Hi Oneiros,
[quote]With that being said, can you guide me as to which kind of latex would suit my girlfriend and I better and how much density we should be looking for? We like a firmer feel to our mattress, but not too firm. We also like a springier feel. We are both combination sleepers, however I’m mostly a stomach sleeper and my girlfriend is mostly a side sleeper. I’m 6’2" and 175, while she is 5’3" and 105.
I was thinking of a 100% Dunlop Support Core with a Talalay Comfort layer to combine the firmness and the “springiness.” I’m also not sure about whether to go with NR Talalay or Blended Talalay. I like the thought of the all natural rubber Talalay because I consider myself a “green” person, however I also like the fact that blended Talalay is more durable, which is also a key factor in our mattress purchase. We also like to sleep cool (which is one of the many reasons we like latex), so I’m thinking about adding a wool quilted top or perhaps just a wool mattress pad.
Because I am mostly a stomach sleeper, should I look at a really thin Talalay comfort layer such as 1"? Will 2" be okay because my girlfriend is mostly a side sleeper? I worry that the less inches of latex I have, the less the life of the mattress will be. But comfort is more important than mattress life. Since I’m a stomach sleeper, should I even be looking at Talalay on top at all since I should be sleeping on a firmer comfort layer?[/quote]
I would use your own careful and objective personal testing using the testing guidelines (along with the guidance and experience of a good manufacturer or retailer) to choose which mattress design and layering is the best match for your specific needs and preferences (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). I would keep all your options open and avoid trying to design your own mattress ahead of time based on specs which is overly complex and without good reference points can lead to information overwhelm and confusion more than anything else and is not nearly as reliable a way to make a choice as your own personal testing. Your body and personal experience will tell you much more than “theory” or specs about which version of latex or which design is best for you. The choice between types of latex is also a matter of personal preference and your own personal value equation more than a “better worse” choice.
I’m not quite sure what you mean by “the less inches of latex you have the less the life of the mattress will be” unless you mean a latex hybrid with a thin layer of latex over polyfoam where you are sinking “through” the latex into the polyfoam in which case this would be correct to some degree (depending on the quality/density of the polyfoam).
Both Dunlop and Talalay come in a wide range of ILD’s and firmness levels so either one can be firmer than the other depending on the ILD of the layer. It’s only when they both have the same ILD and you sink into a layer more than 25% that Dunlop would feel firmer than Talalay.
I would first choose the mattress and the mattress protector before you add a wool topper unless you are able to test the mattress and topper combination together and prefer the combination. If there is already wool in the quilting and/or you are using a wool/cotton mattress protector then the mattress may already sleep cool enough and you may not need a wool topper at all unless you want to change the “feel” of the mattress or you prefer sleeping on thicker layers of wool. A wool topper will change the feel of the mattress significantly and reduce the ability of the latex to contour to your body to some degree (depending on the amount of wool and the compression of the wool in the topper) so I would make sure you prefer the “feel” of this before adding it to your sleeping system.
This would be up to your best judgement and would also depend on the return policy if you take delivery of the mattress. If there is a good no risk return policy then taking delivery would have little risk outside of the time and effort involved in returning it but you may feel better about returning it before delivery so that the store doesn’t end up with a used mattress if you know for certain that you won’t be keeping it.
Phoenix