Background: I’m 5’9" 370 lbs, back sleeper primarily, but will shift to side or stomach when I get too hot. My wife is 5’7" 125 lbs, mostly side or stomach sleeper. With such a difference in size and sleeping position, I’m concerned about finding something that works for both of us.
We are currently on a King Beautyrest Black Hybrid (Clermont model) purchased at Mattress Firm about 5.5 years ago. The store model was incredibly comfortable for 5-10 minutes, but when we got it home it’s been far too soft and sleeps super hot. A Beautyrest rep recently told me that one of the foams they used in that model proved too soft and didn’t hold up, so they’ve discontinued use of that particular foam. I’m sure my size didn’t help either. It’s currently dipping pretty far around the hips and is hell on my back.
Prior to this I had (when single) a Serta interconnected spring with 2" memory foam eurotop I got from Sam’s Club. It was great for about 10 years until I wore it out. But now we’d like something with more motion isolation.
In my previous post, I was looking for advice on picking a replacement mattress from MF, thinking they were going to support a warrantee claim on our current model. That’s not going to happen, so I’ve shifted focus. Last time, a “hidden split” king was suggested, with different firmness lower layers, and a single top layer (since we have young kids we don’t want to get stuck). I hadn’t considered this approach, but like it.
I’ve also done some more research, and realized that it may be possible to salvage the coil unit from our current mattress. Ours is supposed to have Beautyrest’s T3 coils, which were sold as a more durable coil. Being only 5.5 years old, I’m inclined to think that they may still be usable as a base layer in a DIY build. Best I can tell having not cut into my current mattress yet, they should be 8" tall, with another 7.5" of various foam layers above. I like the idea of a hybrid mattress for the cooling/airflow and bit of bounce that the coils may provide. I’ve also considered keeping my current mattress whole and just getting a Leggett and Platt coil unit to build on while we tinker, so we have something that we can sleep on if we hate or need to return layers.
From there, I’m thinking a latex transition layer above the coils. I recently got to test some all Dunlop mattresses, which were pretty good. I like that Dunlop is supposed to be more durable (good for my weight). The place where I tested couldn’t (or wouldn’t) tell me the ILD of the foams used.
On top, I’ve been debating between another latex layer or a memory foam layer. I understand that the top layer will wear out first, and that memory foam will not likely be as durable as latex. One of the pros of a DIY mattress for me is that I can change out layers as they wear out, without needing to drop thousands on a whole new mattress. I understand the Tempurpedic foam is better quality…would one of their mattress toppers make a good top layer (inside the mattress cover)? I’ve read they can feel pretty soft…but are they too soft, particularly for a big person?
Feel/preferences: I’ve generally been most comfortable on something medium-firm…at least in the store. I know it will soften some as it breaks in, and I’m concerned that it will become too soft (like my current mattress). That said, I’ve experienced some that are far too firm. We have a Casper from Costco in our guest room, and out of the box it was far too firm for me…pressure points, pain, and waking up all night. As it broke in, it’s a little better but not great. Likewise, some of the firm mattresses in the store have me feeling more pressure points. I know a firmer foam is more likely to last under my weight, but I am trying to balance that with comfort. My wife would prefer something fairly firm, as she enjoys stomach sleeping. Being considerably lighter, her firm will probably feel softer for me.
So I’m looking for guidance on a build. I’m ok making a few mistakes along the way and spending a little money if it helps me get to what is best for us. As stated, I’m leaning toward a base coil unit. Above that, what thickness/ILD of Dunlop latex would your recommend for each of our sides as a transition layer? I’m likely to go for a GOLS or equivalent all-natural latex as I’ve heard it’s most durable.
For a top comfort layer, I’m open to suggestions. We’ve not experienced Talalay latex, and I’ve read people can have very strong feelings about it. I did try a 2" convoluted Dunlop top layer which wasn’t bad. We currently have many layers of memory foam, and I think I like the feel, though it does sleep hot and I don’t like how much we sink in. I’m worried about making the mattress too soft by putting too much material above the coils. If I went with the 3" Tempurpedic Supreme over a 3" Dunlop latex layer, that would make a 14" overall height which I fear would be nearly as soft as our current 15.5" mattress. I’ve also seen reviews that the Tempurpedic topper is pretty soft…maybe there’s a quality foam that’s a bit firmer for the comfort layer?
What recommendations do you have? Help us, Mattress Undergound! Your’re our only hope!