Hello all,
we’ve been referred to a store that sells pieces of foam and latex. Their latex is Talalay latex and we’re considering just buying one piece of their latex - 6" and using that as our mattress. @1000 dollars. they’d sell us a cover as well if we want but we’re really just buying the big chunk of foam. I was also thinking of asking them to make us a combo of high density foam on the bottom (6") with 4" of latex on top.
Any thoughts on not having layers and just one big piece of laytex at an affordable price???
TIA for all advice!
Hi birdhouse123,
The thickness of a mattress is really just a side effect of the design and is also only one of many variables that can affect the feel and performance of a mattress and by itself also isn’t particularly meaningful (see post #2 here). In some cases higher weight ranges will sometimes do better with a mattress that is a little thicker than lower weight ranges but even this depends more on the specific design and combination of materials in the mattress and on how well the mattress “as a whole” matches your specific needs and preferences than anything else.
If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own DIY mattress out of separate components and a separate cover then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project … the best approach to a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).
If you decide to take on the challenge then I would either use the specs (if they are available) of a mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) as a reference point and try and “match” every layer and component in your reference mattress (including the type and blend of latex, the thickness of each layer, and the firmness of each layer as well as the type of cover as well) as closely as possible or use a “bottom up” approach (see post #2 here).
Latex can oxidize faster with exposure to air and ozone and ultraviolet light along with other substances that can damage it see here and it’s always a good idea for a latex mattress to have a suitable dedicated cover to give it the best possible protection and to help maximize it’s useful lifetime. A mattress cover can also have a significant effect on the feel and performance of a mattress. There is more in post #3 here and post #3 here that will give you some sense of the effect of different types of covers on latex.
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Phoenix
Thank you Phoenix!
So would you also consider just buying one piece of laytax as DIY’ing a bed/mattress? or only if we put together different layers? is there anything inherently wrong in buying one piece of laytax to sleep on (we are able to try it out in store, fwiw)?
Hi birdhouse,
If you are buying individual layers and components such as one or more latex layers and a cover and putting together your own mattress then I would consider it to be a DIY mattress yes (in other words … you aren’t buying a mattress that is being sold “as a mattress” … only as individual layers and components).
If you are also purchasing a suitable cover and if you are confident that the latex core and the cover would be a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your personal preferences) and that you will sleep well on it and it also compares well to the other options that are available to you either locally or in the online lists that are linked in the tutorial (in the optional online step) based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you then it would certainly be worth considering.
Phoenix