Hi flyby,
Phoenix
Not that I mind because I’m not sure if I want blended or natural, but on that link they claim their toppers have a ild of 19 or 28 which I thought you said was blended talalay numbers as natural talalay have a given range?
Hi flyby123,
When I see a specific ILD it’s always a caution to make sure that the material is 100% natural Talalay rather than blended Talalay. In many cases they are described as a specific or “nominal” ILD as a convenience so that customers have a sense of its relative firmness (most customers would nave little idea what N2 means or say W4 in the case of Radium) but it’s always a good idea to use specific ILD descriptions as a trigger to ask questions to confirm the type of Talalay…
In the case of mattresses.net I know that they are selling 100% natural Talalay because I know them well and have talked with them at length and they also carry Radium Talalay which are a little more specific in terms of ILD than Latex International but using specific ILD’s as a trigger to confirm the blend of the material regardless of who sells it is always a good idea.
This is particularly true in the case of Latex International because their blended talalay is often described as “natural” and their 100% natural latex is often described as “all natural” and in many cases retailers will confuse one for the other. It can also be confusing when you see terms like 100% Talalay" which only means that the material was made using the Talalay process and has nothing to do with the blend of the raw materials.
Phoenix
If you’re wanting to build your own mattress you could also try Mattress 24/7. They have a website but it’s currently being rebuilt (slowly).
It’s only half functional (lots of broken links) currently though. IMO it’s easier to contact her (Valerie, the owner) through eBay here:
http://myworld.ebay.com/mattresses247
Her current prices are $440 per 3" latex layer (they were lower but I think she’s not selling seconds anymore so she raised the prices). They can come whole or split (for the larger sizes at least). Or you can buy them in a preconfigured set and basically get a cover free.
I was lucky enough to lock in the $380 price (although I haven’t officially decided on my configuration yet) due to consulting her before the change. Just for that alone I recommend them (since she obviously didn’t have to give me the old price).
Good luck with your decision. 
Just a heads up on the amazon 3 inch toppers. Natural comfort uses radium while plush beds uses latex international. Does that matter? Does one have higher quality than the other?
Hi flyby,
At their best both are high quality and comparable products. There is more in post #2 here.
Phoenix
I want to know how people can like hard firm beds? I read all the time people saying on here they like firm beds it almost defies logic. It’s natural to like things a little soft do many people have bad backs that require it or something? There must be some logic behind it.
Hi flyby123,
They would probably be stomach or back sleepers or be comfortable with firm beds because that’s what they are used to sleeping on or because of their cultural heritage (many Asians for example sleep on very firm mattresses).
It could also be for the same reasons that some people actually like sauerkraut which I’ve never understood and makes me cringe (even though my ancestry is Dutch and I’m “supposed” to love it) or worse yet how some people can eat ultra hot peppers which to me is self imposed torture that has absolutely no reason behind it
Phoenix
Haha I see
Is there anyone who offers a mattress cover that looks like savvy rest or foam sweet fom? Those were the two mattress covers I like the most.
https://www.foamsweetfoam.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/12-inch-natural-mattress1.jpg
I’m having troubles finding one that is basic like that and it’d be nice if it had joma wool too.
I looked through those but none had that old school mattress look like they were plain durable and thin like savvy rest or foam sweet foam alot of them looked like they needed to be washed or had non durable looking covers.
For instance sleep ezs mattress covers that are sold on their mattresses look awesome not the ones they sell individually maybe I’ll ask them if they’ll sell those.
You know what forget it I forget what’s what but select foam was created 7 years ago which is when this happend and by chris nelson who graduated from the university of miami in 2009 and I thought it was the miami herald where I read how they were created which they say they were featured in. Who knows even if it was the miam herald that I read it in or if it was select foam and it was so long ago and at the time I didn’t think about documenting it for further reference and plus I had no proof of anything as I didn’t really care enough to 60 minutes them.
If you want to delete this life will go on it’s your site. I was just explaining myself to you.
Sorry I didn’t mean to upset you.
Hi flyby,
Thanks for editing your post. I know of several cases where a post by one person that wasn’t accurate or true was posted somewhere on the internet anonymously and when it reached the search engines cost good businesses real harm for a long period of time. When I started this site I wanted to make sure that it never became a vehicle for the same thing to happen here. It’s always welcome when people share their opinions but it’s important to me that it’s reasonable and fact based because the posts on the forum can become highly ranked on google very quickly.
Phoenix
PS: The mattress covers that SleepEz sells are the same as what is on their mattresses and there are several others that sell cotton covers (or organic cotton covers) quilted with wool.
Sorry about that bud I didn’t mean to upset you I just thought it was kind of funny I didn’t mean to upset businesses.
The one they sell for $495 for a cal king you mean on sleep ez? None of them match the one they use in their mattress I want that one they have a cotton wool one for $495 for a cal king but it’s an etreme close up and the pattern doesn’t match the one they use on the mattresses they sell diamonds versus squares.
Hi flyby123,
Yes … they have some covers here but I would call them to confirm the details because I’m not sure if all the pictures are accurate (they have been working on updating their site but it’s an ongoing job).
I edited my previous post as well … no harm no foul
Phoenix
Yeah thanks I’ll email them I like the cover on their mattresses.
Hi flyby,
I would suggest that all your dealings with any mattress manufacturer or retailer are by phone unless an email question is black and white and has a simple one sentence answer that doesn’t include any possibility of “it depends” or the need for any potential followup questions as a result of the answer.
You will generally get much more meaningful and complete information that way in a much shorter period of time (that will often include answers to questions you don’t know to ask).
Phoenix
Its been awhile since I last checked in, but I am living proof, that you can build your own mattress. However, I will warn you in advance, it is not an easy project and most likely you can buy a finished mattress from one of the great manufacturers/sellers here cheaper. It took me a lot of time, tenacity, and hobnobbing to get the project done. 
I’ll tell you how I went about it, but I won’t give retailers names etc. where they could get in trouble for selling raw materials by their suppliers.
Firstly, I decided I wanted an innerspring mattress, no innerspring maker will sell direct to consumer unless you go through a Chinese maker via Made-in-China, AliExpress etc. I don’t recommend doing this as they are notorious for hosting scammers and makers of poor quality parts. Unless you can go to China and check on the manufacture process don’t go this route. So I was able to find a somewhat local mattress maker that used Hickory Springs Holland Maid spring sets. I originally wanted an LP coil set, but tried a Holland Maid mattress and really liked it. Anyway, after spending time talking with the owner of the mattress maker he agreed to sell me the innerspring. After I had that I found a large upholstery supply company. They were able to special order flex webbing for me and FR material. I also was able to rent a clip gun to fasten materials to the innerspring. Then I went in search of cover supplier and happened upon a retailer that used covers made by: Ideal Quilting in Canada. Ideal specializes in quilt kits. These are professional mattress covers designed for makers that don’t have tape machines. Most come w/foam quilted into the cover. They do have some with 1.8lb foam. Anyway, through that retailer I was able to get an Ideal Quilt kit. Then I just bought a million different foams and latex sheets until I found the right combination. This cost a fortune. Also, lined the cavity of the mattress with wool batting, from an organic wool company in Montana.
So to make a long story short. I am totally happy with the final product, I haven’t slept this well in a loooonnnggg time. Getting there however, took months of my time researching, finding parts and people that will sell them on a one off basis. In the end it would have just been cheaper to buy a good pre-made mattress and would have saved me a lot of time. I am an engineer though and so I generally like these types of projects.
I posted this link once before, but this website: http://bedtimessuppliesguide.com/ helped immensely, for research. Bear in mind that most of the suppliers contained on the site, are not staffed to answer one off requests for small orders of supplies. So don’t be surprised if A. They don’t respond B. Won’t sell directly to you C. Refuse to talk via phone. This was the most frustrating and time consuming thing for me.
Anyway, just thought I would share my story. It was fun for me, but for most people you would be better off buying something you try and like. In the end I ended up with a mattress similar to what a local small maker produces, that cost almost $500 more than what the small maker could have done. Also, most small makers will customize the final product for you so unless you are just looking for a project, then it makes sense to go with a pre-made mattress.
So hope that helps! Good luck to those building your own! It can be done, but expect some frustration along the way, when doing an innerspring mattress. :lol:
Hi jp2600,
Thanks for sharing your experiences in building your own mattresses. You are certainly “brave” (especially considering that you were building an innerspring mattress which is much more difficult) but I also understand the satisfaction that comes from the learning process and of course the final result when everything is said and done and you are sleeping on your own creation.
Like you … I think that for most people that go in the direction you went in that frustration replaces “fun” at some point but for a few where the process is as important as the final result and have the patience to persevere and who enjoy the challenge for its own sake it can be a great experience all the way through and it certainly seems to me that you are in this group.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights and for writing a terrific post
Phoenix
Thanks Phoenix! It is a great feeling of accomplishment to get it all done. And just rereading my post it sounds as though I am trying to dissuade others from building their own, definitely not my intention. Hopefully no one inferred that. It was a great excercise. The thing that others should be aware of, and I would hate to see happen, is getting to that point of frustration, as you mentioned. Or by buying and acquiring a ton of non-returnable mattress parts, sinking a lot of time and energy into the project, then running out of money or going over budget to complete it. As an example I had bought a ton of parts and spent way more than I should have, and had to wait almost four months to get a hold of an innerspring. So I had all these parts that cost a bunch collecting dust and still didn’t have a usable mattress for some time! 
A good tip for DIYers is to keep a “point of no return” in mind with a budget number. Eventually you will most likely hit the point of no return number and at that point you will be commited, or end up losing lots of money and sleep without a usable mattress! Not to mention a bunch of materials collecting dust in your work area. That is unless Phoenix opens up a classified section.