4 years ago I purchased a Sealy Springfree Latex mattress. The original model i got, while felt great in the showroom, was hard as a rock and totally unsleepable. With 90 days to swap out, I went and got the next plusher model. This guy: http://www.newyorkmattressdirect.com/sealy-meadowcrest-plush-pltfrm.html. While this bed was better, it was never great, and after 4 years it provides almost no support and I’m waking up with back aches every night. The bed has an 8.5" latex core with several other foam layers. Is it possible to cut the case and swap out these top layers of latex with a 3" topper that is slightly firmer? Has anyone had success doing this or am I just wasting my time?
Hi blantonator,
Absolutely it’s possible …except the top layers are mostly polyfoam which is the foam I would replace. There are many people who have improved their mattress with mattress surgery but it may involve some trial and error in getting the layers above the latex core right for your specific needs and preferences.
If you are successful it can certainly be a lot less costly than a new mattress and the odds are good that the latex core is still in good condition and it’s the lower quality materials in the comfort layers that are the issue.
It beats disposing of the mattress IMO when there is likely an 8.5" latex core that is probably still in good condition and if you do decide to go for it … you can use a seam ripper to open up the cover and remove the top and see what’s inside it and which materials you want to keep and which ones to replace. I would keep the latex comfort layers in case you need to do some fine tuning with a bit of extra softness or thickness in addition to the 3" layer you are considering.
Phoenix
great, I may just try it. two more questions though. Is it a bad idea to mix latex and memory foam? I tried some mattresses at an urban mattress, and I liked the feel of gel memory foam. I believe it was an evosleep conforma. I think i liked the overall feel of the memory foam better, but will using a latex base still give me proper support?
secondly, is it possible to buy a new cover to zipp the whole thing up in?
Thanks!
Hi blantonator
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It’s not a problem to mix memory foam and latex. Memory foam is a comfort layer, and so you will likely want it on / near the top. Since you’re trying to save the latex core, which is a support layer, this is fine. And besides this, there’s no harm mixing/matching materials that you like, provided that you achieve a good posture, pressure relief, and preference (PPP) for yourself. As a matter of ease- you might find it easier, and less expensive, to try to model the bed you’re creating after a bed you have tested and like, since mattress design and layering can become something of trial and error otherwise. Like all mattress design, you don’t want to have the comfort layer be deeper / thicker than necessary, as it can interfere with posture/alignment.
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Yes, you can get zip covers. I believe SleepEZ had some high quality ones, but typically any of the sites where you build your own mattress via layers of latex have them. Plus amazon. Basically, you can get natural fibers such as cotton, optionally with wool, both sometimes certified organic, or semi-natural like a bamboo/rayon.
The base foam in my current mattress is 8.5" of sealy’s smart latex, don’t have any more info on it than that. I was thinking of replace the top layers with a 3" gel memory foam topper from Brooklyn Bedding or 3" latex from them. I liked the feel of the gel memory, but there really isnt any tuning possibilities with this option. With a latex topper I could swap out for different ILD if it didnt work.
The mattress i liked at Urban Mattress has a 3.5" layer of gel memory foam on top of regular foam. Seemed nice, but there was no information on the quality of the base support foam. In reality, I have no idea how to compare my sealy latex to others I can try, because I don’t know the ILD of my latex base.
Hi blantonator,
They do have several different types of memory foam (including gel memory foam) that each have their own feel and characteristics so there would still be some options with memory foam although memory foam is a little more tricky because of the differences between different types (see post #9 here) and because they change their response with temperature, humidity, time (becoming softer with continuous compression), and compression.
Ditto to dn’s great comments as well.
You can also add thinner layers of either the same or other types of foam either below or above the memory foam to fine tune it either for softness/firmness or for “feel”. For example a thin layer of latex on top of memory foam has a little more surface resilience but still has much of the “feel” of the memory foam below it. You can also add a layer below the memory foam as a transition layer between the firmer latex core and the memory foam. All of this is part of the “art and science” of mattress design although when it comes to feel it’s mostly art.
I think a 3" layer would be a good place to start and you would also have a few thinner layers that you could re-use (if they are in good condition) for some fine tuning as well.
I would start by testing one layer at a time and then make any changes based on your actual experience with each combination and based on your target for how you want to change each combination.
Some additional sources I’m aware of for covers of all types are listed in the DIY post #4 here.
Good luck … and I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences and feedback along the way if you decide to go in this direction and of course any questions you have are always welcome.
Phoenix