I have studied this site for weeks. I have traveled to every mattress store listed on here within a 2 hour drive of Seattle. I have many back issues. My Dr. recommended a bed that’s like a rock. He was correct. Out of all the beds I tried, only one felt good. It was so hard, it felt wonderful, perfect support and wonderful minimal padding for my pressure points, that felt wonderful. The problem was the price tag. It was very expensive and not something I could afford. The core was 8 inches of a rock hard latex, very rare from my understanding, 100 Density. I have searched for weeks, unable to find any latex core to even close to the 100 density. I found a 95 Density core near me, but it was too soft. Ild like to build my own bed, with a rock hard core, then test different layers for relief of pressure points. I’m currently sleeping on the couch because the mattress broke, I’m pretty desperate. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hi. Just curious: what’s the brand of the 100 ILD 8" core mattress you tried?
Perhaps one of the vendors on this site could customize a 100 ILD mattress. Hardest stock one I found was DIY Natural Bedding’s 95 ILD.
Those 95 and 100 ratings on the latex are likely density (in kg/m3) and not ILD although I understand the confusion. A density rating of 95 probably would equate to around 45 ILD so 100 would probably be closer to 50 ILD (extremely firm). So it sounds like you’d need to find a 50 ILD dunlop core to really get something that’s extremely firm for your back. Then use 2-3" to talalay foam on top as a comfort layer to relieve pressure as needed.
Thank-you so much for the reply. As far as brand, I can’t say, but the retailer is Mulligan Mattress in Portland Oregon. Apparently, he is completely out of the 100 or “50” firmness. I’ve scrolled through the mattress members on here but the firmest they have is a 45. If you know of anyone with a 50 core, that would appreciated more than you know.
Thanks Again,
Laraine
[quote=“RainyDay post=90807”]Thank-you so much for the reply. As far as brand, I can’t say, but the retailer is Mulligan Mattress in Portland Oregon. Apparently, he is completely out of the 100 or “50” firmness. I’ve scrolled through the mattress members on here but the firmest they have is a 45. If you know of anyone with a 50 core, that would appreciated more than you know.
Thanks Again,
Laraine[/quote]
Any chance you can ask the retailer if the mattress core is dunlop or talalay latex? I think it’s going to be dunlop at that density but would be good to confirm this so you can find the correct replacement since those two processes yield very different material characteristics and we want to match what you liked in the store.
It is indeed Dunlop. As that’s the only latex from my understanding that he carries.
Hi RainyDay.
Chiming in for a moment with a few questions to see if we can clarify some things and help you with the procurement of the core.
First off, latex density is a “comfort spec” which, as Matterbuilt mentioned, has a direct effect on the firmness/softness of the latex. Also, even for the same ILD and type of latex, there are differences in feel and firmness between latex produced by different manufacturers. This is to say that density comparisons aren’t meaningful if you are comparing different types and blends of latex from different manufacturers. You’d need to get the same type and blend of latex to ensure the same firmness and feel you are looking for. Can you ask Mulligan Mattress … who is his supplier for the 100 kg/m[sup]3[/sup] Dunlop? Is it molded Dunlop or Continuous Pour Dunlop layers glued? Is it NR, SBR, or blend? Both Latexco and Mountain Top US manufacturers of continuous pour Dunlop have latex higher densities latex but you’d probably need a special order as this firmness is unusual in a mattress. Also, you did not mention the size bed you need. One thing that seems to be off … is that you say that the core is an 8" slab. The Dunlop molds are 6" thick. so another thing to check with Mulligan is if this is truly an 8’ core if it is made of two glued layers. If “yes” are the two layers the same type and density of latex or is it different.?
This said I reached to one of our members who will most likely be able to procure higher densities, Dunlop from Latexco.
Morning Update: I just spoke with Latexco Arizona and confirmed that for a 6-inch core slab it has to be the molded Dunlop process. (Their continuous pour or Sonocore process slabs can not be produced in more than 3" thickness) The highest density Dunlop they produce is 90 kg/m[sup]3[/sup] which is around 48-50 ILD (usually the margin error is +_3) It is very unusual for any manufacturer to use this density in a mattress and he also describes it as rock hard. From your post, he seems to believe it is what you tried at Mulligan. Another thought he had is that once you go into densities of over 85 kg/m[sup]3[/sup] it is very hard to feel the difference in firmness.
Let us know what you can find from Mulligan and the size of bed you look to build.
Phoenix
Thankyou so much for your efforts. My husband decided to purchase his twin XL latex 10 inch from Flexus, the xfirm they carry in the Dunlop, as that works perfectly for him. We decided out of desperation to order the same for me. I spoke to Henry at Flexus today, he said he is currently out of xfirm and has put in an order with another local supplier to see if they have any local xfirm in stock. I will be calling him tomorrow morning at 9 am to confirm if they have it. I’m sure this is a long shot, but would you know of anyone local to Henry who would have closer to a 47-50 IDL. I left him a voicemail tonight telling him I would be reaching out to you in a last ditch effort. I suppose I can always just receive my twin XL and if it doesn’t work for me I will simply return, though my husband says he wants to keep my side no matter what for the guest bed to replace, so it won’t be a loss if It’s too soft for me., I’ll just still be in need of a bed if it doesn’t work out.
Hi RainyDay.
You are most welcome and … Congratulations on your new mattress purchase! :cheer:
You most likely are aware that Flexus Comfort is a Trusted members of our site and offers a discount to TMU subscribers.
Hopefully, Henry managed to get the x-Firm Dunlop from his local supplier. We’ll be on standby if need be for any “last-ditch effort”
Good luck and let us know if this configuration helps with your back issues.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix, reaching out to you for some guidance. Along with our order of twin XL mattresss we also ordered two twin XL foundations from Henry at Flexus. We put them together last week, and discovered there twin foundations, not twin XL. So, I called Henry, spoke with him, he assured me everything would be made right, which I believed. Since calling him I’ve followed up with two more emails. I’ve received no call or email from him in rectifying this situation. I’m assuming good intent because he’s your trusted member, perhaps he’s swamped with customers and doesn’t have a free moment which I understand. But we don’t want our twin xl beds on foundations that are too short. So our beds are in the ground, which isn’t easy for my husband who’s an older man with knee problems. Concerned he could fall. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to help, I appreciate everything you’ve done.
Laraine
Hi RainyDay.
I am sorry to hear about your husband’s knee problems and I totally understand how having his bed on the floor causes him to strain and other issues.
There is no doubt in my mind that Henry will address this especially as he personally reassured you. I would give it a few more days as things are a little more strange in California with the regulations and shipment delays which places California businesses under quite a bit of stress. I’d give it a few more days and I’ll reach out to Herny on Monday to check on the status.
Meanwhile, if you hear back from Henry please let me know so that we can hold back our horses.
I hope this can be solved sooner rather than later
Phoenix
Sounds good. Thanks so much for reaching out. When/If I hear from him I will absolutely let you know.
Laraine
Hi Phoenix, it’s been about 11 days, still no word from Henry even after two follow up emails and the phone call.
Hopefully you’ll have more luck because our situation is really stressful as of now.
Thanks again
Laraine and Joel