To COJ,
You are not alone. I am having the same problem as you. I think that it is because I am heavier in the hip area than in the shoulder area and since latex responds to weight, How can it keep a spine strait. Unlike you I have 3 x 3 inch layers plus a 3 inch topper, so I have 2 more combinations to test.
I feel your “pain”.
Hi kearneylake,
All materials will respond to weight and will sink in more deeply under the heavier areas of the body than under the lighter areas of the body so this isn’t unique to latex. One of the advantages of latex though is that it has a higher compression modulus than other types of foam (compression modulus is the rate that a material becomes firmer with deeper compression) so it is more “supportive” than other foam materials in a similar firmness level.
Post #2 here and post #4 here also has more information about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to each other and to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress that may be helpful in clarifying how different layering combinations work better for some people and body types than for others in terms of PPP. If your mattress in its current configuration is too soft for you and your hips are sinking down too far then moving a firmer layer up (or exchanging a firmer layer for a softer one) can certainly make a difference in terms of PPP but if you purchased the Spindle mattress that you were mentioning in your previous posts then I would also make sure you talk with them so that they can also make some suggestions or provide some guidance that will be helpful as well.
Phoenix
Thank you, COJ, for mentioning Literie Provinciale. I went to visit them yesterday and will be buying my daughter’s Queen-size mattress from them. A 9" (6" + 3") 100% natural Talalay is $1375 Cdn. You were right, they are several hundred dollars less than most other places. An 8" at Matelas Dauphin was $2200 and 9" at Futon D’Or was $1800. For the same price of about $1300, I was only getting blended Talalay at MFC. Like you, I asked specifically if it was 100% natural Talalay or blended Talalay, to make appropriate comparisons, and was assured it’s not blended.
Phoenix, is there any way we can be sure of the type of latex? Would it be written on the latex itself, where the name of the manufacturer appears? Literie Provinciale appears very reputable, but I just want to make sure about what I am buying. Their prices are so competitive than my husband and I are also considering buying our own King-size mattress from them, to encourage a local shop, rather than buying the 10000 from SleepEZ.
Hi chanpou,
For these types of questions you would be primarily reliant on the reputation and integrity of the manufacturer and the accuracy of the information they provide. Some latex layers will still have the stickers on them that identify which type of latex it is but this depends on where it was cut from the original mold. The 100% natural will have an “N” rating and the blended will have a specific number as an ILD rating.
At one point Literie Laurier was only selling blended Talalay (see post #12 here and the rest of the topic about the Costco topper they were supplying) but they may have changed this since then.
Phoenix
Here’s an update.
I had several conversations with the VP of Literie Provinciale (a family-owned business in operation many many years), and was reassured about the quality of their materials. (Thanks Phoenix for making me knowledgeable about the right questions to ask, as a result of the wealth of information on this site,). They simply have better prices because they are a no friils type of business and have a high volume purchasing power with long-established suppliers. To make a long story short, we did buy our King mattress there and will be picking it up this Friday. I’ll post more information under a “Montreal mattress search” topic to assist others with similar inquiries.