Make a Latex Bed

I shopped sales & DIY at www.mattresses.net ALL the latex I purchased is good quality LI & Radium.

I was nervous after weeks of information gathering. I had tried Savvy Rest & PLB beds, never finding an ideal, but finally understanding how to tweak those specs for our PPP.

The day before I made my bed I had almost made the costly mistake of buying a bed matching my PPP at an unusually great price, glowing reviews, lovely terms & offering $100.00 off. It seemed too good to be true. I felt cautious so I asked in this forum about the company before committing. Luckily I received a prompt reply from Phoenix who knew of the past transgressions of the company in question. I looked into BBB info on the company complaints, one from a mother who stated she was about to wash the all organic cover of her sons mattress when noticing some “wool” poking through. She thought it looked like poly & when she decided to try to burn it it melted.

Can’t express my relief at not buying that mattress. :blush:

My bed fits my PPP, a zip cover, adjustable firmness by switching top layer to mid layer if one of us think the bed too soft. I would cut the King layers into 2 Twin XL’s. I learned about how to do that. So, I think hubby and I will both be comfy on this mattress.

Organic Cotton Covered 12" King, All Natural top 6", super firm blended Talalay 6" base for less than $1,500.00 with my MU 5% discount. Plus shipping, which was $172.11. (not bad, if you are afraid of shipping)

The Savvy Rest I tried was $4,200.00. I could not wait to tell my husband. :whistle:

I just ordered 3 - 3" latex layers to make my own mattress. Should I also purchase a 1 or 2" HD foam layer for stabilization under the 9 inches of latex? Not sure if it’s necessary, but need to know before I order the cover.
Thanks

Hi KSueSmith,

It sounds to me like you did some good research and made some very good choices for your DIY construction that were well thought out.

I also think your overall approach to a DIY mattress is a good one where the learning curve, and a “spirit of adventure” is an important part of the process.

Most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress … and on what you learned along the way :slight_smile:

I’m really looking forward to your feedback when you receive everything and have had the chance to sleep on it.

Phoenix

PS: @cburgess625,

I don’t think that a 2" polyfoam layer on the bottom would be necessary in most cases and it wouldn’t be effective as a “stabilization layer” anyway unless it was glued to the latex which would mean that you wouldn’t be able to change or replace the bottom layer.

KSueSmith,

I’m glad I checked the forum today because I’m in the process of making a final decision on an Eastern King DIY bed from AZ Premium Mattress. I need to decide in the next few days which components to buy, so I’d love to ask you why you made the choices you did to help me process.

We are 55 years old. My husband is 5’ 10" (200 lbs) & I’m 5’4" (135 lbs). We are primarily back sleepers although lately, I also sleep on my sider because pain in my back, hips, neck keep me shifting about during the night.

After speaking with Ken about our needs, I was given the following recommendations:

  1. xx firm 6" blended talalay core (46-50 ILD) + 3" (28 ILD) blended talalay + 2" (22 ILD) recommend for back sleeper

  2. xx firm 6" blended talalay core(46-50 ILD) + 3" (28 ILD) blended talalay + 3" (19 ILD) recommend for a confirmed side sleeper.

I’m leaning toward option 1 because I’m concerned the 19 ILD will be too soft for our sleep profile plus I’m wondering if I need to spend the extra money on that extra inch of latex. I will if I need to, but won’t if it is not necessary.

The configuration you choose is a bit different. Are you side sleeper? Back sleeper?

May I ask why you went with the 3" All Natural Talalay Topper 19 ILD for $449 instead of the DIY 3" 19 ILD blended talalay topper for $358? Can someone educate me on the difference between the all natural talalay toppers vs. the blended talalay?

Why did you chose the 3" Dunlop Topper (25 ILD) over the 3" (28 ILD) blended talalay topper for $358? I was told the feel would be similar, so I’m assuming you chose Dunlop over blended talalay for a reason.

Why did you choose the Organic Cotton cover instead of the Bamboo cover? Sounds like the cotton cover puts you closer to the feel of the latex, but Ken recommended Bamboo for me because I am very sensitive to smells, so the thicker Bamboo cover will hide the rubber smell of the latex better than the thinner cotton cover.

I’m open to any suggestion from you, Phoenix, and anyone else who has knowledge that can chime in! Thanks for your help!

Hi Marla,

I think that the best source of guidance and suggestions is always the manufacturer you are working with because they know their mattresses and material combinations better than anyone else and a phone conversation can always go into more depth than any “theory at a distance” on a forum (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

The two recommendations they gave you certainly make sense to me :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Exhausted with so many details I realize many companies had components to choose from but reviews tell me people did not always get what they thought they were getting. Latex is expensive & you can find a lot of it on Amazon, etc. at good prices, but lots of people sell seconds or used latex, apparently, according to reviews. For me it was about deciding upon the company I had the most confidence in & going for it even though I was nervous. I read their whole website & knew I would get a good product. Somewhere on the site it talks about how people feel overwhelmed by Too Much INFO & Mattress Overload & that when that happens we should just give them a call. At this point it was the reasonable thing to do.

I did choose the cotton to feel the mattress more. I am not expecting odor to last too long. Really hope not. That was a good thing to consider when you chose the Bamboo cover. Greg said the Bamboo had more wool & was thicker I almost picked it to keep my hot hubby cooler.

APM owner, Ken confirmed that 25ILD dunlop would compare to a 28ILD Talalay. I did not care whether it was Natural Talalay or Natural Dunlop. I went to Latexco’s site & read about how soft & pure the naturalux is. I read this: http://www.latexco.com/usa/our-products/

Good luck mattress making.

Phoenix, Thank You for your good deed :wink: when I was off track, wayyyy off. It helped to be able to come back to the forum when I was enticed by gimmicks & slick ads & get back on track. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. I will value the mattress even more remembering how I got it. MU is a terrific resource.

Marla, I did not address a few of your questions very well, but the main thing is that our PPP’s are not the same.

We are 50 years old & confirmed side sleepers, never could sleep on my back. If we find it too soft we will reorder the layers.

The 3" dunlop duvet is sale priced @ $349.00.

The topper is natural because that was my 1st choice in material & my next layer is also natural. The topper may feel more springy at 19ILD.

I changed course using the 45-50 ILD blended talalay in the core, loving the value. I was not finding much at that firmness & I had chosen my mattress company.

Thank You for your good deed :wink: when I was off track, wayyyy off. It helped to be able to come back to the forum when I was enticed by gimmicks & slick ads & get back on track. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. I will value the mattress even more remembering how I got it. MU is a terrific resource.

Phoenix, Thank You for your good deed :wink: when I was off track, wayyyy off. It helped to be able to come back to the forum when I was enticed by gimmicks & slick ads & get back on track. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. I will value the mattress even more remembering how I got it. MU is a terrific resource.

Thank you for your help. I’m not putting together a DIY mattress on my own by shopping around for components because that would be too daunting of a task for me. I already made the decision to purchase from AZ Premium Mattress, so they are the only company I have talked with. For various reasons, I need to finalize my decision this weekend, so I can place my order. I live “in the sticks”, so I don’t have the advantage of trying out a bed in person. I’ve talked with Ken this week, but we only discussed their DIY components. He did not discuss the options that KSueSmith chose, so I wanted to compare notes with her to discern why she went that particular route since our choices are similar, but different.

Hi Marla,

I would keep in mind that one person’s needs or preferences may be very different from another and the same mattress can “feel” and perform very differently for different people but I certainly understand that other people experiences and the reasons behind the choices they made be very useful and helpful.

You can also get some sense of the differences between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here which may help you “imagine” which type of latex you may prefer.

You are certainly heading in a very good direction and Arizona Premium has some very high quality and value options available :).

Phoenix

KSueSmith, Thanks so much for your reply. I appreciate it!

I agree that the xx firm core is a superb price, so that part of our mattress has been decided. Now I’m deciding on the other two layers. Ken primarily focused on discussing the blended talalay layers with me, so I wanted to compare notes with you, so I can make the best choice possible.

I think I’ve confirmed that my middle layer will be 3" (28 ILD) blended talalay, but I could also choose 3" Dunlop topper (25 ILD) like you did. Ken mentioned that Dunlop has more of a rubbery smell than the talalay, so perhaps that is why he did not discuss this option with me since he knew I am sensitive to smells.

I always prefer natural over anything synthetic, so after seeing your choices, it made me ponder if I need to reconsider my top two layers. Any thoughts? I don’t know enough about the difference between the two, and quite frankly I don’t have the time or energy to do any more research. We just had a death in the family today, so I am scrambling to make travel arrangements.

Back to my dilemma which is primarily the top layer. If I choose the 2" (22 ILD) blended talalay, I will be stuck with it because it is the only ILD they carry in a 2" topper, so I cannot exchange this layer. That means that the only layer that I can exchange is the 3" (28 ILD) for one of the following:

3" (19 ILD) blended Talalay
3" (28 ILD) blended Talaly
3" (25 ILD) Dunlop
3" All Natural Talalay: plush (20-24 ILD), medium (25-29 ILD), firm (30-34)

So do I spend an extra $113 to buy the 3" (19 ILD) top layer instead of the 2" (22ILD) so I have more exchange options, if needed, even though the 2" layer should work for my sleep profile? I also have shoulder, hip, & back pain, but I’m concerned 19 ILD will be too soft for back sleepers, although you mentioned it will feel “firmer” instead the mattress cover instead of on top of it.

I prefer to get it right, so I don’t have to do any layer exchanges, but since I can’t try out mattresses in person, I need to make sure I have options.

I am liking this idea for the flexibility of mixing up the layers to get your comfort right.

On getting the cover do you just add up your layers to determine depth or should there be a little compression?

So for the original post do you order a 12"

And on the last post if she goes with a 2" topper there is no cover 11"

Please advise.

Hi swrstock,

I would generally use a cover that is the same height as the latex layers although you can also use one a little bit thinner if you want to compress the latex and change the feel of the mattress as well (it would be a little firmer).

The components post here includes the better sources for covers I’m aware of and includes many different options and thicknesses so you can choose the one that you believe would work best for the design goals of your mattress.

Phoenix

I am sorry for your loss & know this can be stressful to do on the best days.

I did need to try a few. If you need more time take it. You could earn a doctorate in mattress making here. Browse & ask questions. What one person chooses another would not. I would not want to order if I did not have the specs of a mattress I liked to refer to.

There are many members here on MU that offer multiple layer switch outs. Flexus Comfort Mattress is a good one to check out.

I am 5’ 5" 120 and my husband is 6’ 1" 200. We both sleep on side and back.

I have ordered and am waiting for the following:

Brooklyn Bedding-

3" talalay/ ILD 36 - King $404 bottom
3" talalay/ ILD 28 - King 404 middle
3" talalay/ ILD 24 - King 404 top

These layers come with a cover on them. I asked for the covers to be left off all of them and for the middle and top layers to not be laminated(making 2 twin XL of each) so that we can switch them independently according to preference. After the 5% discount the total was $1151.40.

Walmart-

Spa Sensations Steel Smart Base Bed Frame - King $89

Ebay-

Luna mattress protector $44.95

Mattresses.net-

Bamboo/ Wool Zippered Mattress Cover - King $299

Complete bed w/foundation $1584.35

Can’t wait to get a good nights sleep! :slight_smile:

@cburgess625 Looks fab. I see you are a girl after my own heart.

I am slow. Just now looking at frames. Maybe the Brooklyn Bedding Genius High Rise $99.00 free shipping. 12 inches storage space underneath.

[quote=“KSueSmith” post=34374]I am sorry for your loss & know this can be stressful to do on the best days…

I think you will worry less about the bed feeling right with a 3" All Natural 20-24ILD, there will be more support for when you are sleeping on your back.[/quote]

Thanks for the condolences. I have been putting off buying a new bed for a year, so it is time to pull the trigger, so hopefully I can get a better night’s sleep. I tend to be over analytical, so I could drag the process out indefinitely. The other incentive is that my family from AZ are coming for Easter, so if I order now, they can bring the bed to me.

Are you saying It might be a better fit for me if I get 3" all natural talalay (20-24) instead of the 2" blended (22 ILD) or the 3" (19 ILD) blended because it would provide a little more firmness in my top layer plus give me more exchange options?

Thanks for the other info.

Hi cburgess625,

Congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

It sounds like you made some great choices and I’m looking forward to hearing your feedback about how both of you like it when you’ve received everything and had the chance to sleep on your new sleeping system for a bit.

The only thing I would suggest is that you check under your steel bedframe to check that the mattress isn’t sagging into the gaps between the wires too much (see post #10 here).

Thanks for letting us know what you ended up deciding!

Phoenix

Same thing at Walmart.com is less $$ and they have the brackets to attach head/foot board for $18.50. I did order those, too.

The guys on the online chat at Brooklyn were very helpful and answered all of my questions.