It seem like for decades 6" was enough but now that’s merely a base and then you have several 2-3" layers of additional latex foam. Would a 6" ‘base’ suffice for a lighter weight person?
I’m 5.8 and 108lbs so I feel like 9", 10", or thicker mattresses might be a waste.
I also always thought as a lighter person I needed a soft plush mattress. So I’ve gone with several memory foam mattress but they are terrible. I sleep hot and they worsen the problem. It turns out that firmer mattresses result in better sleep even if they aren’t more comfortable.
I’m looking at a cheaper queen sized mattress to use for the next 18-20 months. I’ll be moving back east after this period and I don’t intend to take it along with me. I was looking at the SleepEZ Roma as it offers two firmness levels. But I’m concerned with the 1.5" quilting and if it retains heat.
I’m also wondering if I could just purchase 6" Dunlop ILD29 mattress or bare foam. If I find it too firm or too soft then I could always add a 2" Dunlop or Talalay topper. Does any place sell just a 6" medium/medium-firm latex foam or mattress without adding or quilting?
Hi Solege and thank you so much for reaching out! Normally anything less than 9" of latex is a bit firmer than what the average person prefers. However, if you’ve tried 6" mattresses before and find you can achieve the right combination of contour and support, then you’re certainly welcome to it. You’re idea of starting with two 3" layers then adding a 2" topper if needed makes sense. Depending on which company you purchase the layers from, this would give you the option to rearrange the layers or exchange a layer if needed to get the comfort level dialed in. For example, if you purchase one medium and one firm Dunlop layer from our sister company latex Mattress Factory and find that it’s too firm, they’ll send you another medium layer for exchange for just $45 as long as it’s done within the first 30 days. Conversely, if you start with that and it’s too soft, you could unzip the cover and put the firm layer on top and the medium in the middle to increase the firmness.
Aside from that, our Roma mattress is an outstanding value and actually has the lowest return rate of all the mattresses we carry, so that would likely be a great choice for you. One side of the Roma is “medium-plush” and is ideal for anyone under 180 pounds. The other side of the Roma is “firm-plush” and is perfect for anyone between about 180 -230 pounds. We have tons of 5 star reviews on the Roma and none of them mention that they think the mattress sleeps hot. Additionally, I’ve been running our customer service department for 4 years now and haven’t heard one complaint about the mattress sleeping hot, so I don’t think that’s a problem you can expect to encounter on the Roma. Latex is an open-celled, naturally-breathable product and I’m confident you won’t have the same problems with the Roma or a DIY latex mattress that you did with your previous memory foam mattresses.
Hey Solage, I would like to chime in and also give a plug for the Roma. It’s a great, frigging mattress! And I find that the plush side is perfect for me! And you can’t get a better price either. Especially now when they are running a sale. I mean, where else can you get a great latex matress that meets the needs of about 95% of the population and it costs less than a thousand dollars? It is a great mattress. I, like you, was blown away by all of the choices when I first started looking. But I did finally decide on the 9 inch Roma. And it is perfect for my needs right now.
Hi mdgail1 and thank you so much for the order and thank you for the feedback as well! I’m very glad to hear we were able to help provide you with the perfect mattress! If there’s anything else we can do for you please don’t hesitate to ask, we’re always happy to help!
Hi, Since Ken at Arizona Premium Mattresses didn’t reply to this, I thought I’d mention that he sells a 6" Dunlop ‘core’ that might be what you are looking for. He offers it in Soft, Medium and Firm in Twin, Twin XL and Queen sizes. Go to the DIY Components section of his website.
Hi billbillw, thanks for the input but please keep in mind that the Mattress Underground founders asked that experts only respond to posts in their respective forums. This keeps the forum from turning into a sales-driven platform and keeps us from jumping in on other experts forums, and keeps them from jumping in on our forums. The goal really is to keep the Mattress Underground forum as a place to get unbiased informed to help customers make the most informed decision possible. As such, that’s why Arizona Premium hasn’t jumped in on this post.
Aside from that, I always recommend two 3" layers over a 6" core, mostly because two 3" layers are easier to manage than a 6" core, and having two 3" layers offers more adjustability than a 6" core.
I have the same question myself, but I am much heavier than the original poster.
I am about 6’ 2" and roughly 240lbs.
I need a new mattress for an adjustable base. I cannot sleep laying flat. I have to sleep at about a 45 degree angle (or more).
The memory foam pillow I have makes me very hot so I plan to get a latex or latex hybrid mattress.
I need a full sized mattress and am thinking somewhere around medium or medium firm. I have a soft pillow top mattress that I can’t sleep on because it hurts my lower back, but I don’t want to go too firm either.
I’ve been researching all the companies here and I like a number of the latex beds offered. I’m having trouble narrowing it down.
However, one comapny’s (Can’t remember which) sleep quiz did not recommend that I purchase their 9" latex mattress because I was too heavy for it.
Am I too heavy for a latex hybrid mattress? Most seem to have 8" coils with a 3" latex topper. Do I need more than 3" of latex on top of the coils due to my weight?
Also, I see some hybrid mattresses have a layer of base foam beneath the pocket coils, and some have no support under the pocket coils. The coils just sit on the mattress cover or a thin layer of wool.
Do the coils need any type of support? Why do some have a foam support layer underneath the coils and others don’t? Will one last longer or be more supportive than the other? Or does it not make much difference?
Hey Mike, I’m not an expert by any means but I would encourage you to look at some of the documents supplied by the mattress underground. Also, one thing that you said alarmed me. You said you need a full sized mattress. At your height, a king sized mattress seems more appropriate. I only know this from personal experience as I am 5’9" and I find that a full sized mattress is barely ok for me but my queen sized mattress is just right.
Thanks for the reply! I’m already sleeping on a full sized mattress now so I’m not worried about that. Plus I already ordered the adjustable base frame for a full sized mattress.
Yes, I found a thread (simplified mattress choices) with a lot of the mattress specs and weight recommendations in it so that was very helpful.
Some of the trustee members mattress specs were not on that page though, so I’m still searching for answers to some of my above questions.
I’d like to start my own thread to describe my situation and ask questions but I don’t see an option that would allow me to start a thread. I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t made enough posts on this forum yet?
Hi Mike and thanks for reaching out! 9" of latex (which would be our 10" mattress) is just fine for anyone under 300 pounds, so no worries there. A latex and coil hybrid normally has a weight limit of about 250 pounds, so you’re right on the cusp of where the Hybrid should work just fine for you. We include 2" of latex and an inch of wool on the bottom panel of our hybrid because this allows you to flip the mattress over to the firmer side if you try the softer side and find that it’s too soft for you. Other companies use 1" or 2" of polyfoam or latex at the bottom of the mattress to keep the coils from digging into the mattress cover over time. Other companies don’t put any foam between the coils and the latex to save money or because they’ve deemed it unnecessary.
If you were to choose an all latex mattress, I would absolutely recommend medium Talalay over medium Dunlop over firm Dunlop. For someone at your height and weight this will feel like a “medium” mattress. If you were under 6 feet tall, I would probably recommend medium/firm/firm, but since you’re taller your 240 pounds is distributed over a larger area, so medium/medium/firm should be just fine for you. The 3" of medium Talalay will ensure you get all the contour and pressure relief needed to avoid any hop pain or shoulder pain, and the medium and firm Dunlop layers will ensure you get all the support needed to maintain proper spinal alignment and avoid back pain. If you sleep on that setup and find that it’s too soft or you’re getting back pain, the first change I would recommend would be to unzip the cover and rearrange the mattress to medium/firm/medium. This will retain all the contour and pressure relief you’re getting from the medium Talalay layer but will add more support and make for a much firmer feel because the firm layer is closer to the surface. If that’s still too soft, you can put the medium Dunlop on top and medium Talalay on the bottom (with the firm layer in the middle) or you can go so far as to put the firm layer on top. You would also have the option to request a layer exchange within the first 90 days, so we could send you another firm layer or an extra firm layer so you can try medium/firm/firm or medium/firm/extra firm. Please keep in mind that our initial recommendations have a 90% - 96% success rate, so there’s an outstanding chance that the above recommendation works perfectly for you.
Ok, so I measured and weighed myself just to be sure. I’m actually closer to 6’ tall (about 6’ and 1/2 inch) and 250lbs. Would you still recommend the medium/medium/firm? Or would you go with the medium/firm/firm?
As I said, seeing as I’ll be somewhat sitting up on the mattress I don’t want it too firm, but I know my (expensive) soft pillow top mattress hurt my back so I don’t want to go too soft either.
Would you recommend the full latex over the hybrid? Is there a big difference in the way each mattress feels to lay on?
Thanks again for all your help.
Mdgail - you have me a bit nervous that the full sized mattress won’t be long enough for me now. I never really gave it a thought that I sleep propped up against the headboard on my full sized mattress so I don’t use the full length. But I did try laying flat on it and I do fit, but with about 3 inches to spare. I’m hoping when I have the bed inclined that my feet won’t hang off the end. I was considering the Twin XL but decided to go with the full size for the extra width. The space where my bed goes won’t allow for a queen sized so my options were limited.
I’m ok with my feet coming to the edge of the bed because I won’t have a footboard. But I don’t want them hanging off the end. Hoping it won’t be an issue…
At 6’ tall I would still recommend medium/medium/firm. Whenever someone is on the fence between a softer and firmer configuration, I always recommend that they err on the softer side because it’s always easier to make a mattress firmer than it is to make it softer. If you start with medium/medium/firm and find that it’s too soft, you would just unzip the cover and move the firm layer to the middle or even the top of the mattress. If you start with medium/firm/firm and find that it’s too firm, that would require a layer exchange which is a bit more work and would cost $30.
Our Hybrid is an enclosed mattress that quilted on both sides and is adjusted by flipping it, and the Select Sleep mattress has a zippered cover that is adjusted by unzipping the cover and rearranging the layers. Aside from that, the Select Sleep line is fully customizable and fully adjustable. So you can customize the mattress before purchasing so that it’s as soft as you’d like, as firm as you’d like, has as much contour and pressure relief as you’d like, has as much support for your back as you’d like, etc., whereas the Hybrid has limited options for customizing the mattress. Furthermore, if you start with a certain setup and find that it’s too soft, you can unzip the cover and rearrange the layers to get a firmer feel out of the mattress, or you can exchange a layer to make it softer. Additionally, latex mattresses typically last 20 years. If, in 5 or 10 or 15 years you decide you want a softer or firmer mattress you would only have to buy a new layer instead of an entirely new mattress. Aside from that, the Hybrid has a bouncier and springier feel, and feels more similar to a traditional spring mattress. The Hybrid is an outstanding value and has an incredibly low return rate (all of our mattresses do, actually), and is ideal for people that already know they prefer the feel of a mattress with springs in it. The choice between the Select Sleep line and the Hybrid is really a matter of preference and budget, but the short-term and long-term adjustability that the Select Sleep line offers outweighs the savings that the Hybrid offers, in my opinion, but it’s your mattress and whatever you prefer is perfectly fine with us!.
We also have what is called the 360 Hybrid, which is just like the regular Hybrid except it comes with the option to customize the top layer. So you can change the top 3" to Talalay instead of the Dunlop that comes standard in the mattress, and you can request that your half of the top layer is medium and her side of the top layer is soft. The 360 Hybrid also comes with the option to exchange one or both halves of the top layer within the first 90 days for the same $30 layer exchange fee for the first exchange.