Going around in circles...

[phoenix]

Hi petshots,

Of the places in town, I do feel like the salesmen at the mattress liquidation are the most knowledgeable and forthcoming with information, compared to the other furniture stores, but I can tell they definitely have their “spin” on things to make a sale.

There are many salespeople that can be very helpful and good to deal with and even informative but if they don’t have knowledge of the actual quality of the materials in their mattresses then they have no idea of the quality and value of what they are selling and when they say “quality” it is just a word with little meaning.

To be honest, I don’t mind sacrificing some durability if we were only spending $7-800. But by some, I’d be hoping for 5-7 years of use, long enough to let my husband finish med school, when we would (hopefully) have the means to not have to choose to sacrifice anything because of affordability. My biggest fear is ending up back in the same position a year or two from now. I am also not opposed to making a mattress purchase online, provided I can really pinpoint how to fulfill our needs.

You can read a little more about the factors that are involved in the durability of a mattress in post #2 here. If there is a significant weak link in the mattress and you are “on the edge” of the mattress being too soft for you then in many cases the loss of comfort and support that comes from the softening of lower quality foams (which isn’t covered by any warranty) can lead to the need to replace the mattress quite quickly (sometimes less than a year). It all depends on how long the mattress remains suitable for your specific needs and preferences of an individual person and on how quickly the materials inside it change from their original specs.

I guess we need to try a latex mattress, but haven’t had luck finding any in town. Our ZIP is 83440. We are also possibly going to visit family a few hours away in a metro area next weekend, and thought we might be able to take advantage of the visit to try some things out then. The ZIP there is 84003.

Post #9 here has a list of some of the better options or possibilities in and around Idaho Falls which includes some that carry latex mattresses. Post #2 here has some of the better options in and around Salt Lake city. The most important part of dealing with any manufacturer or retailer though is to make sure that they will provide the details of every layer of a mattress that you are considering whether they are on a “list” or not.

IF we decide on a latex mattress, is there a density minimum that we should be looking for? Like the “no more than 1 inch of less than 5 lb/cf density foam” rule for memory foam?

With polyfoam and memory foam densety determines the quality so it’s an important “quality spec”. With latex … density is what determines the softness and firmness not the quality so it’s not important if you are testing mattresses locally. With latex what you would want to know is the type (either Dunlop or Talalay) and the blend of natural and synthetic latex. You can read a bit more about the different types of latex in this article. It’s not uncommon for a latex mattress to have other foams on top in the quilting layer and this is where i would make sure that there is no more than an inch or so of other materials above the latex. Once you have 2" or more of polyfoam or louer density memory foam above above the latex then it could become the 'weak link" of the mattress. The goal is always to minimize or eliminate the use of lower quality materials in the upper half of the mattress especially (which are the layers most subject to softening and degrading.

Also, what is the minimum density number for the HDF base layer we should stick to?

I would not go below 1.8 lb density in the support layers unless you are in a very low budget range below around $500.

Also, is there a height minimum for the comfort level that might be recommended for my husband’s size? For instance, is 3" of latex or memory foam enough, or should we look for much more to keep him from “bottoming out”?

There is a lot of information in the more detailed pages in the mattresses section of the site about different body types and sleeping positions and various types of mattress construction that can help give you some insights into this but it can be quite complex because every layer can affect the choice of every other layer in a mattress (in terms of both thickness and softness) and I would go by your personal testing not by “comfort specs”. With all the variables involved and different preferences there are no easy “formulas”. If you test objectively for pressure relief and support/alignment and it meets your needs and preferences then it’s “thick enough”. Getting overly involved in mattress design will more often than not end up taking the focus away from your own testing. It’s always the “quality specs” that are most important instead of “comfort specs”. Your body will tell you whether a mattress is suitable in terms of what I call PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) more accurately than any “comfort specs”.

And one more question: Is it hopeless to think we could find a mattress that truly meets both our sizes and needs? Or would it be wiser to look for two twin mattresses to put together on a king frame?

No … not at all. there are several ways to do this (some examples are in post #2 here) but again I wouldn’t get caught up in the technicalities of it other than to know that it can be done in several ways. With his heavier weight he will generally “feel” firmer foams as being softer than you will because he will sink into them more. Softness and firmness is always relative to the person. Connecting with more knowledgeable people who already have the knowledge and experience to help you so you don’t have to learn what they already know it is the “best” approach. Who you buy from can be more important than what you buy.

Phoenix