I recently purchased a PLB Beautiful mattress and love it. I am trying to configure a DIY mattress from an online manufacture in 100% natural talalay latex. The closest they can come in the 100% latex is the following:
3" 19ILD top layer
2" 22ILD in middle layer
6" 32ILD in core layer.
Cover is Bamboo with wool ticking (1.5" thick cover)
I weigh 180 lbs and 5’6" and my wife is 150Lbs an 5’4" I sleep mostly on my side or stomach and my wife sleep mostly on her back and occasionally on her side.
I am worred that the mattress may be too soft, mostly for support. I have thought about changing the middle layer to a 28ILD.
I have also read on the Latex international web site that the only have the 100% natural latex in 17,22,27,32 ILDs.
I also think that your configuration is also too soft. It has 5" of what most would consider to be soft talalay and the core layer is also softer than many (although it certainly can work for some).
The Beautiful has the following latex layering … (assuming nothing has changed)
This already has a fairly thick layer of soft talalay on top (24 is still soft) and you have gone a little softer yet. My personal tendency would be to make any changes that were necessary on the firmer side rather than on the softer side although with latex you can “get away” with more softness than with other materials depending on how you interact with the mattress and your weight distribution.
The ticking on your mattress will also make a difference in how it feels.
As you pointed out ,… 100% natural Talalay from Latex International is available in different ILD’s than the blended (they actually rate it by density or “N” numbers and the listings on their site are only averages). What Pure Latex bliss calls “natural talalay” is actually the blended talalay. They call the 100% natural talalay “all natural”. I know it’s confusing but I thought I should also mention this because the “all natural” is denser and has different ILD’s than the natural and will feel slightly different (although they are very similar).
While you may not be able to duplicate it exactly … if you are able to get close with the layer thickness and ILD and the ticking … then you should end up with something very close.
I would also make sure that any latex you are ordering is from a reputable manufacturer who is accurately describing their latex so that you have the best possible odds of getting as close as you can.
Thanks for the quick reply. I knew the specs of the PLB Beautiful and that it was blended talalay. I am working with Arizona Premium Mattress co. I have thought about the following two configurations:
The extra inch in the middle layer in option 2 would make it act a little bit softer than the thinner middle layer (it would compress to a slightly lower percentage of its thickness).
They would be similar though and a lot of the feel of the mattress would depend on which layer the different parts of your body sink in to (heavier would compress the mattress more into the deeper layers and lighter would compress the mattress less).
Wool is very nice to sleep on and creates a very temperature regulating environment (it will wick away any moisture and store it inside the fiber away from your skin and then slowly release it) but it will also change the feel a bit. It will cushion some of the more pointy parts of your body and increase the surface area (such as the hips or shoulders) but it will also reduce the amount you sink into the mattress and the depth of the pressure relieving cradle. The exact effect will depend on the thickness of the wool and the softness of the latex. The softer the latex and the thicker the wool … the more it will affect it. This effect can either be a positive or a negative depending on the person. Wool and all fibers will tend to compress and become denser over time although a fiber like wool is more resilient and durable than synthetic fibers. So it’s really a tradeoff. The good news is that if the time comes that you feel that the wool is affecting the mattress too much … the cover can be replaced rather than replacing the whole mattress. Another option of course is to use a non quilted cover and then use a wool mattress pad as thick or thin as you wish for your mattress protector.
What about this configuration??. 22ILD two inch top layer and 28ILD three inch in the middle and a 33 ILD core layer. I would probably still use the bamboo/wool cover with 1.5" ticking. I am still trying to come close to the PLB beautiful we currently have, howerver this mattress would be 100% natural latex.
This is a very different design from the PLB Beautiful and would feel quite different. The comfort layer or “zone” would be firmer and thinner (meaning a firmer top feel and less pressure relieving) and the support base would be firmer in the transition layer but softer in the thicker 6" bottom core layer so this would roughly even out. the wool ticking would firm up the top layer even more.
This “firmer” design would probably be an improvement for stomach sleeping (which needs firmer thinner comfort layers and firmer support layers to prevent a swayback sleeping position) but would likely move you away from the pressure relief level you would prefer compared to the PLB.
This post from earlier today and post #7 here by Steve today will highlight some of the difficulties in trying to duplicate the more subjective “feel” of a mattress rather than “design” to more objective targets of pressure relief, posture and alignment, and preferences.