Latex mattress

Hi.
I’m a bit confused. I found at mattress247 (HIGHLY RATED SELLER ON EBAY)- 3 layers of 3’ Talalay blended latex for constructing my own mattress in size 48x75’. I’m single 5.8’ tall and weight 190lbs. I like my mattress to be firm, good support, to sleep on the it and not to fall in and have some comfort and definitely not hard like a rock. I asked for their help to find me the proper combination of the right layers. Based on my criteria they recommended the following. Base 3’ firm, middle layer 3’ of medium and top layer 3’ of medium… Their price for this item is the best, with 30 days money back guaranty.
Their ILD RATINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS: SOFT 22-24, MEDIUM 30-32, FIRM 38-40. I’m really limited as to where to buy.
My dilemma is I’ve never tried this mattress and I’ve not found anyone who carries these combo of layers.
I need advice if I should buy this mattress under these circumstances and if you think the ILD’S ARE RIGHT FOR ME??
and if you can recommend the right cover for this mattress.

THANK YOU.

Hi abearev1,

While there is no way for someone else to know what you will feel on any particular mattress … particularly in a material you haven’t had a chance to try … there are some guidelines about weight and body shape here and some about sleeping positions here.

In general … an “average” type of recommendation for you would be Soft/Medium/Firm (which would be a similar recommendation for almost anyone under 200 lbs who was a side sleeper). This layering would have the best odds of working for the largest amount of people which is why it is so often recommended. While I don’t know their rationale for certain … I would guess that they changed the “normal” soft recommendation with medium on top because you stated your preference for firmer than average.

This would appear to be close to what would work “on average” for someone like yourself but the only way to know for certain would be to test mattresses that had a similar firmness and thickness (at least in the comfort layer) to see how it felt for you (latex often feels firmer than people are used to with softer polyfoam mattresses). If it doesn’t work … then you have the option for a refund (with return shipping) which lowers your risk to the cost of return shipping. You might also be able to exchange a layer instead of the whole mattress (it doesn’t say) order a new layer and pay shipping for this as well. You will also need a cover for the layer which is suitable for a mattress ticking (latex breaks down with exposure to ozone and ultraviolet light and needs a good cover … not just sheets or a mattress protector).

So while the price is of course very attractive … it also involves some risk and perhaps extra expense if either what you order or you don’t fall inside the “averages” and you need to return layers and buy new ones (if that’s possible).

If you let me know what city you live in I may know of some places where you could at least test some latex mattresses.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix.

Thanks for quick response… you guys have a great website I picked up a lot of info.
Yes. I’m a side sleeper… If there are stores that you can recommend in my area it will be awesome.
I live in Nassau county, Long Island. NY. 11559… I can also do in Manhattan, NYC, NY. 10011

At mattress247 (again they have great prices on covers also) they do have cotton-wool mattress covers would that work for me? or how would I know if mattress covers are well PROTECTIVE OF THE MATTRESS.

Thanks.

Hi abearev1,

Yes this would work. This is designed as a mattress ticking rather than as a mattress “protector” which is what you’re looking for.

Post #2 here has a list of the factory direct manufacturers and some better retail outlets in the NYC area. I would focus on the first 4 factory directs and the first 2 on the retail direct list. A search on their websites and a few phone calls to tell them what you are considering and to ask what they may carry that would also be worth including in your research may be well worthwhile … if for no other reason than to test various latex combinations. There’s some good value near you although it may not be in the same range as the factory second or returned material you are consdering.

Phoenix

Hello again Phoenix. I have narrowed the mattress search down to 2 different beds. The latex bed from OMF (the plain one) and a Restonic from a mattress store known in the Cleveland area called Mattress Matters. I am wondering which one of these mattresses you would recommend and also i found your link on one of these threads about adjustable bases and had 2 questions for you. 1. would these bases void your warranty because in the warranty it states that the mattress needs to be accompanied by the matching foundation/box spring and 2 how much weight does the Reverie Deluxe hold including mattress? by the way we took a pass on the memory foam beds because of our weight ( in the 250’s) also we are both side sleepers
Thanks very much
Rob

Hi Immortal216,

This would depend on the layering of the Restonic, the prices, and most important which ones provided the best pressure relief, alignment, and had the overall feeling you prefer. I know the OMF has good quality and value but I don’t know the specifics about the Restonic you are looking at.

Most mattresses only require a suitable base or foundation (outlined in the warranty itself) for the warranty to be valid and an adjustable base would certainly be considered suitable as long as the mattress was “bendable” and made to be used on an adjustable base. Some manufacturers may be exceptions to this however (and if you read the Restonic warranty here they may be one of them) so I would make certain what they consider a “non matching foundation” before I purchased it. I would call Restonic directly if you are in any doubt about what the retailer tells you.

The Reverie holds 550 lbs per unit including the weight of the mattress (single, double, or queen) and a split unit (such as a split queen or king) will hold double this.

You are probably wise to avoid memory foam but in case you didn’t have a chance to try it … OMF also has a high quality memory foam mattress which uses 5 and 8 lb memory foam and is higher quality and better value than the iComfort IMO and which may be worth testing.

Phoenix

We went to the OMF again and tried out the memory foam mattress and we both like it a lot. With our weight being about 250 each would this high quality memory foam be suitable for us and could we expect this the last 10 years or so because of the higher density foam?

Thanks as always.

Hi Immortal21t,

It’s impossible to know for sure how long any mattress will last for any individual except as an “estimate” but I have had several conversations with OMF about this particular mattress and because of the use of high density memory foam and the quality of the foam used … I believe it will last as long as the highest quality memory foam mattresses on the market. I believe that a reasonable expectation for a high quality memory foam mattress for an average person would be in the range of 10 - 12 years and some will have them last longer and some shorter depending on the many variables of how a mattress is looked after, the people sleeping on it, and the degree of softening that is tolerable for each individual. The quality of the materials they use are similar to the Tempurpedic HD series which are their highest density memory foam line. Latex will last longer than this and is typically in the range of 15 years or longer again depending on the type and firmness of the latex in the mattress (there are many stories of many latex mattresses lasting decades but these are typically firmer and denser layers of latex).

OMF also sells their specialty (foam core) mattresses on a working boxspring which is unusual and goes against the “norm” which is usually recommended but in your case … because the mattresses are not so thick, may work to your advantage. The base form under the memory foam is 2.2 lb density which is the same quality as Tempurpedic and it is 33 ILD which for your weight may be a little on the soft side so I would check for alignment carefully to make sure that your heavier parts are not sinking in too far (spending at least 15 minutes or more on the mattress together until you are completely relaxed and your muscles have “let go” just like you are going to sleep and test for any sign of strain or tension or any tendency to “hold yourself up” on the mattress). If you plan to use them on a split adjustable base (a single unit would not have enough weight capacity), then I would also make sure you tested them on this base as well because a rigid base will make a difference in how the mattress feels.

So overall the most accurate answer I can give you is that I believe this mattress will last as long or perhaps longer than any of the highest quality memory foam mattresses on the market.

Phoenix