I’m near lafayette Indiana and was about to buy a firm innerspring fron Holder bedding. Their best foam is a 1.8lb polyfoam in the comfort layer. After a little more research, Tim at quality sleep is about 2.5 hrs away and makes a latex over innerspring matress that may be of better quality and value, the everlast pillowtop. My question is about the approximate durability of these two foams. I know latex is suppose to be more durable, but roughly how much more are we talking? I know it may be difficult quantify but I’m trying to decide if it’s worth the drive. Holder has no latex to use in their matresses. If I’m going to spend this kind of money, I want the most durable matress I can get (best value). Any input will be appreciated.
This mattress does not sound flippable if it has a pillow top built in. If I were you, buy a flippable mattress and get a separate pillow top that goes over it so you can get maximum longevity. The pillow top portion of these mattresses is the weak link and will have premature failure when compared to the rest of the components in the mattress. Unfortunately, since the pillow top is built into the mattress you cannot replace that portion and have to throw away the whole sleep set. If you like the feel of a pillow top get a non pillow top mattress than buy a separate pillow top unit that can go over your mattress. That way when the pillow top starts to fail you are not replacing the entire sleep set (mattress/box spring). I was burned not to long ago with pillow top mattress that only lasted 4 years. I learned my lesson and will only buy a flippable mattress and separate pillow top going forward.
There is no perfect foam that will not change over time, and as dan87951 said, if you can’t flip it, you will feel where you have been sleeping. The softening and compression of foams is inevitable. Poly foam, whether memory foam, or standard poly foam will compress 10-25% over the first five years, in that sort of density (rate depends on your body weight, and rotation and flipping schedule). The bulk of that wear and tear will happen in the first six months (break in period).
As someone who designs mattresses, it is important to know how those materials will change over time. Every bed will feel good on day one, but the real value comes when it still feels good, 6 months, 6 years, or 16 years down the road. dan87951 really has it figured out. Two sided mattresses really do stay comfortable longer. Latex foam rubber, depending upon its formulation, and manufacturing can be more consistent over time too. Cost is greater when using latex foam; but that front end cost can pay for itself when the mattress stays flatter longer. However, if you get a one sided bed with latex, you will still be subject to softening where you sleep over time as well. Flipping and rotating is the only thing that can keep the wear consistent. Consumer report has had to revise the time period they suggest replacing your mattress down to 5-7 years as mattress manufacturers have trended toward mattress that can’t be flipped.
The average age of mattresses we take away from customers homes is ~4 years on memory foam and one sided beds. It is over 12 years on two sided products.
Hi Kmfl98,
Durability is very complex subject and is difficult to quantify because there are so many variables involved but you can read more about the many factors that can make a difference in mattress durability post #4 here and the posts it links to. As you can see … how long a mattress will last is not as much about the complete breakdown of a material but more about the ongoing softening and gradual breakdown which finally reaches a point where the comfort and support of a mattress no longer is suitable for the person sleeping on it. In other words … durability is relative and dependent on the person as much as the quality of the materials and the design of the mattress. Someone who chooses a mattress that is “on the edge” of being too soft for them for example may find that the mattress doesn’t even last beyond the initial break in period of the foam before the comfort and support is no longer suitable for them while for someone else that is more in the middle of the range where a mattress is suitable for them may find that same mattress would last for many years.
1.8 lb polyfoam is a higher quality and more durable foam than you would usually find in a mattress and in a suitable two sided construction (where the layers are not too thick) can last for a long time (if you flip the mattress regularly) but it still wouldn’t be as durable as a well constructed one sided latex mattress IMO which is a significantly more durable material … again depending on the softness of the latex which will also affect its durability.
When you are in the range of HR polyfoam (2.5 lbs and higher) then the durability begins to approach latex in a more “apples to apples” comparison although latex would still come out ahead.
The durability of a pillowtop also depends on the quality of the foam inside the pillowtop but in most cases because the pillowtop is one sided, has thicker layers (which increases the negative effect of foam softening) and because they typically use materials that are less durable (typically low or mid density polyfoam in the major brands) … they would be significantly less durable for most people than either a two sided mattress that used thinner layers of the same or even lower quality/density foam or a pillowtop that used latex.
I think it would be realistic to expect that a two sided construction would increase the lifespan of a mattress by 2/3 over a similar one sided construction and perhaps more (although it won’t be double). You can see an example in the PS: of post #2 here of a manufacturer that I highly respect that makes some two sided mattresses that use 1.5 lb polyfoam and his "reasonable expectation (and he has been in business for decades so this is not just empty words) is that it will last “on average” about 10 - 12 years. 1.8 lb polyfoam would be a little higher in the same construction and design but also more costly.
Hope this … and some of the great earlier comments … are helpful.
Phoenix