I am looking to purchase a natural latex mattress. I live in Cambridge and was hoping you could send me in the direction of a few reputable dealers in the area. I am willing to drive also so Kitchener, Waterloo, Brantford, Hamilton, Burlington or Oakville would work too. Your site has been a wealth of knowledge already and I’ve only read a handful of articles.
Thanks in advance
Hi brynmaes,
I don’t know a lot about the local market there but there are a few manufacturers or retail stores that are likely among your better choices. Of course as with any manufacturer or store you plan to visit … I would call them first (along the lines of this article) to find out their willingness to provide you with information about the materials in their mattress and to get a general sense of what to expect if you decide to go there. The manufacturers include (and all of these may not make latex but I’ve included them for reference) …
http://www.beambedding.ca/en/ Waterloo, ON Factory direct manufacturer. Makes a line of innerspring mattresses with high quality polyfoam and natural fibers but I don’t think they make latex or memory foam. A call would find out for sure.
http://www.waterloomattress.ca/ Waterloo, ON Factory direct manufacturer. Makes their own innerspring/polyfoam mattresses and also carries Tempurpedic (memory foam) and Natura (latex).
http://www.cjmulhollandmattress.ca/ Hamilton, ON Factory direct manufacturer. They make a range of innerspring and memory foam mattresses. They also carry latex but these may be Natura and not manufactured by them. Call to check.
http://www.newdawnmattress.com/ Hamilton, ON Makes a complete range of latex, memory foam, and innerspring mattresses with good value.
http://www.thefoamstore.ca/ Kitchener, ON. Makes and sells mattresses that use high quality polyfoam and memory foam and have some good value.
Furniture & Home DĂ©cor - Bring Home To Life - IKEA CA Burlington, ON. See post #3 here for some of the better value here.
The Toronto list in post #1 here also has some manufacturers and possibilities that may be within reasonable driving distance as well.
Some local retail outlets (from a quick scan and a couple of conversations) that may have some latex possibilities and the brands they carry that I would focus on (again making sure you call first to find out their ability and willingness to tell you all the layers and to get a general sense of their knowledge and service) include …
http://www.themattressdiscounter.com/ Burlington, ON Retail direct for Dreamstar. Have some latex hybrid mattresses (and other styles as well) on their floor and can also custom order.
http://www.sleep-ezzz.com/ Cambridge, ON. Dreameasy (see this post and make sure you receive the correct mattress).
http://www.furniturewonderland.ca/ Kitchener, ON. Galaxy Bedding.
http://www.premiumwholesale.ca/ Kitchener, ON. Dreamstar, Dreameasy
http://kitchenermattresses.com/ Kitchener, ON. Several local manufacturers.
http://www.paylessmattress.ca/ Guelph, ON. Dreamstar
http://www.parksfurniture.com/ Hamilton, St Catharines, Niagara Falls, ON. Galaxy, Springwall
Time permitting I’ll look a little further to see if there are any other latex choices more local to you but these should give you a starting point at least.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for the extensive collection of advice and data you’ve collected here. It’s been very useful!
I live in Waterloo and have shopped around at some of the stores you suggested. I am hoping to get your feedback on the value of some of the latex/foam beds I’ve tested. My budget is around the $1000 mark for a queen size and this seems to equate to a latex comfort layer with a Polyfoam core.
Waterloo Mattress - Zed Bed for $1295 + tax, Mattress Only. Composition:
Quilted with Flex fabric (?)
Top- 2" Latex,
4" Soyfoam Ecosens HR (3.2 lb)
3.5" Extra firm Polyfoam (2.2 lb) with ventilation holes running the length.
5 comfort zones
Sleep-ezzz -Dreameasy Latex Eco-Pur 4400 for $900 total, Mattress only. Composition:
Wool quilting, Bamboo fabric
Thin layer of comfort foam. (Mfg didn’t give the exact thickness, even though I emailed them)
Top- 2" Latex
Bottom- 9" of Excel Poly foam, multiple firmness layers (1.8 to 2.0 lb density range)
3 comfort zones
Martens Furniture - Dreamstar Omega for $800 total, Mattress only. Composition:
Premium Ultra Foam and hollow fill fiber quilting (1"), Cotton Fabric
2" Latex
8" Polyfoam core (2.2lb)
This foam configuration is what the mfg emailed me. It varies from the online description.
I have found all these beds comfortable and supportive, but am now wondering about the durability and life of the materials used. It looks like the Zed Bed uses the best quality materials, but I didn’t notice much difference in comfort level when comparing all beds. Is it worth the extra money?
Thanks!
Hi Lobster,
First of all I have to congratulate you for some exceptional research and finding 3 good choices that all have good value IMO. It’s great to see someone that has narrowed down their options to choices between “good and good”.
The only thing missing from the specs you provided is the type of latex that is used in each but assuming that they are all good quality latex (which is a fairly safe assumption) then if your budget allowed it I believe that the ZedBed would certainly be worth the extra money.
It has a “transition” layer which is missing in the other two which uses some exceptionally high performance polyfoam (approaching latex in its qualities) which would be more adaptive and “'help” the comfort layers more in addition to the extra durability it would provide.
While they may not differ much in the initial feel (what you feel when you lie on a mattress for the short term) which comes more from the upper layers … they would likely be different in the other factors that are more difficult to feel initially but would make a difference in how a mattress performs over the course of the whole night (things like primary and secondary support) and in it’s long term durability.
Of course if there really is absolutely no difference at all in performance that you could feel (short or long term) … then I would include that in your personal “value equation” (meaning the “value” of the higher quality materials and construction may not be as much for you) but if budget allowed it, and considering that it is a more sophisticated construction that has good odds of being better performing for most people, I would tend towards the ZedBed even though all of them are good value IMO and the choices between them may boil down to some of the services or options that are connected to the retailer (rather than the mattress) or more intangible or subjective considerations.
It’s great to see such good research!
Phoenix
Hi,
Dormio in Mississauga is offering the following right now. Is 6 inches an appropriate thickness? Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Dormio Revive Mattress
6’’ natural latex mattress, ideal for children and adults with a small to medium build
4’’ of medium matural latex sandwiched in between 1’’ soft latex on top and bottom
terry cloth cover is soft and machine washable
Queen $998
or they have this one, Queen $1448
The Rest mattress is 8" thick and is ideal for children and adults with a slim to regular build. The Rest is the most economical 8" 100% latex mattress. The European style cover prevents trampolining and our multi zone construction balances the inherent support of Talalay latex with the structural support of high density BioFoam.
Features:
8" talalay latex multi zoned core.
No movement is transferred from one sleeper to the next.
From the bottom up…
8" profile
Support Core: 8" talalay latex multi zoned core.
European style blended organic cotton cover
Hi brynmaes,
Whether 6" is appropriate would depend entirely on the needs and preferences of the individual. It is more difficult to design a combination of firmness for support and softness for pressure relief in a thinner mattress (especially when it is two sided and the comfort layers are on both sides) and mattresses that are thinner also go from softer to firmer more quickly with compression (overall they will feel firmer). As the description says … this may be appropriate for a child or for a lighter framed person who was less curvy and didn’t sleep on their side. In some cultures though … even a thin and very firm cotton futon is a preferred mattress which would be much too firm for an average side sleeper in North America with a typical build or more “normal” preferences but if it “fits” the needs and preferences of an individual … then there would be nothing “wrong” with this choice and it may even be a better choice in these cases than a thicker mattress.
In general though … and based on “average” needs and preferences … a thinner mattress is more appropriate for a lighter or thinner build and/or for people who don’t sleep on their sides but your own personal testing will determine whether it has the combination of pressure relief and support/alignment that you need and if it does … then at least the quality of the foam used is good.
The “value” of the Revive is certainly reasonable for 6" of latex (depending on the type of latex they are using and on the quality of the cover they are using as well both of which can make a difference in the cost of a mattress). The terry cloth may be lower quality than other mattress tickings.
The Rest mattress has a somewhat confusing description. In one part it says that it “balances the inherent support of Talalay latex with the structural support of high density BioFoam” which implies to me that it contains both materials while in the other description you provided it says that it contains only 8" of Talalay latex (which would make it a much better value in this case). I would check the law tag to find out exactly what was in it and perhaps check the layering description as well. 8" of Talalay usually means there are at least two layers in this mattress (6" and 2") because Talalay is made in approximately 6" cores. I would also want to know the type of talalay that it used (blended or 100% natural Talalay).
Biofoam is a type of polyfoam which replaces a small part of the petrochemicals used to make polyfoam with chemically altered plant oil substitutes. If it turns out that this is part of the mattress and in case the issue comes up … it is not really green and is certainly not a natural material.
Phoenix