Hi All,
Just wanted to get a recommendation of how I can work my layers to get the comfort I need. I currently have a blended Talalay mattress 9 inches (3X3 config) with the following layering: med/firm/med. The bed is decent but feels a little firm some day (slight back stiffness). I tried firm/med/med but it was too soft. I wanted to try a combo of Talalay with Dunlop support layers for a different feel.
I recently picked up a 3 inch medium 100 natural Dunlop layer from foamorder.com. Certified Organic Latex Mattress Topper | FoamOrder
The ILD they have listed for their medium is 24-28 so just barely a medium from a density standpoint from what I understand (possibly a soft-med?). If I were to purchase a firm Dunlop layer from foamorder.com (ILD 30-35) would the following layering be comparable to a firm/med/med in Talalay:
top - Talalay ILD 30-32
middle - Dunlop ILD 24-28
bottom - Dunlop ILD 30-36
Thanks so much in advance!
Hi ps9915,
ILD/IFD is only one of several specs that makes one material feel softer or firmer than another (see post #4 here) and the ILD or IFD of different materials or different types and blends of latex may not be directly comparable to each other (see post #6 here) so how closely your proposed layering compares to your previous layering would depend on how closely all of the layers compare to the layers they are replacing…
If the actual ILD of a Dunlop layer is the same as the ILD of a Talalay layer and they were both measured accurately using the same method of testing ILD then it’s likely that the Dunlop layer would feel a little firmer to most people (a good ballpark would be about 4 ILD firmer).
There is also more about how Dunlop compares to Talalay in post #7 here and in addition to any differences in actual firmness they will also have a different “feel” which may also affect how some people rate them in terms of firmness as well.
Foamorder would be more familiar with the specific firmness of their layers than I am and they would be a better source of guidance about how their layers would compare with the ILD of the Talalay layers you are replacing.
Since this is the same layer as you are currently using it would feel the same.
This would depend on whether the actual ILD was closer to 24 or to 28. If it was closer to 28 it would likely be “similar” to a 30 - 32 ILD layer of Talalay and if the actual ILD was closer to 24 it would probably feel a little softer.
Deeper layers will have less effect on the feel and firmness of the mattress “as a whole” than layers that are closer to the sleeping surface but if you add about 4 ILD to this layer you would have a rough comparison to the Talalay ILD you are replacing (which I don’t know) so once again it would depend on whether the layer was closer to 30 ILD or 36 ILD. This is also assuming that you would feel relatively small differences in a bottom layer.
This would give you a way to compare them “in theory” but the “bottom line” is that the only way to know for certain how it will compare to the current layers you are sleeping on and how well you will sleep on the new layering will be based on your own experience because some people may be more sensitive and notice differences that may not be noticeable to others.
Phoenix
Thanks for the quick reply Phoenix!
Its a big help to get the clarification on the Dunlop ranges and what they mean. I spoke to Foamorder.com and unfortunately they could not give me a lot of guidance with layering. I want to buy another Dunlop layer from them to keep the 2 Dunlop layers the same brand.
My firm layer is ILD 36-38. A N35 Dunlop layer should be close to this I believe.
Another thought is I can always buy the N35 Dunlop layer and place it on the bottom. If I find the mattress is too soft I can move it up to the second position to firm things up. This is what I have done with my Talalay mattress but its a little too firm.
In general, you only want to keep the Dunlop layers on the bottom of the mattress correct? A few retailers I have spoke to have said you can mix and match Dunlop and Talalay in any position of a mattress and it should not make to much of a difference. This does not make sense to me because I have heard the Dunlop acts differently than Talalay so its better to keep the Dunlop layers on the bottom together correct?
Thanks again!
Hi ps9915,
Again … how closely it compares will depend on where in the firmness range your new layer falls in.
This would certainly be worthwhile trying and using a firm layer on the bottom vs a medium would firm up your mattress a little “in theory” but bottom layers will have less effect on what you feel that layers that are closer to the top of the mattress (although it may make more difference in how you feel when you wake up in the morning after sleeping on the mattress over the course of the night).
In a mattress that uses mixed layering then using Dunlop for the bottom one or two layers and using the Talalay in the top layers is a much more common layering combination because more people will tend to prefer it because of the more “supportive” and less resilient feeling of Dunlop and using the Dunlop on top of the Talalay can reduce the more springy and resilient feel of the Talalay and in some cases may feel somewhat odd but your own personal experience will always “trump” any theory so if for some reason you were to find that you prefer a combination that used Dunlop on the top and the Talalay deeper in the mattress then I would go by your own experience because outside of how it feels to you there is no inherent reason not to use any combination that you prefer.
Phoenix