DYI finalizing, including googledoc with all recommended Latex vendors with prices

[phoenix]

Hi SeanD,

If you are designing your own DIY mattress then you would either need to try and “duplicate” a mattress that you have tested locally where you know the type, firmness, and thickness of all the latex layers and the details of the cover (assuming you have access to the same materials in the same thickness and firmness levels and a similar cover), duplicate a “standard” design that is suggested by an online manufacturer or retailer, or you will need to go through the trial and error process to find the design that works best for you. I think the posts you’ve already read should have all the “theory” you will need to decide on your initial layering but as you know there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for me to make comfort suggestions or to use a formula to predict the specific layering that may work best for any particular person (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) so I leave comfort choices to each member’s own testing and/or experience or more detailed conversations with the retailers or manufacturers they are dealing with. Even the most experienced mattress designers are often surprised at the difference between how a mattress was “supposed” to feel and how it actually feels when they put all the layers and components together.

Of course once you have put your initial combination together and can provide some feedback and a reference point for how well a specific combination works for you then I’d be happy to make some general comments that may help you decide on any design changes you think may be necessary based on your actual experience or any “symptoms” you are experiencing on your mattress.

I would also take into account that ILD comparisons between different types and blends of latex may not be particularly accurate and ILD is only one of several specs that will determine the feel and performance of latex (see post #2 here).

Pheonix, do you happen to know anything more about these mattresses?

No … unfortunately Paramount isn’t particularly transparent about the specifics of the materials in their mattresses.

based on what I’ve read here (looking at other peoples’ preferences based on their stats), i feel like a PLB Nutrition would be very close to the design i would need/prefer. So I’m leaning towards 3" 19 ILD over 3" 28 ILD over 3" 36 ILD construction

While this would probably be “in the ballpark” of a combination that could work for you … they aren’t the same as the Nutrition. You can see the specs of the Nutrition here and they are a little different from what you listed (the top layer is Talalay GL fast response and is firmer than the second layer and the base layer is 6" thick not 3").

Is there a place where i can buy synthetic, continuous pour, dunlop layers in the higher ILDs at a good price? I can only seem to find these layers in very low ILDs (only 18-22 ILD from Spindle Mattress and 14-32 ILD from Nest Bedding, though Nest Bedding’s Cont. Pour Dunlop is the same price as most vendor’s molded Dunlop).

The only other place I’ve seen that sells the firmer Mountaintop synthetic Dunlop is Brooklyn Bedding which uses 4" zoned convoluted layers that are available in firmer versions but I’m not sure if they sell them separately other than as part of their Tri-Comfort mattress and the zoned convoluting would also change the feel and performance of the layers compared to a non convoluted layer. I would also take into account that the Mountaintop foam 25% ILD ratings may not compare well to other types of latex (either molded Dunlop or Talalay). I would also consider that 100% natural Dunlop has a higher compression modulus than synthetic latex which means it would be a more “supportive” material that may be more appropriate for support layers than the synthetic in some cases.

For the middle/transition layer I’m planning to go with a 100% natural talalaly latex layer (28 ILD) from Select Foam for $309 shipped.

I’m not so sure that their latex is 100% natural Talalay and I would confirm this and find out it’s actual firmness rating. If it’s rated as 28 ILD then it would almost certainly be blended Talalay (the rough equivalent in 100% natural Talalay would be Latex International’s N3 which would be somewhere in a range from 25 - 29 ILD).

As for covers, i do want a stretch-knit cover. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of options here. The Non Quilted, 4 Way Stretch Zipper Cover from SleepEZ seems to be the only stretchy cover option available that I’ve found. All of the other options from other vendors are quilted or have a non-stretch rayon backing. Am i wrong here?

I haven’t talked recently with the different vendors in the component post here about all the cover options they currently have available (websites are often not up to date) but the SleepEz cover would certainly be among the better options. Most of the others also carry unquilted covers as well as far as I know.

Thanks too for the spreadsheet although a quick scan indicated that there may be a few mistakes (I’ll have to check more carefully as I have the time available) and I also wouldn’t include some of the vendors you listed as reliable sources (Foam By Mail for example doesn’t sell Talalay latex even though they say they do and I also don’t believe that Foamforyou sells it either). I would also include the specifics of any exchange or return policy and whether they include a cover if I was making comparisons between different sources since that can be a significant part of the “value” of a purchase. The “value” of a purchase would also include the accuracy of the information and guidance you receive when you talk with each merchant and the selection they have available so I tend to avoid encouraging comparisons that are based on price alone and look more at the overall value of a purchase based on the parts of each person’s personal value equation that are most important to them (although of course price is always an important part of value).

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up choosing and of course your feedback about how well your design works for you once you sleep on it.

Phoenix