New DIY Latex Mattress Feels too soft - Looking for advice

I’ve been researching mattresses for the past couple months and stumbled onto this site. Lots of great information. I started off thinking about a new memory foam mattress since I’ve had a good experience with it. However, I decided to go latex after my research since it is supposed to offer better support.

I ended up going to DIY route since I liked the idea of being able to choose my layers and firmness levels and I had good luck with a previous DIY memory foam mattress. I ended up with

2" 5lb memory foam - comfort layer
3" tatalay med topper synthetic blend (30-32 ILD) - currently the bottom 3"
3" tatalay firm topper synthetic blend (38-40ILD) - currently the middle

My initial plan was to use the common 3" firm, 3" med configuration as my core and the 2" memory foam as my comfort layer. I was a bit surprised to find that the even the firm layer of latex felt softer than expected. I had tried latex mattresses at RoomandBoard and Ikea. I remember both felt firmer, though I understand that they were using Dunlop latex. I ended up with the reverse configuration because of this. It still feels a bit soft/bouncy compared to my old memory foam.

Questions:

  1. I don’t feel a significant difference between the firm and medium layers. The layers are clearly marked. Should there be a significant difference in feel?
  2. My new bed seems to sink in more than my previous memory foam mattress which was basically 3" of 4lb memory foam over a 5" polycore. I almost hit the slates if I sit on the edge of the bed. Is this normal?
    [li]My previous mattress had a “deader” feel which I prefer. I’m debating whether I should change the medium layer. If I do, should I change it to a tatalay extra firm, dunlop firm or a poly foam core? I’m not opposed to adding additional layers either.

Background information: I’m about 155lbs and my partner is about 100lbs (265lbs total) and this is a queen size mattress on Ikea’s Sulton Luroy base .

Any help is a appreciated

Hi dosun,

Some people are much more sensitive than others to different softness/firmness levels in different layers in a mattress and there are also different types of softness/firmness (see post #15 here) but most people would feel a difference yes. The differences would be more noticeable if you were sleeping on them directly than when they are underneath other layers and in many cases the support layers are more about what you feel in the morning than what you feel when you are going to sleep at night.

This is not unusual and many people that aren’t used to a latex mattress comment on it. Latex is very point elastic (which means that each area of the surface contours and compresses more individually without being affected or “held back” by the material around it) so it’s normal for it to sink in more deeply when your weight is more concentrated by sitting than with a “stiffer” and less contouring material such as the polyfoam that is used in the support core of most memory foam mattresses. Thinner layers of latex will also become firm more quickly than thicker layers as you compress them more deeply (especially with sitting) so they will go from soft to firm in a smaller range than thicker layers and can feel like they are “bottoming out” even though they aren’t at their maximum compression (you can read more about the effect of thickness in post #14 here). As you mentioned there would also be a difference between Dunlop and Talalay because Dunlop gets firmer more quickly with deeper compression and is less “lively” than Talalay.

Latex is the most “lively” and resilient of all the foam materials and memory foam is the least lively and resilient (it absorbs most of the compression forces instead of storing and returning it) and has the “deadest” feel of all the foam materials. Polyfoam would be in the middle. Dunlop would also be less lively or “springy” than Talalay (see post #7 here for more about the difference in “feel” between Dunlop and Talalay).

If you are looking for a less resilient material than Talalay then either Dunlop latex or firmer polyfoam may be worthwhile considering for the support layers.

I would also keep in mind that a mattress that is too firm and doesn’t contour to your body shape and fill in and support the recessed gaps in your sleeping profile can lead to poor alignment just as easily as a mattress that is too soft and because the goal is always good alignment which means that some parts of the body need to be “stopped” from sinking in too much while others need to be “allowed” to sink in more. Good alignment is always the goal and there is more about the relationship between primary and secondary support and pressure relief in post #4 here.

It may take some trial and error to find the layering combination that you do best with when you are building a DIY mattress (see option 3 in post #15 here) and some careful analysis of each combination you try before making changes but I would make small incremental changes so you don’t skip over a combination that works best for you. I would also use your sleeping experience and any actual “symptoms” you have on the mattress as a guideline for the type of changes that you need because they can be a more reliable guideline than what a mattress “feels like” which is much more subjective. There is more about the typical symptoms that you may experience and some of the possible underlying causes for them in post #2 here.

Are you experiencing any symptoms when you sleep on your mattress (such as lower back pain or other pain or discomfort) or is it more a matter that it doesn’t “feel” the way you prefer?

Phoenix

I tested the layers separately while on the hardwood floor. While there seemed to be a slight difference, I’m not sure if it was psychological or not. I guess I expected the firm piece to be much firmer.

[quote]
This is not unusual and many people that aren’t used to a latex mattress comment on it. Latex is very point elastic (which means that each area of the surface contours and compresses more individually without being affected or “held back” by the material around it) so it’s normal for it to sink in more deeply when your weight is more concentrated by sitting than with a “stiffer” and less contouring material such as the polyfoam that is used in the support core of most memory foam mattresses. Thinner layers of latex will also become firm more quickly than thicker layers as you compress them more deeply (especially with sitting) so they will go from soft to firm in a smaller range than thicker layers and can feel like they are “bottoming out” even though they aren’t at their maximum compression (you can read more about the effect of thickness in post #14 here). As you mentioned there would also be a difference between Dunlop and Talalay because Dunlop gets firmer more quickly with deeper compression and is less “lively” than Talalay.[/quote]

[quote]
Latex is the most “lively” and resilient of all the foam materials and memory foam is the least lively and resilient (it absorbs most of the compression forces instead of storing and returning it) and has the “deadest” feel of all the foam materials. Polyfoam would be in the middle. Dunlop would also be less lively or “springy” than Talalay (see post #7 here for more about the difference in “feel” between Dunlop and Talalay).

If you are looking for a less resilient material than Talalay then either Dunlop latex or firmer polyfoam may be worthwhile considering for the support layers.

I would also keep in mind that a mattress that is too firm and doesn’t contour to your body shape and fill in and support the recessed gaps in your sleeping profile can lead to poor alignment just as easily as a mattress that is too soft and because the goal is always good alignment which means that some parts of the body need to be “stopped” from sinking in too much while others need to be “allowed” to sink in more. Good alignment is always the goal and there is more about the relationship between primary and secondary support and pressure relief in post #4 here.

It may take some trial and error to find the layering combination that you do best with when you are building a DIY mattress (see option 3 in post #15 here) and some careful analysis of each combination you try before making changes but I would make small incremental changes so you don’t skip over a combination that works best for you. I would also use your sleeping experience and any actual “symptoms” you have on the mattress as a guideline for the type of changes that you need because they can be a more reliable guideline than what a mattress “feels like” which is much more subjective. There is more about the typical symptoms that you may experience and some of the possible underlying causes for them in post #2 here.

Are you experiencing any symptoms when you sleep on your mattress (such as lower back pain or other pain or discomfort) or is it more a matter that it doesn’t “feel” the way you prefer?
Phoenix[/quote]

I think its more the latter. I’ve slept on the mattress for about 4 nights now and I don’t particularly notice any pain. I actually still had my old mattress lying around and did a test. I put the latex topper over my old poly base and I “felt” it was what I preferred. I think I might give the latex mattress a couple nights more and see if I can get used to it.

Do you know of any reputable websites I can order high density poly foam? The only one I found is http://www.foamforyou.com/. I’m in the metro nyc area if you know of any place I can purchase HD poly foam locally. In case I do go the poly foam route.

Hi dosun,

Your mattress would be closer to a memory foam mattress than a latex mattress since the top layers contribute more to the “feel” of a mattress than the deeper layers although with only 2" of memory foam the “feel” would be more of a combination of the properties of memory foam and latex with the memory foam tending to be more dominant. More accurately yet it would be a memory foam/latex hybrid.

I would also consider sleeping on any new mattress for a minimum of two weeks (and better yet 30 days) before making any changes if you aren’t experiencing any significant discomfort or pain because our bodies develop a muscle memory and a sense of “familiarity” with what we are used to sleeping on and it can take a few weeks to adjust to the “feel” and sensations of a new sleeping surface that is different from what we are used to.

Many people are quite surprised at the differences in how they feel about their mattress after a month or so compared to how they felt when it was new.

Which latex topper did you use … the medium or the firm? Did you prefer the “feel” of a latex comfort layer more than memory foam?

The component post here includes several online polyfoam suppliers that carry many types of polyfoam in a range of different densities and firmness levels.

I haven’t looked in the New York city area for foam shops but most larger cities would have a number of local sources as well. A quick google search on “foam store new york city” brought up a few stores that sell a range of polyfoam including …

http://www.canalrubber.com/foam-polyurethane-foam/
https://www.economyfoamandfutons.com/futon/scripts/default.asp

Phoenix

I’m actually going for the memory foam/latex hybrid feel. I like dead feel of memory foam and the push back of latex. I think I’m on the right track with the exception of the base.

I used the firm latex topper on top of the poly. I also tried layering my old 3" memory foam on top of the latex over the poly foam base. I didn’t using my new 2" memory foam because it was in the other room and I was too tired to carry that back and forth. I prefered both configurations over my current configuration of memory foam over latex over latex. Out of those two, I prefered latex over topper rather than the memory foam over latex over topper. The 3" of memory foam was thick enough that I couldn’t really feel the latex below it.

Thank you for your advice.

Hi dosun,

Thanks for your feedback as well :).

It will be interesting to see what you end up with as your “ideal” combination.

Phoenix