I am too heavy for Memory Foam Topper so am now looking at putting a sheet on Urethane Foam on top of my very firm bed. I weigh 300 lbs… I am comparing 2"-3" of 2,8 density foam with an ILD of 44-54 and an IFD of 45-55. The other choice is 4"-5" of 2,8 density foam with an ILD of 31-37 and an IFD of 32-38. I have laid on a 1.8 density 35 ILD, just 1/2 inch thick and found that too firm. I have tried latex toppers and memory foam toppers. I have back issues so need good support but also need some softness, I go right through a 5 lb. memory foam topper, a good quality topper. Which of the Urethane topers above do you think might work best for me and why? Thank You for your input.
Hi smmimp14,
One of the challenges of choosing a firm mattress and then adding a topper when you can’t test the combination in person is that choosing a suitable topper that is a good match for both your mattress and for you (different mattresses will affect the choice of topper that works best) can be almost as challenging as choosing a mattress that doesn’t need a topper in the first place because the only way to know whether the combination will be a good “match” for you will be based on your own personal experience (see post #2 here).
You are the only one that can feel what you feel on a specific mattress/topper combination and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to know with any certainty which topper would work best for you on your specific mattress based on specs (either yours, a mattress, or a topper) or “theory at a distance” so it may take some detective work and trial and error to find the best combination but I can certainly link you to some information that can help with “how” to find the “best possible” topper for your mattress even though I can’t make any specific suggestions.
First of all … post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to has more information that can help you use your sleeping experience on a mattress as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the best chance of success.
There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress (or a mattress/topper combination) in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”. The primary support for your sleeping system will come from your mattress not the topper you are adding which will have more effect on secondary support (filling in the gaps in your sleeping profile) and pressure relief.
There are also several specs that can affect how soft or firm a topper feels besides ILD (see post #4 here) so using ILD alone to decide on whether a polyfoam topper will be suitable for you can be misleading because of all the other specs that will also affect firmness/softness and pressure relief.
I realize that this is a lot of complex information so to bypass a more complex process and make things simpler the best “shortcut” to choosing the most suitable topper will be a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer who will know more about the properties and characteristics of the toppers and materials they sell and “matching” them to different circumstances (mattresses, body types, sleeping positions, and preferences) than anyone else and this along with a good return/exchange policy so you still have some good options available after a purchase if in spite of “best efforts” the topper you choose doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for will give you the best chance of success.
The density of a polyfoam topper will be the single biggest (although not the only) factor in its durability so this is one spec that I would pay attention to and for higher weight ranges I would make sure that any topper you are considering has a density of 2 lb/ft3 or higher (which it appears you are).
Phoenix