Hi johnnyjuice99,
Latex mattresses that have multiple layers with different firmnesses or thicknesses are more the norm than the exception. Online mattresses with multiple layers.are also more common than mattresses that only have a single layer. Different stores or manufacturers carry hundreds of different mattresses that use different types of latex, different different layer thicknesses, and different layer firmnesses to match the different needs and preferences of a wide range of people.
If you are referring to component mattresses with loose layers and a zip cover then you will find a fairly wide range of options available from various manufacturers or retailers that have different designs and different layer thicknesses.
There are a number of online retailers or manufacturers that sell component mattress “kits” that allow you to customize a mattress by choosing the type of latex or the firmness of each individual layer in the mattress and you can also fine tune the mattress after a purchase by either rearranging the layers or exchanging a layer. Most of them have different models and each model has a specific design with a standard combination of layer thicknesses but you can choose the type of latex or the firmness for each layer. A few provide the option to build a mattress with any combination of latex type, layer thickness, and layer firmness that they have available but this would be more common with local manufacturers than with online manufacturers.
Post #3 here includes a list of many of the online manufacturers that sell component latex mattresses
There is more about the general differences between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here and there is also more about all the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.
It would depend on the person. Some people are more sensitive and will notice much more subtle differences between two mattresses that most people wouldn’t notice at all while others don’t seem to notice much difference between mattresses that most people would think are very different. In very general terms the differences between the upper layers of a mattress will generally be more noticeable than differences between the deeper layers of a mattress. Different people will also have different preferences in terns of the type of latex they tend to prefer in some or all of the layers in a mattress.
The amount of latex in a mattress (the mattress thickness) along with the type and blend of latex and the type of cover can all affect the price of a mattress but each of these can also affect the feel and performance of the mattress as well and the only way to know which of these may be more or less important to you and the tradeoffs that would be worth it to you will be based on your own personal experience. Different manufacturers or retailers may also have a range of different prices as well.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else.
A good online retailer or manufacturer will generally suggest a mattress that they honestly believe has the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal experience so if you can’t test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress or individual layers or components or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
While there is no way to specifically quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when they will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for them (because this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) and because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person … if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isn’t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new (see post #2 here) and you have confirmed that it meets the minimum quality/durability specs relative to your BMI range that are suggested in the durability guidelines here then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer and the chances that you would have additional “bonus time” beyond that would be higher as well.
In very general terms latex is the most durable of all the foam materials that are generally used in the industry.
The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons (including their Black line), and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
Most hotel mattresses are also made by the major manufacturers and I would also avoid them as well. They are generally significantly overpriced compared to similar consumer mattresses made by the same manufacturer (which I also wouldn’t purchase) because hotel mattresses don’t need to be as durable as a consumer mattress that is used every night and that is generally used for longer periods of time than a hotel mattress before it’s replaced. They are one of the most common sources of buyers remorse because lower quality and less durable materials can lead to premature softening and the loss of comfort and support and the need to replace the mattress much too quickly after a purchase (and foam softening and the loss of comfort and support isn’t covered by mattress warranties). You can read more about hotel mattresses in general in post #3 here and the posts it links to.
You would be very fortunate to get 7 years of use out of any of them and it would be reasonable to expect significantly less.
Subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list that you wish to visit is completely transparent (see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Summit, NJ area would be listed in either the Monroe Township/Newark list in post #7 here or the New York City list in post #2 here (there is a fair bit of overlap between them).
Phoenix