I am trying to figure which thickness and density to buy for a Latex Mattress Topper.
2" Medium Soft 4.7 lb
3" Medium Soft 4.7 lb
3" Medium Firm 5.2 lb
I recently purchased a Serta I series Bradbury Firm mattress that is just too firm. I sleep both on my back and my side. When I am on my side, there is not enough give in my shoulders and hip areas to allow for comfortable sleeping. Back sleeping is fine on the Serta.
I weigh about 185 lbs
Any help would be appreciated
Hi Good night,
Some of the comments in this thread may apply to your situation as well.
Even though your mattress is rated as “firm” … there are some soft layers in it already (the comfort foam and the serta gel memory foam) and because all of the top layers will be subject to more rapid softening over time (the comfort foam and support foam are both lower density polyfoam and the gel memory foam is also not the highest quality gel memory foam). What would be considered “firm” comfort layers would also be in the “soft” range if they were used as support layers so it’s important to only add as little thickness as possible to make sure you are not so far removed from the current support layers of your mattress that you end up trading pressure issues for support issues.
The good news is that a topper can slow down the early softening of the lower quality materials in the upper layers of your mattress if you use it early enough before the softening has become too obvious.
All of the toppers you are mentioning would also be on the firm side for many people (and every person has a different definition of what is soft and firm) so I would also encourage you to test some mattresses that used similar layers of Dunlop in the top layers to confirm that they are soft enough for your needs and preferences.
If the choice was only between these toppers … and taking into account that all of them may feel quite firm to you (and may not allow your shoulders to sink in enough) … I would probably go with the 2" version of “medium soft” but again … I would personally make sure that this was what I wanted first and confirm that this type of topper felt soft enough for you.
Without this if you are experimenting and don’t have a personal reference point or experience for this type of material … then the return or exchange policies of the merchant you are buying from can be an important part of your purchase in case your choice doesn’t match what you are looking for.
Phoenix
Thanks for the response Phoenix. The mattress has already sofened just in the day or 2 since my initial post.
After reading your post and the advice you gave to robbiev3, I am re-thinking my purchase. I like your suggestion of buying a mattress with the least amount of comfort layers and adding latex toppers to get the desired cushioning. I do have a 120 comfort guarantee and can swap it out.
I bought the mattress from Mancini SleepWorld and they carry the Icomfort series that you recommended to robbiev3. I am actually not a big fan of memory foam due to heat retention, the smell and the feel of it. What are your thoughts on a solid internal spring mattress that I can then add a 2’" or 3" latex topper to. Will the internal spring mattresses last as long as the foam mattress, like the Icomfort?
Sorry if my questions are rudementary, I am new to this whole mattress game.
Hi Good night,
Yes … this is a good option in certain circumstances that can help make the best out of a bad situation (an exchange where you are limited to what they carry in the store).
I would bear in mind that this suggestion was in the context of an exchange in a store that only carried Serta. I normally wouldn’t recommend any of the Serta mattresses including the iComfort but this was the best of the limited options he had available.
This can make a good choice for a “base” mattress but it would depend on what was actually in the mattress. The support components of a mattress (springs or otherwise) aren’t usually the “weak link” of a mattress and the comfort layers are where it’s most important to use the best possible quality materials (which is this case would be the topper). The goal is to exchange for a mattress with good support layers and the thinnest and highest quality (and firmest) comfort layers possible. This will provide the best possible base to add your own comfort layers with a topper. Hopefully Mancinis has enough information about the mattresses they have available to help you make the best possible choice. The brand doesn’t matter … only the construction and materials. It’s important to make sure that there isn’t too much low quality soft foam on top of your “base” mattress because if you add a topper then what were the comfort layers in the mattress become the transition or support layers and they may be too soft for this.
Part of the challenge as well is that these types of mattress (with thinner comfort layers) are usually less expensive and most retailers only allow for exchanges for the same or higher cost mattress (or at least won’t refund you any difference if you choose a lower priced mattress).
It may be worthwhile including the firmer versions of their house brand mattresses as a possibility for a “base” of a modular system (mattress and topper).
Phoenix