Ok after testing an all natural latex bed, I think it will be a great deal for me and the wife. Not ready to part with the $3K+ to do it with my daughter’s wedding and 3 graduations this summer and a planned vacation. Thinking about a temp solution. Currently have an i8 series Sleep Number bed and been on their products for 10 yrs. The i8 was a replacement provided free of charge due to mold in the older model 2 yrs ago. Several herniated discs and shoulder problems and the wife and I are struggling with settings. Changed several pieces of their cheap foam and put gel foam and some other stuff in there and adjusted numbers to air bladders to no avail. She is an all over sleeper (stomach/side/back) and I am mainly side and some back. Thinking about 3" piece of latex from Brooklyn Bedding after researching this forum. Not sure on type of latex (dunlop or talalay) leaning dunlop and med firmness. My thoughts are it has to be better than what I currently have by replacing the 2 pieces of foam which is approx 3’ that came with it…I can just leave it all as one package and shift to the guest room when I do buy an entire new bed setup next year and I think it would give me some sort of feeling about the latex in general! Anyone had any attempts on this process and found it successful? is this crazy to do since I am relying on the bladders to serve as a core for the latex? Should I consider talalay over dunlop and why? From the hours of reading here, it seems the talalay is more prone to shaping issues over time and sleeps softer than the equivalent ILD dunlop…thanks in advance for any and all advice…
Hi rbev2308,
Changing the firmness of the support layers (the air bladders in an airbed) performs a different function than changing the firmness of the comfort layers in a mattress. The support layers are more for support and alignment (although they will also have a secondary effect on comfort/pressure relief) and the comfort layers are more about comfort/pressure relief (although they will also have a secondary effect on support/alignment).
If the issues you are having are related to the comfort layers (which are mostly about pressure relief) then changing the type, firmness, or thickness of the comfort layers can certainly make a difference (although you would be limited in terms of thickness by your cover). If a 3" comfort layer is thick enough for you (which is quite likely) then you could also use a firmer setting for your air bladder which is less likely to sag in the middle and could minimize alignment issues.
You can read a little more about the difference in “feel” between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here but in general it would be a preference choice not a “better worse” choice. Dunlop in a comfort layer will tend to feel firmer than the same thickness and ILD of Talalay but both are available in a range of firmness levels and the comparison only applies to the same firmness level. Either one can be softer or firmer than the other depending in the ILD of each layer.
Some manufacturers will allow you to order a single layer from them and then if you order a mattress from them at a later date will allow you to make the purchase without the layer you already have. SleepEZ is an example of this and it would also be worth checking with Brooklyn Bedding to see if they can do the same thing. This would allow you to use your topper as part of a component mattress purchase down the road.
There are too many unknowns, variables, and individual preferences involved to use “theory at a distance” or a formula to choose the thickness or firmness of a layer that would be most suitable for you with any certainty and your own testing experience on different thicknesses and firmness levels of latex would be the most reliable guideline but mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here has some links with some generic information that may be helpful and the topper guidelines here (and one of the posts it links to) may be helpful as well. Most of the manufacturers that sell latex toppers also have the knowledge and experience to help you make a suitable choice and in some cases the topper can be exchanged for another firmness level or even returned. I know that Brooklyn Bedding allows for topper firmness exchanges for example.
If you are successful in choosing the right firmness for your topper (either initially or with an exchange) in combination with a firm setting for the air bladder then I think your plan could be a good one and you would provide you with the benefits of a latex comfort layer and give you some sense of what it’s like to sleep on latex and help you decide on how you may feel about an all latex mattress (or even a latex hybrid with a different type of support core).
Phoenix
Appreciate the detailed response. Some good links with more good info…One last question…I read on another mfr’s website for a company out of Arizona that Talalay is not made into King size that either there is gluing of pieces or use of two twin pieces. If true, this would also apply to toppers I guess…Here is the gouge below I cut/pasted
Talalay latex does not come in King size. Anything King size must either be in two pieces (twinXL), which according to their website is one layer only, and that can only mean that two pieces HAVE been glued together. Furthermore, let’s talk about California King size. Cal. Kings are 84" long so if all latex molds are only 80" long ,which they are, how the hell can you make Cal. King without glue?
Hi rbev2308,
Yes this is correct. Talalay molds are either twin XL or queen size so either way the king would be glued and the cal king would have two glued sections. The glue is water based, non toxic, and flexible and the sections are carefully matched to each other so you can’t feel the seams.
Phoenix
Phoenix,
I keep saying one last question so hopefully I mean it this time. I called Brooklyn Bedding today and they told me their Talalay comes from Latex International here in the states and their Dunlop Latex toppers come from latexgreen.com out of Sri Lanka and is natural… The confusing part was they told me that all Kings are actually twin XL and glued together with water based glue so it meets the natural criteria. I had leaned towards the Dunlop because I thought I had read that king molds existed for dunlop and not talalay. I did not want to challenge what the company was saying maybe they only do it that way. Not sure how this stuff is shipped but he told me it would be cut and glued together to make a king regardless of which type I chose…Does that sound accurate and does it make any difference having one piece over two glued pieces…Thanks/Ross
Hi rbev2308,
As far as I know (and I could be wrong) Latex Green has king molds but this doesn’t mean that a specific layer couldn’t be fabricated from two twin XL’s.
I do know for certain that neither Talalay manufacturer (Radium or Latex International) has any King molds.
Either way though … the glue they use is water based, non toxic, strong, and flexible and you wouldn’t feel the glue seam anyway even if there was one.
Phoenix