Latex Layering Questions

[phoenix]

Hi Manimal,

HNY In doing some more research, I came across sleeponlatex. The site seems to have have some good information and the products appear to be good quality. Are you familiar at all with the site/owner?

You can see my thoughts about Karl and Sleeponlatex in post #4 here and post #3 here and a forum search on “sleeponlatex” will bring up more information and feedback about them as well. They are certainly a reliable supplier of latex components and toppers which is why they are included in the component supplier list here.

Recently, I was a in a local store and checked out the OMI (Organicpedic) Duo… I was surprised to like the feel of the med/soft/soft layering more than the firm/med/soft, although it would be somewhat risky given my body type and sleep preferences (6 ft, 225lbs, side sleeper). It seemed to offer more ‘buoyant’ pressure relief whereas the firmer configuration seemed to “get firm” too quickly. I didn’t have enough time to test it out, but thought a med/med/soft configuration could work. Any thoughts there?

Only you can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone else to be able to predict which mattress design will be the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance”. The most reliable way to know whether a mattress is suitable for you is based on your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) or your own sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

There is also more about the different ways to choose a mattress and how to minimize the risks involved with each of them in post #2 here.

Also, I’m not sure of the approximate ILD and/or density of the OMI Dunlop layers (to my understanding they’ve converted to using Organic Dunlop almost exclusively now and are “phasing out” the Talalay). Would you have any info on the approximate ILD/density of the OMI Dunlop? I’m thinking “firm” would be somewhere in the 35 range in terms of ILD, but not sure “which side” (as in 30-35/35-40) and medium would be around 28-30 (?). I would call to try and pry it out of them but unfortunately they’re closed now.

It’s not likely that you will be able to find out the ILD or density of the individual layers in the OMI mattresses (and I don’t know them) and I believe that they are one of many companies that treat this as being proprietary information. When you are testing a mattress locally then the ILD of the layers isn’t important to know because your body will tell you much more about whether a mattress is a suitable “match” for you in terms of PPP than the ILD of the layers and ILD itself is also only one of several factors or “specs” that will determine how soft or firm a layer or a mattress will feel to different people and can sometimes be more misleading than helpful (see post #4 here).

I’m interested in the blended Dunlop on the SOL site… three, 3 inch layers would be under $750. It’s made in the US according to the site, but I’m not sure of the source or blend (or process for that matter… Mountain Top and Latexco are the only US manufacturers I can think of off the top of my head with MT being the only one that offers cores and thicker pieces). Either way, it appears the owner did his homework and it would be good quality.

Their blended latex is continuous pour Dunlop made by Latexco. While Latexco can make their continuous pour latex in any blend of natural and synthetic rubber … it is typically 20% natural and 80% synthetic.

If purchasing 3 inch blended Dunlop layers, the firmness options offered on the site are medium (28 ILD/ 4.5 pcf), soft/medium (24 ILD/ 4 pcf) and soft (18 ILD/ 3.5 pcf). Given that I didn’t seem to like the “firm” organic Dunlop base layer in the OMI mattress, I was thinking of trying the med/med-soft/soft with the blended Dunlop. I realize the blended Dunlop will not be as dense overall as all-natural/organic, but figure the “softer” layering could work since it will have essentially the same characteristics and “behave” like Dunlop, with the med/soft acting as a transition layer. Does this make sense or do you think this configuration may be too risky?

I would be aware that ILD ratings aren’t directly comparable between different types and blends of latex because they will have a different compression modulus even if the ILD (measured at 25%) and layer thickness is the same.

As I mentioned in my previous replies as well … the only reliable way to know whether any combination of layers will be a good match for you will be based on your own personal testing or experience.

If you are building a DIY mattress then the two most reliable strategies would be to either “duplicate” the materials and components in another mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP (assuming that you can find out all the relevant specs including layer thickness, the type and blend of latex, the ILD range of each layer, and the type of cover and quilting material and that you have access to the same materials) or with a bottom up approach where you choose each additional layer of your design based on your actual sleeping experience (see post #2 here).

Also, I know Talalay latex is considered more breathable than Dunlop due to the cell structure, etc., but is Dunlop still considered to be “open-celled”. I can’t really seem to find a straight answer there, although I’ve come across a few references that indicate Dunlop is still breathable, though probably not to the extent of Talalay.

All latex has an open cell structure (and in most cases pincores as well although they may not go all the way through a layer) and tend to be more breathable than other types of foam materials but Talalay has a more open cell structure than Dunlop and will tend to be more breathable than Dunlop. There is more about the many variables that can affect temperature regulation in post #2 here.

Phoenix