Final Check before purchase: DIY Latex Build

Mattress Talk
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Hello everyone,

I’ve been doing extensive research on building my own latex mattress and I’ve come up with this layered configuration. I would really appreciate any advice or experiences before I commit to buying the components.

Our Sleep Profiles:

  • Me: 150 lbs, Exclusive Side Sleeper
  • Wife :125 lbs, Side and Back Sleeper

The Planned 11-Inch Build (Top to Bottom):

Layer Type Material/Thickness ILD Rating Function
Comfort 3" Talalay ~19 ILD Primary Pressure Relief
Transition 2" Talalay ~28 ILD Gradual Firmness Change
Core Layer 1 3" Dunlop ~35 ILD Deep Support
Core Layer 2 3" Dunlop ~35 ILD Base Foundation/Support

My Main Questions:

  • Should the transition layer be 2 inch or 3 inch?
  • Should core layer 2 be 45 ILD?
  • How will the above build feel: Soft (but not too soft) or Medium (on the softer side)?
  • Overall Structural Assessment: Given our respective weights (150 lb side sleeper; 125 lb side/back sleeper) and our need for both pressure relief and support, is this layered build structurally or overall correct and well-balanced?

Any feedback would be extremely helpful!

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Should be a nice build for you. Feel is fairly subjective, but I’d say this will likely feel soft and supportive for the heavier partner, and close to medium for the lighter partner.

At your respective weights, you probably don’t need two firm support layers. If you want it for the height or whatever, it won’t hurt anything though. I’d probably go with 3” each on the medium and soft Talalay. These are minor quibbles though the build you have proposed is nice as-is and should give you some flexibility to tweak it as needed.

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Hey SnoozeSensei.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum :smiley:

Your proposed build looks really solid, and cmyoung19 gave some great feedback as well.

I agree that you may have one more layer than you possibly need here - you could play with the config and try all 4 layers, the 2 core layers and the comfort layer, or the comfort + transition + one core layer.

That’s the beauty in a DIY! If the imagined configuration doesn’t hit it out of the ball park, the ability to swap out layers will get you there eventually.

NikkiTMU

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Thank you for your expert insight. I have adjusted my build based on your feedback.

I am now planning to increase the transition layer to 3" and drop one core layer. The total height of the layers will be 9".

Final Layer Build (9" Total)

  • Comfort Layer:    3" Talalay (~ 19 ILD)

  • Transition Layer:  3" Talalay (~ 28 ILD)

  • Core Layer:        3" Dunlop (~ 35 ILD)

For my understanding, what impact does changing the transition layer from 2 inches to 3 inches have on spinal alignment?

I initially thought given our weights, a 3-inch transition layer might limit the extent to which the firm core layer is engaged, and a 2-inch transition layer would engage the core layer a little bit more, causing better spinal alignment.