Montreal latex

[phoenix]

Hi Mimi,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!

I want to start this post by thanking you for your amazing website. I’ve spent hours reading it to educate myself in my process of buying a new mattress. I can imagine how much time and effort goes into keeping it up and I am very grateful for your thorough and no-nonsense approach.

You’re very welcome and thank you for the compliment.

I would also prefer if the mattress wasn’t sprayed with fire-retardants but I don’ know if that’s even possible. And for the glues to be the least toxic possible. The replies I got from the store clerk on these questions were not satisfactory.

Fire retardant chemicals have never been mandatory. What is required is that a mattress pass the 16 CFR 1632 and 1633 fire regulations with or without the use of fire retardant chemicals (the method of passing the regulations isn’t specified in the regulations). The most common method used to pass the regulations is the use of inherent fire barrier fabrics that are either quilted into the cover or are wrapped around the inner materials of the mattress like a sock. There is more information about fire retardant methods that are commonly used in the industry in post #2 here and in post #4 here.

1) I live in Montreal. Do you have a few manufacturers or retailers that you recommend I could explore in the Greater Montreal Area that sell good quality latex beds and will provide transparent information?

Subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list that you wish to visit is completely transparent ( see this article ) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Montreal area are listed in post #276 here . I can’t keep track of the inventory in each store, so you’ll have to do some phoning to find out which stores currently might currently offer latex.

2) I am very weary of buying online. It seems like I really should try the mattress first. But having tested a few combinations in stores I might be able to figure out exactly what I need and order it (nervously) through an online store. So that is also an option. I would prefer to buy from a Canadian online store to avoid expensive shipping and customs. Any recommendations?

There is a list of online mattress sources for Canadians in post #21 here.

[quote]3) In a post on your website, I read that there is such a thing as 100% natural Talalay, as well as blended (petrochemical + natural) Talalay. I am confused. I thought the divide was :

• Dunlop is 100% natural latex without petrochemicals
• Talalay is blended with petrochemicals
  Can you educate me on the different types of Talalay and Dunlop and/or other latexes? And what are the pros and cons of the various types? Most companies will just say “it’s Dunlop” or “It’s Talalay” without any further details.[/quote]
  Latex is produced either in the Dunlop method or the Talalay method. Either method may produce latex foam made of natural latex (100% Natural, or 100% NR), synthetic latex (100% Styrene-Butadiene, or 100% SBR) or a blend of natural and synthetic (SBR/NR).

There is quite a bit of detail about the differences between the two production processes and blends in post #6 here.

I hope that information is helpful to you.

Phoenix