Help with my first DIY mattress build

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Good morning everyone/ I’m so glad I found this site! After a few weeks of testing beds at big box stores within my price range I decided to give DIY a try.

About me:

Usually fall asleep on my side and wake up on my back.

Age 69
Height 6’0
Weight 210lbs
BMI 28-29 depending if I don’t get carried away with bad stuff. Overall decent shape I exercise regularly with both cardio and resistance bands.

Rt. hip replacement 2.5 years ago
At some point will need a rt. knee replacement
Lumbar arthritis, I usually get out of bed very stiff and sore but once I’m up moving around I’m much better.

I tried the original Purple and Nectar which I didn’t think gave enough pressure point relief in my pelvis and not enough lumbar support. I tried the Original Casper HB which I liked. I felt decent lumbar support and less pressure on my hips/pelvis and shoulders on my back and side but only laid on it for 10 minutes or so. Seems there are some that state Casper sags after a short time and can’t afford to buy a new mattress every few years.

I’ve read through many posts and most articles on this site and have them very informative. Kudos to those who wrote the articles.

From what I’ve read I’m leaning towards a hybrid mattress.

I’ve looked at the trusted member links and things are a little confusing

Can ya’ll please help me with the build?

Should I be using a 6 or 8" coil system?

Combi-zone or quantum edge if going 8" I don’t see many options for 6"

I assume the 6" base foam from AMP would be standard.

I tend to sleep hot which is one reason why I’m staying away from memory foam.

This is where things get more confusing

The holy grail for me would be good support and pressure point relief

I see a number of trusted members offer Dunlop, Talalay, and a blend of both. I’m thinking 3" for a person my size. The question then is med or firm and which type of latex.

Is there a big difference between organic cotton and bamboo covers and which one do you think lasts longer?

Any other recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance

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To clarify blended Talalay latex is a blend of natural and synthetic latex, not a blend of Dunlop and Talalay. Most people find Talalay is better suited for a comfort layer than Dunlop, and I think 3" of a medium ILD ~28 would be a good match for you. Blended Talalay is a bit less expensive than all natural, some reports find blended more durable while some sleepers prefer the feel of all natural.

Hope that helps,

  • Bill
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Hi Nomad and welcome to TMU.
You and I are close to the same size and age ish. 6’ 218 63yo. I will just say I am not a big fan of the purples, nectar and caspers of the industry. I am bias and I admit it. I am a fan a better quality BinB’s (I own a couple and sleep on a king BinB for the first time beginning last year.) 80% side sleeper, fall asleep on the back, sleep on the side wake up on the stomach. I would suggest a pillow between your knees at some point, as I think that will provide you will additional comfort and stability.

You are correct in staying away from viscoelastic memory foam. It retains heat, you sink into it, but it does provide pressure relief. I think with the hip and knee problems it will foster addition knee and hip issues simply trying to get in and out the bed. My mattress is a 6" coil system but flippable. If you go single sided hybrid, either will be fine as long as they are a quality support coil, with a gauge in the 13’s. You can always look at a mattress or ask on of our trusted members (Our Manufacturer Memberships :: The Mattress Underground) to use a micro coil layer of an inch to inch and a half in the comfort layer for pressure relief rather than memory foam. As Bill mentioned talalay latex is a good option for the comfort layer in addition to a layer of micro coils if (mc) are desired. Bill correctly pointed out that dunlop and talalay are not mixed together as they are Methods of manufacturing the sap from the rubber tree. Like making a sponge cake vs a pound cake.

I would suggest you work with one of trusted members on making you a mattress that will match your preferences. There are some BinB’s I would recommend as many of us could, but querying a few members here might be a good first step. At 210, you could go with an all foam mattress, but I would work with some like Custom Sleep Technology and take a peek at his body profile matching (Talalay Latex Mattresses) there are others such as My Green Mattress. I am very partial to Brooklyn Bedding as I own two of them for the first time since last year, when I made that 1st dive into the BinB marketplace. If you are thinking talalay, I would suggest you look at the Brooklyn Bedding Plank Natural. I am quite certain one of trusted members could produce something quite the same. It just depends on the direction you want to go. As a BB owner, I am familiar with their CS and quality I have experienced and if you wanted additional information, I can message you.

Otherwise, I recommend you speak with some of the mentioned members or others that could custom make you something like (https://www.mattressmakers.com/) or someone in your area, although all the members ship anywhere in the USA.

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Although a great coil, the combi zone only works well with back or stomach sleepers. Side sleepers will have undo pressure on the hip that lines up with the zoning. We do carry a 6" Caliber Edge coil which might be the better choice based on your info. To go with it I would suggest 3" of Medium Talalay or better yet 2" of Soft and 2" of Medium just to add a little more cush but still retain good lumbar support. The Caliber Edge can be found on our DIYmattress.net site. Call me if you need to discuss any of the options I’ve suggested.