DreamFoam for a heavy person and base questions

[phoenix]

Hi JohnOH,

We started out at a local store here in Columbus, OH called The Original Mattress Factory. They offer a Serenity Foam mattress which you can be seen here. The price point isn’t awful however it doesn’t appear to be up to snuff on the necessary requirements mentioned in the memory foam advice posts. Particularly this part 6" High Density Foam Core ~ 28-32 ILD, 2.15-2.35 lb/ft.

Actually this mattress has very good specs which use similar quality layers to the Tempurpedic HD series with 5 lb memory foam, 8 lb memory foam, and a high quality polyfoam base layer. I would consider all these layers to be good quality. Don’t forget that polyfoam comes in a lower density range than memory foam so the density of each is not comparable.

This site has lots of rave reviews about DreamFoam so I headed over to Amazon to check them out. Upon inspection they appear to be a great bargain for the quality your getting, almost so good that it appears to be to good. The Amazon reviews however are great for the mattress and you speak highly of them so I am close to pulling the trigger which leads me to my questions–

Just as a comment … the Dreamfoam mattresses are certainly good quality and value but if you are considering the memory foam version I would be very hesitant to use 4 lb memory foams at your weight. latex on the other hand in the right firmness level … particularly if you are looking at the latex versions with more than one layer of latex … would be a much better and more durable choice IMO. At your weight … I would be strongly leaning towards memory foam with a minimum of 5 lb density (like the OMF mattress you tested).

1. Will the Ultimate Dreams 13’’ Memory Foam Mattress(California King) accommodate my size comfortably? Can I expect it to last?

With 4 lb memory foams I would think no. with your weight … I would strongly lean towards higher density memory foams.

2. My wife and I prefer a firmer mattress over soft is the DreamFoam mattress more firm than soft?(If no one knows I am sure their customer service can answer for me).

They have said that the 13" gel memory foam mattress is just a bit firmer than the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe which is the softest mattress in the Tempurpedic lineup. In other words … more soft than firm (you could test the Cloud Luxe to get an approximate sense of what this mattress feels like).

3. If I can’t expect it to last/accommodate my size does anyone have any recommendations for a memory foam mattress in a similar price point($400-$500 higher is fine as well)?

I think your budget is too low for the quality of foam and the type of design you will likely need or do best with. Higher density memory foam is more costly than lower density memory foam and the same is true for higher density base layers. I would also think that you may do better with more than just a basic 3" or so of memory foam over a firmer polyfoam base layer and a transition layer in between that uses either memory foam or latex would also be a good idea at your weight. These would both put you in a significantly higher budget in Cal King than the $400 - $500 you are looking at. I just don’ think you will find a suitable memory foam mattress at this price. I would start locally to gain some experience on different types of mattresses (following the steps in post #1 here) and then compare your local “finalists” to online choices to see which direction is the best “match” for your personal value equation. Some of the better options in and around the Columbus area I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here. Some of the better quality/value online memory foam manufacturers or retailers I’m aware of are listed in post #12 here.

4. I am absolutely clueless as to which option to go with as far as a frame/base goes for the new mattress, I have settled on this. Do you have any better recommendations for me in the California King size?

I would normally go with the base suggested by the manufacturer you are buying from but in this case I don’t think they have Cal King available on their site). If you do decide to go with the wire grid type of platform like the one you linked … I would tend to use one of the ones with more wires than the one you linked which would provide a more evenly supportive surface … especially with your higher weight. The one you linked would probably be “OK” for a mattress that had a polyfoam base layer but I would tend towards a version that was more evenly supportive. The foundation thread here has more information and links to some good quality and value foundations.

Hope this helps

Phoenix