We’re set on a 100% natural latex with a natural cover. We’re coming from a sealy sedona springs ultra plush with a 1.5" memory foam topper. We love this bed but the box spring broke so we’re taking advantage of costco’s generous warranty. We’re in Phoenix with a few showroom options and plan to try them out, but I’m trying to narrow down and realize there’s only so much laying on a bed for 20 minutes can really tell me. So I’m trying to look at the data too. We’re looking for a king, 5’8" and 200 lbs each. Mostly side sleepers, but I sometimes sleep on my stomach and he sometimes sleeps on his back.
We really like the cushy plush feel, would it be safe to assume we’ll probably prefer the “soft” rated mattresses or a 20 ild topper?
It seems some cover choices are just stretch cotton and some have 1" quilted wool in them. If we like plush, do I need to get the wool, or will it even be noticeable if I’m getting the correct soft comfort layer?
It seems easier and cheaper to find a 100% natural dunlop pre-made mattresses than it is to find 100% natural talalay. Seems there are a lot of blended talalays. Am I overlooking something? Mostly looked at AZ mattress company, latex mattress comany, and sleep ez
In looking at latex mattress company’s premade mattresses, it seems like the 7" “soft” is too simple to be ideal for us. Is that wishful thinking? Do most people need separate ild’s for their core and comfort layers? Could a 3" medium and a 3" soft potentially be a better combination (for only 6" total)? Or do people generally need at least 6" as a core support layer? In this case, it seems DIY might be cheaper in order to get the 100% natural poducts we prefer. And strangely, it seems getting two 3" toppers are cheaper than one 6" core.
We plan to buy our kids new mattresses too, so I partially thought about buying theirs first so we could test them out. Our kids seem to prefer plush too, so I lean toward the softest for them too. Or maybe the medium/soft topper combo?
Thanks for your help, I was so happy to find a website like this!
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress. There are just too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
While nothing has a 100% success rate … with a local purchase for the majority of people … careful testing using the guidelines in the tutorial (rather than just testing for the more subjective “comfort” of a mattress which often won’t predict how well you will sleep on a mattress or how it will “feel” when you sleep on it at home) along with some good guidance from a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer will usually result in a mattress choice that is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and will generally be “close enough” so that if any fine tuning is necessary it would be relatively minor and involve different mattress pads, sheets, mattress protectors, or perhaps even a topper if a mattress is too firm (see post #4 here and post #10 here).
Again … your own local testing would be a much more reliable way to assess whether any mattress is a suitable choice for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP.
There is more about the pros and cons of a thinner and more stretchy knit cover and a wool quilted cover in post #6 here.
Both Arizona Premium and SleepEZ sell component mattress that give you the option to choose between 100% natural Talalay and blended Talalay. The choice between different types and blends of latex is more of a preference and budget choice rather than a “better/worse” choice and any type or blend of latex is a durable material relative to other types of foam materials. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and more about how Dunlop compares to Talalay in general in post #7 here but the best way to know which type or blend of latex you tend to prefer will be based on your own testing and/or your own personal experience.
Blended Talalay is more common than 100% natural Talalay because it’s generally less costly and is just as “safe”, just as durable (or in some cases more durable) and feels very similar to 100% natural Talalay.
Again … the best way to know whether any mattress design is a good match for you would be based on your own careful testing but 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.
The thickness of a mattress or the number of layers or the thickness of any individual layers inside it is really just a side effect of the design and the design goals of a mattress and is also only one of many variables that can affect the feel and performance of a mattress relative to any particular person and by itself isn’t particularly meaningful (see post #2 here). In some cases higher weight ranges (or a higher BMI) will sometimes do better with a mattress that is thicker than lower weight ranges or a lower BMI (see post #14 here for more about the effect of thickness) but even this depends more on the specific design and combination of materials in the mattress and on how well your testing or personal experience indicates the mattress “as a whole” matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP than it does on just the thickness itself.
There are also some comments about the pros and cons of a component mattress with a zip cover where you can choose the type and firmness of each layer vs a “finished mattresses” that has glued layers in post #15 here and post #2 here.
I certainly wouldn’t go by the opinions of a younger child about which mattress would be suitable or “comfortable” for them because they will tend to choose based on all the wrong criteria (just like they would probably make poor food choices if what they ate was based on their preferences as well).
Post #2 here and the topics it links to have more information about mattresses and children and “safe” materials including a link to some general guidelines for children in post #2 here. It also includes a number of links to the better forum posts and topics about mattress and children as well which have more information about many good options for children which are worth considering.
For younger children any mattress that uses materials that are “durable enough” that you would also consider to be “safe enough” and are in a medium to medium firm range would generally be a suitable choice for a child. The choice between different mattresses that meet these criteria would really be more of a budget and preference choice than a “better/worse” choice.
I would keep in mind that a mattress that would be “comfortable” for most adults would likely be too soft to be suitable for a child. You can also add a softer topper to any firmer childrens’ mattress when they get older and develop more adult proportions if and when they need a softer comfort layer in their “sleeping system”.
You’ve probably already seen this already but just in case you haven’t … the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Phoenix area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #4 here.
You are very fortunate to live where you do since several of the manufacturing members of this site are based there which gives you the chance to test mattresses in person that most of the rest of the members that live in other areas of the country can only order online without being able to test them first.
I talked to someone from latex mattress factory for a long time and he suggested the softest for a 3" topper and two 3" layers as the core so we don’t bottom out. He said they sell mostly three 3" layers in soft, med, and firm, and that works for most people so they can reconfig as they need. But he urged me to buy from a retailer like sleepez for the ease of return. Though their site offered free returns, he said they’d be changing that soon because they’re getting too many exchanges.
So we visited sleepez yesterday and found that we liked the soft 100% natural talay 3" topper best and two medium 3" layers as the base. But the only natural talalay they have is organic at a big price increase, even if we went with the 100% natural dunlop for the bottom 2 layers.
So we were still leaning toward building it DIY, if we could get the 100% natural talalay for our top layer at a decent price somewhere (LMF only has dunlop). Only downside would be the lack of warranty on the DIY build.
Then we went to AZ Premium Mattress and Greg was great and willing to customize practically everything in the mattress. The price was only a couple hundred more than if we did it all DIY, so we thought that was worthwhile for the warranty and peace of mind. We ended up ordering a soft 100% natural talalay 3" layer in eastern king, and split the bottom two layers into twinXL’s in case we want future options - a medium dunlop layer and medium 100% natural talalay layer. It’ll be delivered in about 3 weeks.
I didn’t get kids mattresses yet, but he recommended both twinxl so I could make a king guest bed when they move out, which is a great idea. Greg recommended medium too, or a thinner soft comfort layer, but I really think my kids will find the medium too firm after having their own memory foam toppers currently. I feel more brave about building theirs DIY now, but like the idea of having options down the road. Do you think there’s any disadvantage to buying a thicker mattress cover than I need (like a 9") even though I might only start out with 6" of latex inside? I guess my sheets might fit funky.
Thanks for the update and for letting us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress
As you know you certainly made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
I’m not sure how old your children are but as I mentioned in my previous reply I would lean towards a mattress that is in a medium range or firmer for younger children that are still growing. They will get used to it (just like children eventually get used to healthier food choices regardless of what they may choose if they are left to choose on their own).
You can always add a softer topper to a firmer mattress when they get older and develop more adult proportions if and when they need a softer comfort layer.
I would also use a cover that is the correct size for the layers they are sleeping on (it should fit tightly around the layers) and not a cover that would be loose and saggy and wrinkled and could be somewhat uncomfortable to sleep on. A tight fitting cover can also help to prevent any shifting of the layers.
Just another update. We’ve had our mattress a month and love it. Soft/medium/medium is great for our cushy taste. Now we’re working on buying the kids’ mattresses.
