Is this a good DIY build? Advice needed and appreciated!

Hoping for some insight and recommendations if possible!

We recently bought a King Latex for Less Hybrid in medium, and my husband is having back pain/not super happy with it and wants firmer/less sink, so we are returning it, going into a DIY build (after eons and eons or reading threads here and Mattress Underground, like many others).

Him: 185lbs, 6’ tall, starts on back, moves to side (50 side/50 back) Me: 155lbs, 5’8" tall, (60 side/40 back)

I sleep very hot so trying to avoid too much memory foam, but maybe we’ve only bad memory foam. We LOVE just about every hotel mattress we’ve experienced over the past few years, which seem to be firm with some give on top.

The current plan bottom up:

  • 1/2 or 1" LUX-R Foam (foambymail)
  • 8" Quantum Edge Elite Bolsa -OR- 6" Caliber Edge Pocket Coil (very unsure here, from what I’ve read the Combi-zone isn’t ideal for side sleepers)
  • 2" medium dunlop SOL
  • 2" soft dunlop or talay
    -OR- 3" medium and 1" soft talay
  • SLAB cover once layers are figured out

I’m tempted to go with a 6" coil to allow more room for change/ordering layers if needed, I don’t know.

This decision constipation is so frustrating! If you have any recommendations on how to recreate a firm yet plush top hotel mattress feel with a DIY build, or any other advice, it would be so very appreciated!

Hi diddeetip and welcome to the Mattress Underground :slight_smile:

As you may have already read, any mattress you choose will be unique to you, based on your Stats (height, BMI, sleeping positiobn(s) and any underlying health conditions) - thanks for providing those! - and your PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief and Personal preferences).

The latex for less medium king is a flippable latex mattress with an organic wool and cotton cover, with a medium and firm side. An all latex mattress has a different feel from a hybrid coil and latex mattress; one benefit of a DIY project is the amount of ‘fine tuning’ you can do, with a little patience, to customize your mattress to fit you and your husband.

With your husbands slightly higher BMI, you want to ensure proper support as well as comfort. Memory foam does tend to sleep hot; as you can see comparing the Mattress Specifications You Need to Know to the Mattress Durability Guidelines, latex is one of the most durable materials you can have, and it’s also very breathable.

Any HD foam can be used as a base, depending on your frame or bed platform you can even have the coil layer without a base. For higher BMIs, a lower gauge coil is recommended, but it’s a matter of how it feels to the sleepers as well as support. Either the 2" or 3" medium latex could work for you…keep in mind Talalay has a very different ‘feel’ than Dunlop; it’s considered ‘bouncier’ (think of the difference between angel food cake and pound cake). A DIY project can demand a bit of patience as you may need to rearrange layers to suit your comfort needs to ‘zero in’ on the right build.

As far as hotel mattresses - it is almost impossible to recreate the feel of any given hotel mattress…not only are they built exclusively for that hotel, and do not disclose many, if any, details on their construction, but even if you found a close match, one single added or moved component can give it a completely different feel. Better to dial in to what you and your husband find supportive and comfortable. Make sure to choose a manufacturer with good exchange and return policies in case you need to take advantage of them.

Several of the Trusted Members of the site have great DIY resources like DIY Mattress, DIY Natural Bedding and Latex Mattress Factory among others, can help guide you in choosing layers for your specific body profile, so that your build will provide comfortable and supported sleep for many years.

~ Basilio

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I was just in this predicament a few weeks ago. Our build ended up being
1" luxr foam
8" QEE bolsa non zoned
3" FIRM from SOL (44ild which is rated extra firm by everyone else)

me 6"3 220lb stomach/side
her 5"4 130lb back

We started off with a 3" Med Talalay from mattresstopper.com, and it ended up being way too soft and springy for my wife. I decided lets try the most firm and that has been very pleasurable for us both. There is a little sink for me on the side, probably because I am heavier than her, and she gets the right firm for her back.

We are super happy with the 8in coil. I chose these because I am also a side sleeper, and my wife wants to sleep like 20% on her side now that our baby is sleeping with us too. We were trying to emulate a Serta iseries bed that was extra firm (which was 2.5in memory foam on coils). This nailed exactly what we wanted for way less the cost.

I would consider possibly getting a extra firm talalay , but I think it might still be too springy for my wife. The reason we chose mattresstopper.com and SOL was because they both offer 1 free return and no shipping cost. Hope that helps, I spent countless hours debating back and forth between 2/2" or 3" and im glad we did the 3". (it was also easier to exchange one 3" piece instead of two 2" pieces). If this set up didnt work , we were going to split king it and we would know more precisely where each of us was at in our firmness liking.

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Thank you both very much for the super thoughtful responses. I can’t wait to have this decided and overwith, and I think I’m just about there.

I wish you success! Please let us know how the new mattress is after you have spent some time on it!

~ Basilio