I have read all your useful information on latex mattresses and yet I still need some advice. :unsure:
I am female, 120 lbs, and futons have become too hard for me despite having used them for 35 years. So, I am looking at purchasing a queen latex mattress to place on my slatted bed frame. I live in Vancouver, BC and the choices here are rather limited unless you can afford a $3000 pure latex bed. Ideally, the less toxic materials, the better.
I followed up on the suggestions for the Ikea Sultan Edsele from other posts on this forum. It is made with the Dunlop method, a single 6 inch piece of blended 85% natural latex, 15% synthetic latex, a 1inch cotton/wool cover, well put-together, even comes with handles (useful since you need to rotate them at times and latex is heavy). The price is $900 CDN,(with 12% taxes: $1010 plus $70 delivery, total $1080) also reasonable. My only issue was that it was too firm for me.
My other option is at Majestic Sit and Sleep: the Allegro (formerly called the Cloud 9) mattress. It is composed of 4 times 2 inch layers of Talalay method latex, 2 firm layers on the bottom, 1 medium and a soft layer on top, then a cotton ticking with a thin poly/cotton blend inside the cover. This one feels very comfortable to me. My concern is that it is composed of 70% synthetic latex and only 30% natural. It is on sale for the next few days only for $1325 CDN (including 12% taxes, free delivery). Regular price adds 20%, which puts me past my budget.
Ikea does sell some pillow-tops but they are all foam types. Would a 2" Talalay top be enough make it softer? I have not found any yet. Does a pillow-top have a tendency to shift on the bed?
As for the Allegro, how toxic is it to sleep on such a high % of synthetic Talalay? Should I be concerned?
Thanks in advance for any advice or experience with the products mentioned. Open to any other options available in the Vancouver area.
The most important first step you can take is to find the best and most knowledgeable manufacturers or outlets and only then start thinking about the mattress. They will have the expertise and knowledge that it would take you years to learn and if they are “on your side” … then you don’t have to learn anything expect the basics (reading the overviews in the mattresses section will help you ask better questions and better understand the answers).
When you have choices between 2 or 3 better outlets … then between them and other online outlets for reference purposes it’s fairly easy to make value comparisons and choose between them. You would then be choosing between “good and good”.
The more they know and are “on your side” … the less you have to learn and this is by far the simplest way to buy a mattress. In person testing with the help of an “expert” is far more accurate than going by your personal specs or the specs of a mattress or wondering about “theoretical” questions that only your personal experience can really answer.
Blended Talalay is just as safe and has the same certification as natural talalay latex. they are both very safe materials and softer blended talalay has the advantage of being less costly and more durable than the softer natural talalay.
This is too general and subjective a question to really be answered with any accuracy because the only accurate answer is “it depends”. Only your own experience can really answer it in other words. A 2" topper though … depending on the ILD … will certainly make a mattress softer. Whether that was enough would depend on many factors including the ILD of the topper and what the makeup of the mattress under it but mostly how far away from your ideal the base mattress was. these types of uncertainties and trying to answer these types of questions based on “theory at a distance” will lead to more frustration and confusion though. It’s always best to find the local people that can best help you and then they can see how you respond to various mattresses and layering in real time and with their own eyes.
You have some quite a few good choices in the Vancouver area besides the ones you mentioned and many of the better ones are listed in post #2 here.
If I was in your shoes … I would learn the basics and then forget the “specs” and focus on your personal testing and on what your body tells you with the help of someone who has your best interests at heart. Phone all the outlets first to talk with them and ask them questions and then pay the ones that you best connect with a visit. You will bypass most of the frustration and uncertainty that way
It was almost 2 years ago exactly that I was looking into purchasing a Queen Latex mattress, which I did do and it has lived up to all expectations!
However, I cannot get used to the height of it. To explain, it is only 9 inches in height, which is actually less than most box spring mattresses but I have slept on futons half that height for most of my life and I can’t get used to being that distance away from the floor for sleeping.
So, I am posting this in case anyone would be interested in purchasing it. Excellent quality and fabulous condition, still under warrantee, always used with a mattress cover. I can be reached by email: (to be added back in when the member posts the specs of the mattress)
If you can post the specs of your mattress (see the rules for a “for sale” listing here) and the price you are asking then I can switch your post to a new topic with the name of the mattress and put a “For Sale” in the title (and add your email back in as well).
I’m assuming it was one of the mattresses you mentioned here?
Depending on what you currently have underneath it … there may also be some options that can lower the height of your sleeping surface as well.
That would be great. I did not even know you had a for sale section and yes it was one of the ones I had been considering originally. Here are the details of the mattress and yes, please add my original email explaining why I would like to sell it.
For sale:
Queen size Latex mattress, 2 firm layers on the bottom, 1 medium in the center and a soft layer on the top.
Excellent quality and condition, under warranty, covered entirely with organic cotton ticking. Always used with a mattress cover pad.
Downtown Vancouver area. Purchased only 2 years ago for $1250, will sell for half price of $625.
Please email: [email protected]
There isn’t a separate “for sale” section but I do allow “for sale” topics that are mixed in with the other topics if a member has prior history on the forum and they provide all the specific details of their mattress.
I’m still not clear on the specifics of your mattress (type and blend of latex and the other information in this article) or which model you are selling (neither one of the choices I linked before had 4 layers). If you can edit your original post with all the specifics of the mattress you are selling then I’d be happy to switch it to a new “for sale” topic.
For sale:
Queen size blended Talalay Latex mattress, 2 firm layers on the bottom, 1 medium in the center and a soft layer on the top. It is blended talalay latex and is zoned.
Excellent quality and condition, covered entirely with organic cotton ticking. Always used with a mattress cover pad.
It was almost 2 years ago exactly that I was looking into purchasing a Queen Latex mattress, which I did do and it has lived up to all expectations!
However, I cannot get used to the height of it. To explain, it is only 9 inches in height, which is actually less than most box spring mattresses but I have slept on futons half that height for most of my life and I can’t get used to being that distance away from the floor for sleeping.
Downtown Vancouver area. Purchased only 2 years ago for $1250, will sell for half price of $625.
Please email: [email protected]
I think you may mean your original forum post here on July 5th, 2012 because I don’t think you ever sent me an email.
All 4 layers are blended Talalay that is about 30% natural and 70% synthetic latex but there isn’t any Dunlop latex in the mattress.
I’ve edited your last post to show the correct description and I’ll will switch it and this reply to a new "FOR SALE: topic.
I should also add that a mattress warranty only applies to the original purchaser … not to a subsequent purchase and any used mattress won’t have a factory warranty (you can see the terms of the warranty here)
Just as an additional note as well it may be worth considering a low profile foundation on top of your bedframe or using the mattress directly on a bedframe (if it has a suitable slatted surface) or even something like the bed rug here to use under your mattress directly on the floor if the height of your mattress is your only issue.
, [quote=“Julie”]
it is only 9 inches in height,
[/quote]
Hi Julie,
We sell the Nature’s Embrace line of Latex Mattresses. The Allegro comes in 8 or 10 inches thick, they do not have a 9 inch model. Was it something they offered 2 years ago when you bought this mattress?
