I am in need of a new bed and have a fairly unique problem, I am well over 7ft tall and therefore need my bed a little longer than is commonly available. Unfortunately, I am not a filthy rich NBA player and would like to DIY as much as possible. I would like to keep costs reasonable but I also subscribe to the pay once, cry once philosophy when applicable.
As far as size goes, I would like to have an extended sized king bed. A normal king is 76 by 80 inches and I would like my bed to be 96 inches long (8 feet).
Considering all that, I will need a mattress that is 76" x 96" and the only way to get to that length is to buy a king mattress and glue on a single or similar sized piece of foam/latex. Does that sound right? Any idea if i could get a single piece of foam/latex in that size without gluing?
The next question is foam or latex. I like my mattress firm and so does my wife and we both dislike memory foam. Currently I have a foam mattress, not latex, but would consider either one. I suppose latex would be preferable if the cost difference stays reasonable.
Any helpful pointers? Tips, tricks, sources and ideas?
[quote]As far as size goes, I would like to have an extended sized king bed. A normal king is 76 by 80 inches and I would like my bed to be 96 inches long (8 feet).
Considering all that, I will need a mattress that is 76" x 96" and the only way to get to that length is to buy a king mattress and glue on a single or similar sized piece of foam/latex. Does that sound right? Any idea if i could get a single piece of foam/latex in that size without gluing?[/quote]
The simplest way to buy a mattress in the custom size you need would be to talk with a manufacturer that can make custom sizes. This way you could test the mattress you were buying in a king size first to make sure that it’s a good “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) before buying it because there are generally no returns on custom sizes.
If you were to buy a king size mattress and add a “piece” to it you would need to first remove the cover, make a new custom “piece” to attach to one end that was made up of exactly the same foam layers as the layers in the mattress (and it may be difficult to identify exactly what the layers are or to find the same materials), glue the “piece” to the end so that it matches exactly, and then have a new custom size cover made for you that would fit your new mattress to “finish” the mattress. You won’t be able to find a latex layer in that size and you probably won’t be able to find a polyfoam layer in that size either so you would need to glue pieces together.
If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own mattress out of separate components and a separate cover then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project … the best approach to a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).
The choice of materials (polyfoam or latex or a combination of both) would be both a budget and a preference choice. While all the versions of latex you are likely to come across will be a good quality and durable material relative to other types of foam, if you decide to use polyfoam in your mattress then I would make sure that it’s a suitable quality/density version (see the guidelines here).
If you decide to take on the challenge of a DIY mattress then I would either use the same type of materials with the same specs (if they are available) of a mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP as a reference point or use a “bottom up” approach (see post #2 here).
[quote=“Seven” post=51164]Any idea if i could get a single piece of foam/latex in that size without gluing?
[/quote]
If you are going the DIY approach, you could experiment with the feel of not gluing the two pieces together if you simply didn’t glue them together. While the longest a latex foam is poured is 80", you could compromise the length if you turned two fulls side by side (54" x 75" times 2 = 108" x 75"). Then you could cut down the one full the 8" yourself. If you did end up gluing the latex together, ClearCo 444 is an excellent spray foam adhesive that is technically low VOC.
The seam will not be hard, though depending on which manufacturer glues it, you may have a raised bead of glue striping the latex. I would call a manufacturer to ask what the glue line looks like on their foam. They all glue California Kings. .If you spray the yourself, it will be neither hard nor raised if you over glue, just sticky.
Either way, if you put the seam down by your legs instead of body, I doubt you will notice it unless you consciously run your hand over it.
I would add a “ditto” to diynaturalbedding’s comments.
The only other thing that may be worth considering if you go to a DIY construction is to let your foam supplier know what you are doing and ask them to “match” the two layers you are combining together as closely as possible in terms of firmness because some types of latex (such as Dunlop) can have a wider firmness variation between layers that are rated the same than others although as Deborah mentioned it’s unlikely you would feel smaller variations (either glued or unglued) especially if the cut line was closer to the foot end of your mattress.
Your biggest challenge will be finding a suitable cover that will be the right size for your mattress because it will need to be custom made although many component suppliers or mattress manufacturers (including Diynaturalbedding I believe) can make custom sizes.