Need some help with next step in DIY mattress

Hi guys, long time lurker here. I have been reading for months about DIY mattresses on this site and others and finally decided to take the plunge and started ordering components recently. A few have arrived already and after sleeping on them for a few nights I am looking for some advice on how to proceed.

I am 6’3, 185lbs, and primarily a back and side sleeper. I have realized recently that which position I sleep in is influenced somewhat by the mattress : if it feels supportive enough for my back without any strain I will sleep on the back more sometimes with a pillow underneath my feet, and if the mattress is too soft and I feel my hips sinking in too much I will turn to the side more or even sleep on my stomach. All in all I probably sleep 50%side 40%back and 10 percent stomach. I move around a LOT in my sleep always trying to find a comfortable position.

My old 10+year spring mattress from who knows where started sagging in the middle and causing me a lot of back pain last year so I purchased a Tempur-Pedic Luxe Adapt Firm after going to the store multiple times to try all the options. It felt perfect sleeping on the back however it was a bit too firm for side sleeping and caused some shoulder pain so I started looking into DIY.

Right now I have purchased a 3’ Tempur-pedic serenity memory foam topper from costco and a 3’ 28 ILD dunlop layer from the Latex Mattress Factory. They are on top of a tempurpedic ease adjustable base which is just a solid base with a soft layer of fabric on it. I have been sleeping on this configuration for a few days and here’s what I have noticed so far :

  1. It is too soft while sleeping on the back. It feels like my hips are sinking in too far and I feel a constant light pressure in the lower back. I can’t really lie straight on the back comfortable without bending or crossing my legs or having a pillow underneath them. If I lie too long on the back it causes lower back pain.
  2. For side sleeping it feels pretty comfortable. I am bottoming out however and hitting the adjustable base and woke up with shoulder pain 1/7 nights. Not really sure what happened that night but the others have been fine.

Obviously with the bottom layer as the adjustable base as it is now anything else I add for the base layer will make the bed even softer which won’t be good for the back. I will have to change out either the memory foam layer to something firmer or the 28 ILD dunlop for a 34 or something. Then I need to decide on the base layer which I am deciding between a 3" dunlop 46 ILD from sleep on latex, a 35 ILD HD-36 polyfoam, and the combi-zone coils from leggett and platt.

I am wondering how, if even possible, I will be able to get enough support for back sleeping while keeping enough softness/sink for side sleeping. This is what got me looking into the combi-zone coils which I think might be a great option. The possible combinations I can see working are the following.

  1. 3’“Tempurpedic Serenity Foam
    3” 34 ILD Dunlop from Sleep on Latex
    Any of the 3 base layers I mentioned above
    (this option would assume the 34 ILD provides enough support for the back while still being soft enough for side sleeping)

  2. A new comfort layer firmer than the Tempurpedic
    My current 3" 28 ILD from Latex Mattress Factory or the 34 ILD
    Any of the 3 base layers I mentioned above

On the leggett and platt website here the video shows a 4 zone model. I’m not sure whether the retail option here would be the same layout as I read they make a lot of different combinations.

How would you guys proceed here? I am thinking of just getting the 34 ILD from Sleep on Latex for now as they offer free returns and seeing how it feels. The 28 ILD I have now is still returnable for about 3 weeks or so as well for a small fee.

Also do you guys know anywhere that sells high density visco-elastic polyurethane foam that has a pretty slow response time like the tempur-pedics’? I recently found out that tempurpedic changed the formula of their tempur topper supreme to a much lower quality/feel formula which is a whole other thread that I’m thinking of making.

Thank you all for the long read and for any help you might be able to provide.

I’m definitely not one of the experts here, but I had been searching for high density poly foam and found this place called Bestway Foam.

https://bestwayfoam.com/bedding-1

They seem legit and have been a family business making foam in Indiana for a long time. I contacted them for specs on the foam. The slow release foam is 2.5 lbs. density with 16 IFD. The responsive foam is denser at 3.5 lbs. The soft version is 13 IFD, not sure about the firmer one. Ian was responsive when I submitted a question by email.

I ordered the soft responsive foam a couple of days ago to test it out. Was told that they custom cut all orders in 5-7 days then send out via Fed Ex Ground. Free shipping over $100. I guess they also have a sister company called Comfort Option, which uses their foam to make custom beds.

Hope this is helpful.

Thank you I will check them out, I realized the tempur topper I have now gets way too soft after lying on it for a bit.

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