DIY: Reverse engineering all latex + cotton and wool mattress!

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
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Hello!

I want to thank the creator(s) of this website for providing so much good info. I never knew I could make my own mattress!

I’m a 6’1’’ 190lbs stomach sleeper, and I haven’t had luck with mattresses in a box. I was at a showroom recently, and tried an amazing 11.5’’ king latex mattress, but it’s several thousand dollars over my budget.

Here’s what’s in the mattress from top to bottom:

  • Cotton quilt cover
  • 4 layers of wool
  • 3 layers of fluffy cotton
  • 3’’ Dunlop latex 65D
  • 6’’ Dunlop latex 75D
  • Latex triple wrapped

I think this makes a bed of medium firmness? As a stomach sleeper, should I get something firmer? When I tried in the showroom, it seemed soft but also supportive.

The latex part of the mattress seems pretty straightforward… I would get 2x 3’’ medium Dunlop latex (cheaper than getting a 6’’ piece) and 3’’ of soft Dunlop, for a total of 9’'.
The only king mattress encasing I could find so far is this one, which seems fine, but I’m wondering if someone here has some other recommendations.

My issue is figuring out the wool and cotton part of this. I did some research and I think these are called “batting”. I found some good options from White Lotus, but I’m unsure of how much to get in order to create 4 layers of wool and 3 layers of cotton that would be 3’’ thick when compressed in the mattress casing.

I’m also not sure what “Latex triple wrapped” means.

Someone on Reddit suggested that it would be easier for me to make a 9’’ latex mattress, then create my own topper with wool and cotton, tuft it (which seems like a good challenge), and put in on top of the mattress. Is this a viable alternative?

I’d rather put everything IN the mattress as opposed to making a separate topper, but I don’t know how challenging that might be, and whether the wool and cotton battings would stay in place over time.

Am I on the right track here?

To recap the questions:

  • Too soft for a stomach sleeper?
  • Mattress cover/encasing options?
  • Latex triple wrapped?
  • Wool and cotton in a topper or in the mattress?
  • How many layers of wool and cotton to make up 3 inches of compressed materials?

Thank you so much!

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Hi Moksha.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum. :slight_smile:

So glad to hear you’ve come across some useful resources and the newfound DIY knowledge. You absolutely can make your own mattress!

When it comes to softness and support, the bulk of that is going to be subjective. If it feels soft and supportive to you, that’s the most important. We do recommend as a rule that stomach sleepers have the flattest surface possible (generally meaning relatively thin comfort layers).

In this case, I’m assuming the wool/cotton layers aren’t particularly thick and provide a firm enough surface area to prevent a sway back.

Yes, batting is correct!

I think that if you were to speak to the provider (White Lotus or other, such as DIY Natural Bedding) they’d have the best idea of how much you’d need to buy to create the layer you’re looking for.

DIY Natural Bedding actually provides this on their website:

l]As the batting is about 1/2″ thick, a wrap adds about 1″ height to your mattress. You can choose to add 1″ height to your ticking to let you feel the fluffiness of the wool or if you prefer the feel of the latex and merely want the protecting properties of the wool, then select ticking that is the height of your latex and zip that wool down tightly.
l]After compression, usually about 6 months, the wool batting will have compressed about 20%. Despite its compression, it will retain its comfort and insulating properties while losing its cloud-like, enveloping feel.

I don’t know that you’d need to tuft it if it’s properly encased. Then, you’d also be able to fluff as needed. If it’s tufted, there’s no fluffing happening.

I hope this helps. Looking forward to any other questions!
NikkiTMU