Latex DIY Mattress build - Review

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hello!

I’m looking for some advice about an impending mattress purchase. I have utilized this site as well as many others to learn more about the materials and come up with a tentative plan that will maximize both value and quality. Our budget is fairly limited at around $1500 which is one reason. I’m interested in going the DIY route utilizing “Arizona Premium Mattress” (mattresses.net) as the supplier.

My tentative build specs are listed below:
Mattress Size — KING
Bed Frame — Solid Wood Platform
Layer 1 — TwinXL (Quantity x2) Talalay Extra Firm Latex Core – 40 ILD **Resulting in a KING size base core
Layer 2 — King 3 inch Blended Talalay Latex Topper – 28 ILD
Layer 3 (Top Layer) — King 3 inch Rejuvenite Talalay Latex Mattress Topper – 19 ILD
King Bamboo — Wool Zippered Mattress Cover X1
TOTAL COST – $1575

Question 1) Does this look like a “good” build to you in terms of materials and layering?
Question 2) Is 12 inches of total latex mattress necessary? Or would it make sense to simply eliminate “Layer 2” and save some cash? This would result in the 3 inch (19 ILD) “rejuvenite” layer sitting directly on the 6 inch (40 ILD) latex core. Trying to figure out whether there would be a significant difference in support/comfort/longevity when going with a 6 inch base and 3 inch topper versus a 6 inch base and two 3 inch toppers with a more gradual increase in firmness.

Or maybe I’m way off track on the whole endeavor but either way would love to get an experts opinion!

My wife and I are both back/stomach sleepers and weigh under 150 lbs so I’m thinking we may be able to get away with a little bit less in terms of total number of latex layers.

I’m very new to the mattress shopping arena but due to my compulsive personality have been pretty much non-stop researching for the past 3 days or so. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks, Kassy Kev

2

Hi Kassy Kev,

If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own DIY mattress out of separate components and a separate cover 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).

If you decide to take on the challenge then I would either use the specs (if they are available) of a mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) as a reference point or blueprint and try and “match” every layer and component in your reference mattress (including any springs, any foam layers, and the cover) as closely as possible or use a “bottom up” approach (see post #2 here).

There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel” that may be useful as well.

As you probably know from your reading here I think very highly of Ken and Arizona Premium and they are one of the members of this site. He is exceptionally knowledgeable about latex and layering combinations so I would also make sure that you have a more detailed conversation with him on the phone because he will be a great source of guidance as well.

Since you are stomach and back sleepers you will likely need a little bit firmer mattress than if you were a side sleeper and it may be worth considering starting with just the 6" core and the 3" 28 ILD top layer and then sleeping on it for a bit before deciding on whether you need an additional softer layer on top.

You certainly aren’t in a weight range that would “need” 12" of latex although depending on the design of the mattress you may find that you prefer it. It may also be worth considering using a 3" bottom layer and then the 28 ILD and the 19 ILD layer on top of it (for a total of 9" of latex)'. Either way I would make the cover your last purchase once you have decided on the combination of layers that works best for you so that you can order it in the right thickness. The differential between a 19 ILD layer directly on top of a 40 ILD base layer may be a little bit too much and you may feel too much of the firmness of the base layer if there isn’t a transition layer in between them.

Phoenix

3

Thank you for your response. Also, thank you so much for establishing this incredible site!!

We ended up going with Arizona Premium Mattress Company and the following DIY mattress build:
https://www.mattresses.net/
TwinXL DIY Medium Dunlop Latex Core – Quantity: 2 (Approx. 38 ILD) (Two TwinXL equals 1 Eastern King)
Eastern. King 3" Talalay Blend Topper – Quantity: 1 (Approx. 19 ILD)
Eastern King 9" Bamboo Mattress Cover – Quantity: 1
King Promo Latex Pillow Quantity – Quantity: 2
**Pillows were free with purchase!!! - $130 value !!!

Total mattress cost including delivery was: $1,430
**Incredible value/quality for an 9" all latex mattress!

It took me about 30 minutes to “build” the mattress by myself. This meant opening three large 60 lb boxes, laying out the bamboo mattress cover, placing the two TwinXL Medium Dunlop cores side by side within mattress cover, placing the Eastern King Talalay Topper on top of the Dunlop Core(s), zipping the mattress cover, and DONE! EASY!!

My 5 week update:
We absolutely love our new mattress!!! We sleep better than ever before and waking up feeling more rested. Our previous mattress was an inexpensive ($600) “Omaha Bedding” spring mattress with a pillowtop. I’d consider this a massive upgrade. Our mattress is incredibly comfortable, cool, soft, and extremely supportive. We are very happy with our decision!!!

We did not go into a single mattress store and we did not test out a single mattress. I know this is not the suggested path but I really hate in-store shopping… I read an insane amount of material online and tried to make the most informed decision possible from the comfort of my couch.

Experience with Arizona Mattress Company:
We worked with Greg who was informative, responsive, and to the point. Shipping is not cheap but this is to be expected as the components weigh in at nearly 130 lbs and three large boxes. The DIY components were are all in very good condition. We are VERY lucky that we LOVE our purchase because returning/refunds would not be easy or cheap!! The delivery took about 4 weeks and we didn’t receive any shipping notifications for about 2.5 weeks in. This delivery expectation was communicated up-front during the sales process.

Some information about my wife and I who are now enjoying this mattress…
We live in Kansas City, MIssouri. I despise the physical act of shopping but love researching every facet of a major purchase decision to the nth degree. This often results in months of reading articles, books, forums, night after night and driving myself and my wife absolutely crazy. My wife sleeps on her stomach and I sleep on my side. This mattress works great for both of us but we are not picky and don’t complain about much. We each weigh less than 150 lbs and the 9" latex build is more than enough support. The latex bed is sitting on a brand new all wood platform bed custom built by UNRUH furniture who are also located in Kansas City, Missouri. We also highly recommend UNRUH furniture.for providing amazing customer service, high quality custom wood furniture for reasonable prices.

Thanks! Kassy Kev

4

Hi Kassy Kev,

Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and experience … I appreciate it,

Most importantly congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

It’s great to hear that the components you chose worked out so well for you and that all your research paid off with a mattress that you should be sleeping well on for many years to come.

I’d love to see a picture of your custom built UNRUH platform bed as well!.

Phoenix

5

Hello Again!

I’ve attached pics of our new bed! We were considering a dresser as well but the cost was going to far exceed our initial budget plan with the impending mattress purchase on the horizon . The sales rep at UNRUH suggested that we could get the platform bed and add 6 drawers. This would provide storage space and a bed frame while being about $400 bucks cheaper than separate pieces. So we only slightly blew the budget :stuck_out_tongue: Worked out great!

https://unruhfurniture.com/
https://unruhfurniture.com/product/lake-house-platform-bed/

Thanks, Kassy Kev

6

Hi Kassy Kev,

Thanks for adding the pictures … and your platform bed looks great :slight_smile:

Some of the other members from the Kansas City area may also be interested in having them build a bed for them as well and I appreciate the heads up and for letting us know about them.

Phoenix