While looking through some links I followed from posts here I came across the extra firm latex core pieces from mattress.net and was wondering if anyone has any experience with these. I’ve pretty much decided on either going with a latex bed, a poly core with latex comfort layer, or the 12-1 with the possibility of adding a latex topper later on.
I am aiming for a ‘soft’ or medium soft feel, so I was considering the do it yourself angle with the extra firm latex core and 2 toppers. Mattress.net has 2 and 3 inch options in 19 and 28 ild. Of course, I could always go with a different vendor for the toppers should a specific one make more sense but this is the only spot I have check out for DIY.
Long story short, I’m wondering if anyone has any experience to share with the latex cores.
I would make sure you have read post #15 here before you go in a complete DIY direction to make sure you have realistic expectations of success and the trial and error that may be involved in finding the best combination for you. The “best” approach for a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where your experiences and the satisfaction that comes from the DIY process itself and what you learn along the way are more important than any cost savings which may or may not happen (depending on whether you need to make any additional purchases after your initial choices).
[quote]While looking through some links I followed from posts here I came across the extra firm latex core pieces from mattress.net and was wondering if anyone has any experience with these.
Long story short, I’m wondering if anyone has any experience to share with the latex cores.[/quote]
As you probably know … I think very highly of Arizona Premium Mattress / mattresses.net. They are knowledgeable and experienced and will give you good guidance on the phone when you talk with them about your DIY project and the design goals you are trying to achieve.
Hopefully some of the members here that have purchased them will see your post and share their feedback but in the meantime there are some comments and feedback about their ultra firm blended Talalay cores in this thread and this thread. They are certainly a great option for those who are looking for ultra firm layers at a very reasonable cost.
Thank you for linking those here. I had read them while searching the forum but then couldn’t find them again when I went back looking for them. I hadn’t read them thoroughly originally because I was aiming to buy off the self. That is still my first choice but Cape Fear doesn’t have the latex beds in stock and while they thought they were getting some last week, they haven’t gotten them yet. So now I am back to considering online, which includes the thought of DIY. I like the idea of a component bed as I am a bit of a tinkerer. But there are obviously advantages to a factory designed layout. Hopefully Cape Fear will bring them in and one will fit the bill but if not, DIY as well as a few members here (Arizona, Brooklyn, Dreamfoam, and I’ll likely go through the whole list again before making a final decision if I don’t find something locally).
While driving around town today I stopped by Mattress Capital. They were mentioned previously as a place that carried Carolina Mattress Guild. As it turns out, they no longer carry CMG. They said it was because they had a lot of quality issues but who knows if that is true or not. It is a solid excuse for a sales person trying to steer you towards what they currently sell… and of course, it is also a good reason for a store to stop carrying a line. Regardless, I thought you would like to know. They now are carrying a brand called Solstice that are spring/foam combos.
The sales girl I spoke with was very friendly as she explained the Serta Latex to me but that wasn’t really what I was looking for when visiting them.
Cape Fear Bedding still carries Golden Mattress and are considering adding a brand to replace Therapedic, which they had on clearance.
I’ve now taken my search to its inevitable obsession level that involves creating a spreadsheet of specs and pros and cons. Ah spreadsheets, like a warm blanket of numbers.
Changing the manufacturers that a store carries is often more of the “norm” than the exception and in my research I often find that the information on websites are out of date (although theirs is current and reflects the change). I appreciate the update and the feedback from the members here is often how I find out that a retailer has changed their lineup. I’ve changed their description in the Jacksonville, NC / Wilmington, NC list. Some of the Solstice mattresses use lower quality materials than I would be comfortable with so it’s always important to assess and compare the quality of any mattress on a “mattress by mattress” basis based on the type and quality of the materials inside it rather than on the name of the manufacturer.
I can certainly understand the “attraction” of numbers but I would always keep in mind that PPP is always the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase (see post #13 here) because no matter what the quality, durability, or “commodity value” of a mattress based on the materials … if you overemphasize the numbers and it isn’t a good match for your body type, sleeping positions, and preferences and you don’t sleep well on it then it would have little “value” to you.
Thanks again for the heads up about the change at The Mattress Capital
Even the sales lady at Mattress Capital thought Solstice used lower quality material… she described it as a spare bedroom or college quality mattress. I didn’t look at them as I am not interested in a spring loaded mattress. Having narrowed down my search to eliminate memory foam and spring mattresses, they didn’t fill my need.
As far as the spreadsheet goes, I appreciate the reminder. My wife gives me ‘gentle’ reminders of that on most every major purchase. I just like spreadsheets and since I’m not able to get myself to stop researching online while I wait for Cape Fear to get latex in stock, it is a good way to organize my thoughts for the possible site unseen purchase online if it doesn’t work out locally.
Ok, so in addition the DIY option at mattress.net, I revisited the other sites on here and have narrowed down my list a little more. I haven’t decided between all latex or poly/latex hybrid and I haven’t found a dunlop mattress to test out in my market, so the list is still closer to 10 than decision time. The hybrid option does give great cost value and I have been comfortable on the Pure Vitality. As flexibility and layer control does appeal to me, going with a poly core with a zip off comfort layer seems like a solid compromise between ideal and cost savings.
So with that hybrid option in mind, I was looking at dream foam (among others) and it occurred to me that the 12-1 poly bed + a 3" topper would be similar to a poly core + latex comfort layer on paper. In practice, of course, only laying on it would confirm that. Since I’m in NC and not able to head over to their shop, I figured I would bounce this concept here.
If you were to use a Talalay latex topper on top of the 12 in 1 customizable you would have the quilted layer in the 12 in 1 in between the latex topper and the 3 polyfoam layers in the 12 in 1 which would affect the feel and performance compared to having the latex inside the mattress cover and sleeping on the quilted surface with the latex underneath it.
The overall design would probably be closer if you were to replace one of the polyfoam layers inside the 12 in 1 with the 3" latex topper (in the same latex firmness level you would choose with the one of the latex hybrids) although I don’t know how the firmness of any of the combinations of the polyfoam layers (which you could play with) or the “feel” of this would compare to one of their latex hybrid mattresses.
You would also end up with an extra polyfoam layer as well which you could use as a topper or for other purposes.
That’s a good point. I hadn’t taken into consideration the mattress cover. Replacing a comfort level would make sense and the extra layer would probably be a good replacement for our aging camping mats. Another option would be to buy a larger mattress cover, though that may defeat some of the cost savings it would add to the flexibility of the setup.
It may add some flexibility (that you may or may not need if you replace the existing comfort layer with latex) but you would also lose some flexibility as well since the 12 in 1 cover has two different quilting patterns with one side being firmer and one side being softer and this can make a difference in how the mattress feels. With most other covers you would only have one side of the cover to choose from.
Just wanted to update you with my experience after talking to Karl over at sleeponlatex.com. He was very helpful and walked me through a lot of the same recommendations you have here if I end up taking the adventurous route in building a mattress. I’m leaning that way to satisfy my urge to tinker since locally Sealy and Pure are still the only products I’ve been able to see in person (hoping CFB gets the Golden in stock still). His recommendation was to start with fewer layers and build up so as not to buy layers I didn’t want/need. He said it may take longer to get to a finished product but it will make building it the most cost effective. He also pointed out it is easier to make a firm bed softer than a soft bed firmer (if, for example, I went with too soft a 6" core that would be more difficult to remedy than too firm a core). He was very friendly and I wanted to share that experience here.
I haven’t talked to mattress.net about their cores as I am leaning towards the Dunlop core in a medium or firm from sleeponlatex should I end up going the DIY route.
Like Karl … if I was uncertain about the layering that I needed I would also use a “bottom up” approach where you can use your actual sleeping experience on a particular layer or combination to help you decide on the next “piece of the puzzle”. As long as any of the combinations aren’t too soft then you would have “room” to add an additional layer until you are down to very small “fine tuning” choices.
