I have nine inches of latex on a DIY build and more latex doesn’t give me enough pressure relief even talalay. I am thinking of two inches of 4 pound memory foam or 2 inches of serene foam. Which one would be most appropriate in this situation.
Hey there Avery0001,
If nine inches of latex still is not giving you enough pressure relief, adding more latex probably is not going to solve the problem, even if it is softer Talalay. Latex has a buoyant, pushback feel that some people simply do not find pressure relieving enough, especially around the shoulders and hips. That said, it does depend on the firmness levels, and you did not mention whether the latex is Dunlop or Talalay.
In your situation, a 2-inch layer of 4 lb memory foam would likely be the better option, since memory foam generally does pressure relief very well. It conforms more closely to the body and provides deeper pressure relief than either latex or Serene foam. This is especially true for side sleepers or anyone dealing with pressure points.
Serene foam can still improve comfort and tends to sleep cooler and feel less “stuck” than traditional memory foam, but it usually does not provide the same level of contouring and pressure relief. A lot of DIY builds work well using latex for support and transition layers combined with a thinner memory foam comfort layer on top, since that setup keeps the support and responsiveness of latex while adding some of the pressure relief that latex alone sometimes cannot provide.
You could also look at responsive polyurethane foams such as TitanFlex, Energex, or Malouf Dough/ActiveDough. These tend to fall somewhere between latex and memory foam in feel, with less of the “stuck in the foam” sensation than traditional memory foam and less pushback than latex. A softer 2-inch layer of one of these materials may provide enough additional pressure relief while still keeping some responsiveness.
Since comfort is very personal, it may take a little experimentation to figure out what works best for your body.
As always, everything between you and the floor matter. If your foundation is not rigid enough, providing appropriate support, none of this will work properly. Slat spacing (under 3"), slat width (2-3") and slat thickness 3/4" or non flexing wood are better options.
Lastly, if you are a side or back sleeper, loft on your pillow and fill material will affect the pressure on you head, neck and shoulders. But that is a longer conversation.
Maverick
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I agree with maverick and want to add that if you got the 2" memory foam, you could try it both on top of the latex, or under the top layer of latex for different feels. It’s not as common, but i really love the feel of a short layer of memory foam underneath soft latex for the comfort layer. When the top layer of latex feels bouncy, that’s because there is a surface underneath that gives it the ability to respond and push back up. When you put memory foam under the latex, memory foam is like the opposite of latex and even less responsive than standard polyfoam. So the end result becomes basically a neutrally responsive top of the mattress.
Memory foam also softens with warmth, so when you place the latex on top you suspend your body heat away from the memory foam and that helps it to stay at more of an equal firmness throughout the night.
You might prefer the memory foam on top or underneath. I’d be interested to see how things work out for you.
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I am thinking two inch s of memory foam is the way to go.
The latex breakdown is firm and two mediums. I have tried soft dunlap and talalay medium as a comfort layer and got to much sinkage and pressure points with each.
I have some old low quality memory foam lying around and it seems to do the trick. I will just be getting better quality foam for the comfort layer.
Any thoughts on sensus vs 4 lb memory foam on that due to the lack of temperature maliablity with the sensus?
You mean serene? I believe the 4lb memory foam you’re looking at is open cell so it should be breathable. I was gonna say about serene foam…it has a very persistent chemical scent that i don’t enjoy at all.