We’ve been trying to figure out the difference between buying a mattress with exchangeable components or buying latex toppers and stacking them ourselves. There seems to be a big savings using the topper method, possibly because there would not be a comfort guarantee as you would get with a mattress?
I’m 5’5" 110lbs and my husband is 6’3" 190lbs. We’re side sleepers. Would 3" toppers be thick enough? Many latex mattresses seem to have a 6 to 8 inch layer at base. Is it necessary for it to be this thick? If so, would two 3" toppers achieve the same goal? Others use 3" layers anyway, like the Nest Bedding Starling is three 3" layers.
Are the materials for toppers identical to the materials used in a mattress, if both are the same type of latex? What is the minimum thickness for a base layer?
There are so many variations of component thickness and firmness in latex mattresses and with local stores only carrying one or two models to try out, it’s hard to get an idea of which combination is best for us, in order to know what we would want to match. Wondering if it would be fairly safe to start with 3 layers of firm, medium, and soft and then add a very soft top layer if necessary? Some mattresses start out with a medium layer on the bottom… maybe that is firm enough, I don’t know. It seems like you could always add in what you feel is missing and rearrange layers and still come out ahead money-wise, but maybe I am being naive about what could go wrong.
One other question about types of latex. I use a squeegee with a rubber blade to clean my shower doors after showering. When the blade wore out, I made the mistake of buying a synthetic rubber replacement instead of genuine rubber. It looked identical but did not function at all, just streaked the water all over the door instead of wiping it clean. When I realized the difference, I replaced it with genuine rubber and it was great again. I realize this is a whole different context but after seeing what a difference there was between real and synthetic rubber in that context, I keep wondering if synthetic blends really function as well as pure latex in the mattress context?
FWIW I just decided to go the route of building my own mattress via toppers and am pleased so far, though I am building slowly. I’ve acquired two 3" toppers and will be sleeping on it for a bit before adding the final 3" layer. One of my main reasons was cost savings, especially since I want a non-quilted cover and it seemed wasteful to pay $$$ for a nice quilted cover that I don’t plan on using.
I think the biggest things to be aware of with this approach are (1) cost - if you go buy three toppers at $400-600 each plus a nice cover, you may not be saving any money over an assembled mattress, (2) return/exchange - if you think there is a high chance of being wrong/needing to exchange layers, you will have more protection with an assembled mattress, and (3) warranty - you will not get much of one unless you go with an assembled mattress.
Regarding layer height, sleepez uses all 2" and 3" layers whereas mattresses.net uses a 6" base with either a 2" or 3" topper. Their opinion is that a single 6" base will be more durable long term than two 3" toppers. I went with 3" layers to have greater configuration flexibility, but I suspect you will be fine either way.
You can read some of my thoughts about designing and building your own mattress in post #15 here. In many cases it’s a much more risky approach and can end up being more costly as well compared to buying locally or dealing with an experienced and knowledgeable online manufacturer. You can also see some of the difficulties involved in trying to “duplicate” or “approximate” another mattress in post #9 here and the posts it links to and some of the specs that can play an important role in how a mattress feels and performs in post #2 here. Even the cover can play an important role (often overlooked by people who aren’t familiar with mattress design and how every layer and component can affect every other layer and component in the mattress). In most cases it’s much “safer” and often less costly to deal with an “expert” rather than becoming one yourself unless the satisfaction that comes from the learning process itself of designing and/or building your own mattress is just as important as the cost of the mattress you are building.
If the materials in a topper are the same type and ILD of latex and they are the same layer thickness then they would be the same yes. there is no minimum thickness … only the combination of materials that works best for you. Post #2 here has links to some of the information on the site about mattress theory and design but they are only generic and meant to help the members here that want to know to understand some of the concepts and reasons behind different designs and don’t apply to any specific person.
You’re right that there is an overwhelming amount of possibilities in mattress design and each of them can have a very different feel and performance that is suitable for some people and not for others. Accurate and objective testing for PPP using the testing guidelines and your own personal experience is the “best” way to know which mattress is best for you. Failing that … more detailed conversations with retailers or manufacturers is the “next best way” where they can use “averages” to help you decide on which of the options and layer combinations they have available would work best for you. In some cases you could add to a mattress to “correct” it. In others it could involve replacing one of the layers with something else.
Latex foam is quite different from solid latex and is made in a different way and there are different “specs” that are important. There is more about the different types and blends of latex and some of the differences between them in this article and in post #6 here.
Thanks for sharing your experience, rsrvoir, and thanks for the additional information, Phoenix. I think we are leaning towards the DIY type of mattress, it feels right because we always DIY every single other thing else in our lives, lol… Planning to make some calls Monday and see what we can learn from some of the companies in your site membership.