of 28-ILD latex (and possibly also the 4" polyfoam) with a 3" layer of 32-ILD latex. Does that sound reasonable?

Thanks.

5

Hi folks,

What’s the best way to break in latex layers evenly? The setup I outlined above felt supportive and comfortable at first, but now the area under the hips is feeling a bit soft, which isn’t great for my lower back.

I figure if I can break in the other parts of the mattress more, I may not have to modify this setup further.

Thanks.

6

How is your alignment? I would have someone take a photo of you at bed level in your side sleeping position to verify if your spine is in alignment. If it is you should be able to draw a straight line from the bas of your neck to your tailbone. You may need to create some slight zoning to fix this issue but I would start by verifying the issue first. If you are primarily a back sleeper it’s a bit harder to compare since you need to superimpose a photo of you standing vs lying on the bed to check alignment but it can be done.

7

My alignment is visually good. I’ve done the photo thing. But even when the photos look the same, over time, mattresses feel like they sag under my hips. The change is too small to see in photos, but I can feel it in my low back.

That’s why I want to try to break in all areas of the mattress more evenly, so the part under my hips isn’t more broken in than the rest.

8

[quote=“M Shaw” post=87657]My alignment is visually good. I’ve done the photo thing. But even when the photos look the same, over time, mattresses feel like they sag under my hips. The change is too small to see in photos, but I can feel it in my low back.

That’s why I want to try to break in all areas of the mattress more evenly, so the part under my hips isn’t more broken in than the rest.[/quote]

Like you said sometimes the misalignment is subtle (people have varying tolerances for misalignment/comfort) but I suggest actually either printing out the photo or drawing a line on a digital photo (not sure if you did either of these). It also helps to use a marker to locate your spine while standing so that when you are sideways it is much easier to see and you aren’t guessing where the spine is on your side (BTW permanent marker comes right off with rubbing alcohol).

If you are sure then sleeping on the mattress is the best way to break it in but there shouldn’t be alot of break in with latex since it’s such a durable material. It’s more likely that you need a layer change to adjust the mattress to get the alignment you need for your lower back. There are obviously tradeoffs for this since it will change the feel across the entire surface unless you go to a zoned design.

9

I’m not aware of latex needing to “break in”. I think your issue is with the other components specifically the 11 ILD memory foam. Try removing it or putting farther down in the build.

10

Thanks for the suggestions.

So brand-new latex isn’t supposed to feel different after you’ve slept on it for a couple of weeks? Because I always notice a difference, though previously I’ve only had 1-inch layers.

11

[quote=“M Shaw” post=87666]Thanks for the suggestions.

So brand-new latex isn’t supposed to feel different after you’ve slept on it for a couple of weeks? Because I always notice a difference, though previously I’ve only had 1-inch layers.[/quote]

Good quality latex foam will not break in much which is actually a good thing since that’s also what makes it such a durable material long-term. More than likely what you are feeling is the settling between layers inside the mattress (the thinner the layers and the more layers you have, the more they will be prone to settling/shifting in the mattress). This is part of the reason why mattress manufacturers will usually glue their foam layers together inside the mattress (it also prevents layers from shifting when moving/shipping).

12

No, it’s the zippered covers that encase everything that need time to stretch out a bit which then softens up the feel.