Is 6cm latex enough for a latex hybrid?

Hello to the good people here at Mattress Underground, i am looking for opinion on whether a 6cm latex will be enough for us? We are 180lbs and 130lbs, side sleeper and back sleeper mostly.

Here is the construction of the mattress:

  • Top cover: Zipper top, knitted fabric with quilted top (1cm Polyfiber + 1cm Foam*unsure of density)
  • Comfort layer: 3cm Latex Dunlop (65D) + 3cm Latex Dunlop (75D) *Either 65D or 75D can be interchangeable to top layer to adjust the firmness of the mattress
  • Support layer: 17cm Pocket Coils (14 Gauge)

Also, is edge support coils necessary for this build?

Thank you!

Hi Dustyy,
Welcome to TMU,
It appears you are looking for a softer feel. Will you be using a base foam under the coils as well? You might be better served with an inch or 3cm under you support coils. At your weight the 14g coils should provide enough support to the edge. I am wondering if your top layer of your comfort layer will be supportive enough though. You 3cm 75d medium density is going to basically transition you from the coil to the foam and the comfort is going to come from the 3cm of soft 65d, which i think should be a bit thicker to have some meaning. I guess it depends on what feel you are ultimately trying to achieve. In my mind, this is going to feel like a med- med/soft setup. @ 130lbs sure, @180, i think you need tad more support with 2in of that upper 65d layer. Curious to see how others would view it. I think a dense base layer will tighten up the support of the entire set up. Keep in mind that 2 -3cm layers at either 65d or 75d will not have the same feel as 1 6cm layer, the two separate layers will be a bit softer feeling, as dunlop tends to become denser the more deeply you compress a single piece, and since each piece is only about an inch thick, it will have a softer feel overall.

Hello batmannorm,

Really appreciate your detailed opinion. Would you be kind enough to recommend a base layer that would be suitable? In terms of it’s foam material, density and thickness.

Also yes, we are trying to achieve a med-med/soft setup. I see that your opinion of a 3cm 65D comfort layer should be thicker to achieve better support. If so, would you kindly help to review if something like this would work better? We would like to keep our latex layer under 3inches total to save costs.

  • Top cover: Zipper top, knitted fabric with quilted top (1cm Polyfiber + 1cm Foam*unsure of density)
  • Comfort layer: 4cm Latex (65D)
  • Transition layer: 3cm Latex (75D)
  • Support layer: 17cm Pocket Coil (14 Gauge)
  • Base foam: …

or

  • Top cover: Zipper top, knitted fabric with quilted top (1cm Polyfiber + 1cm Foam*unsure of density)
  • Comfort layer: 5cm Latex (65D)
  • Transition layer: 2cm Latex (75D)
  • Support layer: 17cm Pocket Coil (14 Gauge)
  • Base foam: …

Thank you once again!

Hey D,
A couple of thoughts here. Can I assume you are less interested in keeping the mattress “natural”? I make the observation as you are using the polyfiber and foam in your panel/cover layer.
Having cleared that up, a couple of more thoughts.
I prefer a two-sided mattress, although mine is extremely firm on one side and just very firm on the other side, so my intentions are not to flip it, just rotate every 6 months. The old school mentality has me sticking with the idea that all things being equal, two sided is “better” than single. Of course, that is not true in all cases, but the belief “calms my mind” :sleeping_bed: if you will.
Having said that, dual sided is an option for you, albeit not so necessary and more costly, as latex is a resilient material and should hold up a good long time, plus you are probably not gluing the layers together since you are leaving the option to interchange layers, so flipping would be a tough option.

I think you would be fine with the 4cm option, but I would consider the cover/panel options to follow.
“A mattress is only as good as it’s weakest layer” so you dont want to skimp on one layer and defeat the purpose of the entire project.

Looking at the single sided option, you have put together a “less is more” combination, which I think is the best way to approach this. Way too often you see many of the “national” brands stacking the mattresses with layers upon layers of potentially failing materials that render the mattress useless when any one of those layers fail. But, I must admit, they do look exquisite on the showroom floor.
If you want to keep it natural, perhaps a wool or cotton in the cover layer, as it breaths better and regulates/controls temperature better by dissipating heat better and wicking moisture away from your body.
As far as the base layer, most would say any quality dense/HD polyfoam 1.8lb layer between 1/2" to and 1" should be fine (also ok for adjustable bases so long as your pocketed coils do not have any stability rod around the perimeter, that might affect the adjustable base functionality).
You can use a higher density dunlop for that base if you want to keep it all natural, but that may kick the price up.
The other thing to consider, companies like SoL use all dunlop, so having dunlop as your comfort layer is certainly a good choice. Others prefer to use talalay for that upper comfort layer as the density is more consistent throughout the entire thickness of the layer. Ultimately, a 19ILD is a 19ILD, until you get past the first 25% of depression, then Dunlop will start to feel a bit denser than Talalay. Which could affect the shoulders and hips, if you should approach the 200lb+ weight ranges. Talalay, of course, is usually a bit more expensive.
I know I am jumping back and forth a bit, but I am just trying to think about it as if I were going to put this system together.
Another thing to think about that I touched on before is that cover, as it stands you are approaching an inch of “foam” in that layer. Most synthetic foams do break down faster than your latex will, which is why I like wool, cotton, horsehair (I just got a horsehair pillow and it is great) better in the cover panel, as you dont want that inch of cover, combined with the first inch of your upper comfort layer to bother your back if you begin to sink a bit. You dont want that 9/10 of an inch in the cover panel to be an part of a potential issue for you down the road, since you are building such nice system, the cost of wool or cotton in the cover panel may be worth it if you are able to manage the cost and cost average over the next 10-15 years or more of owning your new setup. You have taken the time to build yourself a nice system which should last you a long time, if you are able, spending a little more now, will save you in the long run. Good luck with your build. Hope it works out great! I know some of the other members will get deeper into the technical aspects of the materials, ILD’s and the like, but my goal was to put it in layman’s English, hoping that would make it easier to follow.
Norm

To norm,

Wow thats really a great write up, thank you for sharing your knowledge. Will be sure to apply these information to my mattress build.

Thanks again norm, glad that i found this forum