Is two inches of latex sufficient to reap the benefits?

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi Phoenix,

Thank you very much for the Mattress Forum! I have learned much from the overviews and reading your replies.

I am considering a mattress that I just tried at a local manufacturer. The specs are below. I am interested in an innerspring core with latex in the comfort layer. My question is if 2" of latex is sufficient to reap the benefits of latex (especially if there is a thin polyfoam layer above it)? Also, are the lower density polyfoam layers too thick?

Mattress layers (top to bottom)
-Dual knitted cover
-3/8 " polyfoam in the quilted layer (1.5 lb density)
-2" graphite latex
-1" memory foam (4 lb density)
-1" polyfoam (1.5 lb density) (was told this is to enclose the pocket coils in a box)
-14" micro pocketed coils
-1" polyfoam (1.5 lb density) (was told this is to enclose the pocket coils in a box)

Thanks,
Steve

2

Hi sbperseus,

Welcome … and I’m glad the site could help you :slight_smile:

That would really depend on the specific benefits you are referring to but you would certainly feel the properties of the latex layer in the mattress and you would also notice a difference if you replaced the 2" of latex with a different material.

All the layers and components in a mattress (including the cover and quilting) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer in a mattress above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” to different degrees so what you feel on a mattress is the combined effect of all the layers more than the effects of just a single layer.

In very general terms though … the properties and firmness of materials and components that are closer to the top surface of a mattress will tend to have a bigger effect on the overall “feel” and firmness of a mattress than materials that are deeper in the mattress, thicker layers will contribute more of their feel and firmness to the mattress than thinner layers, and a thinner layer would “allow” more of the feel and properties of the layer or component underneath it to “come through” than a thicker layer.

Having said all that … the only way to know for certain whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) and how well you will sleep on a mattress will be based on your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal experience when you sleep on it.

[quote]Also, are the lower density polyfoam layers too thick?

Mattress layers (top to bottom)
-Dual knitted cover
-3/8 " polyfoam in the quilted layer (1.5 lb density)
-2" graphite latex
-1" memory foam (4 lb density)
-1" polyfoam (1.5 lb density) (was told this is to enclose the pocket coils in a box)
-14" micro pocketed coils
-1" polyfoam (1.5 lb density) (was told this is to enclose the pocket coils in a box)[/quote]

I doubt that the micro pocket coils are 14" tall (I would guess you probably meant 1.4") and it also looks like the support core of the mattress is missing in your description.

Assuming that the only missing layers and components are the support core of the mattress (which I’m guessing would probably be some kind of innerspring) and assuming that all the layer and component thicknesses add up to the thickness of the mattress and you have confirmed that there are no other missing layers or components in the description … then there are no lower quality materials or weak links would compromise the durability or useful life of the mattress relative to BMI ranges that are under about 30.

If you have done some careful testing and are confident that the mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP and that you are likely to sleep well on it and it also compares well to your other finalists based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you then it would certainly be worth considering.

Phoenix

3

Pheonix,

Apologies-I did have the wrong dimensions. I was told that the pocket coil is 8" in the support layer and that the polyfoam layer is 1" in the quilting layer (at 1.5 lb) and not 3/8". This makes 2" of 1.5 lb polyfoam (1" in the quilting and 1" below the memory foam which is below the latex). In this configuration should I be concerned about the 2" of 1.5 lb polyfoam?

4

Hi sbperseus,

If I understand you correctly then the specs of the mattress are as follows …

Mattress layers (top to bottom)
-Dual knitted cover
-1" polyfoam in the quilted layer (1.5 lb density)
-2" graphite latex
-1" memory foam (4 lb density)
-1" polyfoam (1.5 lb density) (was told this is to enclose the pocket coils in a box)
-8" pocket coil
-1" polyfoam (1.5 lb density) (was told this is to enclose the pocket coils in a box)

This adds up to 14" and if the mattress is 14" thick then it would include all the layers and components in the mattress.

The top 1" of 1.5 lb polyfoam in the quilting certainly wouldn’t be an issue by itself but with the additional 1" of 1.5 lb polyfoam underneath the memory foam it would be just a little more than the total thickness of lower quality/density layers that I would normally look for in the upper layers of a mattress.

Having said that … 1.5 lb polyfoam is only a little below the minimum 1.8 lb density I usually look for with polyfoam (many quilting layers use even lower density materials than 1.5 lb) and the second inch of polyfoam is underneath 4" of foam layers that are above it that would absorb most of the compression forces from sleeping on the mattress before they reached the deeper 1" polyfoam layer so both of these factors would make me a little less concerned.

While there is no way to specifically quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when they will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for them (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) and because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person … if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isn’t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new (see post #2 here) and you have confirmed that it meets the minimum quality/durability specs relative to your BMI range that are suggested in the durability guidelines here then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer and the chances that you would have additional “bonus time” beyond that would be higher as well.

These specs would be better than almost all of the mattresses made by the top 3 manufacturers (Sealy, Simmons, Serta) and while I would be less comfortable with the quality and durability of the materials if you were in a BMI range that was getting close to 30 or higher … if you are well under a BMI range of 30 then overall I think it would be reasonable to expect the mattress to maintain its comfort/support for close to the lower end of the 7 - 10 year range that I mentioned or possibly a little less. If you are in a BMI range that is getting closer to 30 or higher then I would suggest you look for a mattress that contains higher quality/density and more durable materials.

Phoenix