I’ve been going through your website and forum for around 6 months now, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the time you’ve taken to dispel myths and provide people with information in such a complex industry. Your answers are always very informative and thoughtful, and in an industry where there is a lot of marketing, your website is incredibly valuable. After all, sleeping is so important and so many people have problems sleeping…
Anyways, on to my question! After months of research, I’ve decided that I would like to make a queen sized mattress from natural dunlop latex with 3 3" cores, that is, firm on the bottom, then medium, then soft. Ideally the top core would be half medium and half soft but that would just be a bonus. Talalay would be a second choice because of concerns that it may not hold up as well as dunlop, although I would prefer dunlop. Do you know of a company in Canada that sells cores individually? The best website I’ve found so far is diynaturalbedding.com, but that is in the US. They sell exactly what I’m looking for, and even with a middleman, the 3 cores come out to $1020 USD (which is unheard of for 9" of natural latex it seems). The problem is that with taxes and shipping, the cost ends up doubling. I’ve been trying to contact suppliers like Latex Green because that would ultimately be the best and least expensive option, and they have an office in Brampton Ontario, but their email is not working. I may have to resort to calling their offices in Sri Lanka. Arpico also hasn’t gotten back to me.
So, to sum it up - do you know if it is possible to buy natural latex cores directly from the manufacturers? If not, do you know of a middle man who sells the natural latex cores in Canada?
If you are interested in designing and building your own mattress out of separate components and a separate cover that you purchase individually then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project … the best approach to a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).
I would also treat Talalay and Dunlop latex as being closely equivalent in terms of durability. There is more about how they compare to each other in post #7 here.
Post #21 here includes a list of the better online options I’m aware of that ship across Canada and some of them also sell individual latex layers.
[quote] I’ve been trying to contact suppliers like Latex Green because that would ultimately be the best and least expensive option, and they have an office in Brampton Ontario, but their email is not working. I may have to resort to calling their offices in Sri Lanka. Arpico also hasn’t gotten back to me.
So, to sum it up - do you know if it is possible to buy natural latex cores directly from the manufacturers?[/quote]
Unfortunately most latex manufacturers or wholesale suppliers aren’t generally set up for and don’t deal directly with consumer sales or enquiries and you may spend a great deal of time chasing dead ends.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Greater Toronto area (which would include Brampton, ON) are listed in post #1here but you would need to check to find out if any of them sell individual latex layers.