Hi lmcgehee,
There are differences of opinions about this and some manufacturers believe that it does however latex is “sticky” and layers don’t slide over each other so while it may make a very small difference … it wouldn’t be significant IMO. On the other hand … latex can tear easily with handling and using covered layers can reduce the odds of tearing or damaging the latex if you are re-arranging layers or otherwise handling the mattress. It may also make a subtle difference in how it feels and responds because every component in a mattress will make a small or large difference in how it may feel and respond. It may also make some difference in protecting the latex layers from oxidation and ultraviolet light and solvents that may otherwise speed up the degradation of the latex but in most cases … if the ticking is suitable for latex this wouldn’t be necessary either.
Like many questions of this type … it depends on the degree of “safety” or “protection” you are looking for and while for most people it may not justify the extra cost of individual covers for every layer … for those few that are willing to pay a higher price for the smaller possibility of a smaller benefit … it may be a worthwhile part of their personal “value equation”.
In a different way … the differing opinions about a slatted base vs a solid base is similar topic. A slatted base can improve ventilation and reduce the risks of higher humidity levels in a mattress (mold, mildew, and dust mites) and have some benefits of temperature regulation as well. This doesn’t mean though that people that use a solid MDF, cardboard, or plywood base will have these issues … only that the odds are less that they will. In the case of separate covers vs a well made mattress that used a good quilting/ticking … the difference in the longevity of the latex would be very small IMO but it may help in situations where the possibility of damaging the latex through handling was higher.
I think you will find that many local manufacturers will open up a mattress and make adjustments when necessary at a very reasonable cost. Careful testing and good guidance can also reduce the risk of needing to “turn back”. In the same way … some local retailers who don’t offer “comfort exchanges” or any type of returns because of the costs this can add to a mattress and because of the care they take with their customers their satisfaction rate is very high and they replace the need for a comfort exchange and the costs connected with it with the knowledge and ability to help their customers make good choices in the first place that don’t need to be changed.
If the “value” of a local purchase is similar to an online purchase (and you can see more about “value” in post #46 here) … then the risk is certainly lower. Many online manufacturers have exchange or return policies that certainly can lower the risk of an online purchase but they are always more risky than a local purchase that you can test for yourself and this is part of the “value” of a local purchase. There are also local manufacturers where the cost of similar mattresses may be less than many online purchases and even if there is a premium to some degree attached to a local purchase … it becomes a tradeoff between the amount of the premium and the degree of risk you are comfortable with. All of these “tradeoffs” are part of each person’s “value equation” and once you have eliminated your worst choices and are making choices between “good and good” … then the final decision would be based on the objective, subjective, and intangible benefits of the mattress itself along with the retailer or manufacturer you are buying from. As in many other things … its the balance between risk vs reward that most suits the person.
The goal in any case is to test or “measure” a mattress for comfort/pressure relief (what you feel when you lie down on a mattress) … for support/alignment (what you feel … or don’t feel … when you wake up in the morning), for quality (the quality/durability of the materials and construction of the mattress) … and for value (based on all the things that are part of your value equation including the benefits of what you are buying and where you are buying it from compared to your other choices). Each person may have different thoughts about the risks they see or are willing to accept in the process.
I would also keep in mind that some of the “non organic” wool that is produced and used in North America may be better quality and more “pure” than some of the organic wool that is produced around the world in the same way that some farming co-ops may produce more natural foods and use more “organic” farming methods than some other products that have an “organic” label and where you may be paying for the label itself or the certification process rather than the purity or quality of the product.
This will depend on the thickness of the wool and on your tolerance to compression. Wool is very different from foam and impressions are a natural part of how it wears (it doesn’t indicate that the wool is wearing out). Wool will compress about 30% but it will retain it’s resilience and properties even when compressed (and this varies depending on the type and breed of wool that is used and on how it is made because finer wool will compress more than courser wool). Wool and other natural fibers will also become firmer over time. Unlike wool … the impressions that develop with foam are an indication of its softening and wear.
You can see some of the wool manufacturers I’ve talked with in post #3 here and they all have differing opinions (some have told me 5 years or longer, some 10 years or longer, and some have said longer yet). I think that more than anything it depends on the person and as long as the wool layer is still comfortable and in hygenic condition (and this will depend on whether you put it out in the sun once in a while so it can “self cleanse” and refresh itself and on how well you take care of it by flipping and even cleaning it) then wool can last decades … even though a particular person may not feel completely comfortable with it for that long and may feel like they want to replace it sooner for comfort or hygienic reasons or even for aesthetics. It is certainly true though that the greater ease and ability to flip and maintain a thicker wool topper vs a similar amount of wool in a mattress cover has some benefits over having the wool in the mattress cover where it’s not as easy or in some cases even possible to maintain, turn, and flip the product and extend it’s useful life.
Hope this helps
Phoenix