More questions about Dock1 mattress

Still have not purchesed topper for this bed. Upon further inspection we have discovered that in addition to the topper being too firm, also found that the padding on top of the cover is going flat so this may be contributing to our discomfort. The bed is called “Bamboo Royale”. Other than that we have no other information. Any suggestions on how to repair? Also have no idea what the other layers are made of. Their store was in our town so we tried this bed out before we bought it but really didn’t do any other research.

Hi sbulla,

The Bamboo Royale was one of their less desirable models IMO for the very reason you are mentioning. I am not a fan of thick quilting layers that use softer polyfoam because they will soften over time. Depending on the materials underneath the quilting … this can either lead to alignment issues (if the foam under it is also softer lower density/quality polyfoam) or comfort issues (if the foam underneath is firmer where the softening will allow more of the firmness of the lower layers to “come through”. They also used to have models that didn’t have the quilting which were a better construction (and were less expensive as well).

You can see the details of the Bamboo Royale quilting layer here (thanks to the wayback machine).

It contained the 3.5" polyfoam quilting over the 3" comfort layers (you could choose one of several densities of memory foam or different firmness levels of latex) and the base foam was what they used to call M Grade foam which was their name for a firmer polyfoam base layer which was a 9" layer of 2.1 lb polyfoam called acellaflex which is a good quality polyfoam.

Your next step would depend on how much softening has occurred in the quilting layer and how much it is affecting you. If the softening is minimal and your alignment on the mattress is still OK (you aren’t sinking in too far under the hips/pelvis) and it’s mostly a matter of the comfort layer being too firm … it would probably be worth ordering a softer latex layer. If the polyfoam quilting has softened too much and is risking your alignment (usually leading to back pain or discomfort), then you would need to make a choice between a new mattress or buying a new 12" cover (if you want to re-use the 9" acellaflex layer) along with a new latex layer.

If you did decide to go with a new cover (either without quilting or with much thinner quilting) … then you could put the polyfoam base layer and your current latex layer inside and you would probably be fine with a thinner softer latex topper (or even a different material) on top of what you have (depending on how the “new” mattress felt by itself). For example you could use an inexpensive polyfoam topper on top and then just replace it when it softened too much.

Do you remember what the ILD of the latex was that you originally chose or how the mattress felt originally when it was new? Was it OK originally or was it always too firm?

Phoenix

Wow, you sure are knowledgeable about mattresses! Where could we find a new cover? The quilting is noticeably thinner in the hip area. I think this is what is causing back pain the past couple of months where I didn’t have it before. I don’t know what the ILD of the latex topper is, but I think it has always been too firm.

Hi sbulla,

If you look at post #4 here under mattress covers you will find several sources.

There is a wide variety of different types including unquilted covers, wool quilted covers, and some that have a polyfoam quilting similar to yours (but thinner so foam softening wouldn’t affect the mattress as much). I would look at your options and talk with the sources if necessary to help you decide.

It’s too bad that you don’t know the ILD of the latex you have because it could help in deciding what type of topper you may need to add on top. If you did decide to go in this direction I would probably choose between a wool quilted cover (wool is very breathable and temperature regulating) or a stretch knit cover (which would stretch with the latex more and have less effect on its compression) and then you could decide on what type of topper to add based on how much more softness/thickness you thought you needed. Even a very cheap polyfoam topper from a big box store (which would be similar to the quilting foam you have) would be very inexpensive and while they don’t last that long they are very inexpensive to replace if they soften. Of course you could always add a higher quality soft topper on top such as softer latex or shredded latex which would last much longer. If your mattress is queen size then the seven comforts topper may be a good choice. I would sleep on the mattress first without a topper though to get a better sense of how much more softness you thought you needed before ordering the topper. There are sources of soft latex toppers in the same post I linked.

Edit: see post #52 here first if you are considering ordering this topper.

What you would need to do is remove the cover you currently have (you could use a seam ripper) around the polyfoam and remove it and the upper section where the latex fits and then take the bare polyfoam and latex layer and put them in the new 12" cover and zip it shut. You would then have a fairly firm latex hybrid mattress (based on your description of the latex layer) ready to add a topper on top to fine tune it to your needs and preferences.

Phoenix