Options for getting a Latex Mattress in Ontario

[phoenix]

Hi Rick,

If you’re anywhere near the GTA area … then post #1 here should help you (although based on your comments I think you’ve seen this thread)

If you’re near the Ottawa area then this thread should help.

If you’re somewhere other than these two … if you let me know the city you live in I’d be happy to look and see what I know of any manufacturers or outlets that may be nearby.

I like the idea of being able to tweak the mattress to get a better “fit”, and I like the idea of being able to swap out something that doesn’t work or has worn out (rather than discarding the whole thing).

While I certainly understand this … if there is a local manufacturer near you … many will swap out a layer either soon after purchase or years later at a minimal reasonable cost and if this can be done locally it can be simpler than sending layers through UPS, especially considering that you can test them first.

Many of the discussions on this forum involving DIY tend to revolve around suppliers in the US (SleepEz etc.). They sound great, but using one of them is problematic for someone in Eastern Ontario. I could theoretically have something shipped to a border city and drive down to pick it up, but there’s a lot of logistics involved, and any sort of return or warranty service would be a nightmare. Many companies in the US will only ship to the billing address on the credit card used for payment.

Both SleepEz and Mattresses.net are confortable with Canadian customers and will ship right to your home in Canada. They both have many Canadian customers and are a good option for those who don’t have comparable value or a local manufacturer nearby. I do agree though that the exchange and/or refund process could be more costly although the delivery going into Canada is apparently fairly simple and doesn’t involve a lot of extra costs (except tax of course ). It may be worth calling them to find out what their experience is with layer exchanges across the border.

According to their website, Natura (in Cambridge, ON) currently has a sale on some factory seconds, but I don’t know if these mattresses can be rolled to fit in a station wagon. Also, they’re a tad vague on the actual content of these mattresses so it’s hard to judge whether or not they’re really a bargain (if they’re natural latex, they’re a steal, otherwise, not so much).

These are a great price but like you say it’s unknown what they are. I wonder if they will tell you on the phone or if the price comes with buying something completely unknown. They would be hard to maneuver and fit in a station wagon IMO but it would sure be worth the effort if they are mostly latex and it would be worth finding a truck.

[quote]One possibility is the dunlop mattress from latexmattressdirect.ca, as they offer “free” shipping. It claims to be 100% natural latex, but I’ve been able to find next to no information about their product on the internet. I’m a bit leary given that their reputation is a complete unknown and any returns would involve shipping the mattress back at my
own expense. Does anyone have any additional info on this supplier? [/quote]

Optima was a Zinus trademark application in 2004 (A Chinese mattress manufacturer that sells various more “budget” brands online and elsewhere) and a Leggett and Platt trademark in 2009 (since sold their foam division to Sleep Innovations) so I don’t know if either of these are connected to the latexmattressdirect.ca website who sells an Optima mattress. They are part of http://www.directshops.ca/ and say that they purchase from manufacturers but that doesn’t say anything about what the material is or who they buy from. It also doesn’t say how thick the mattress is or the density or the softness/firmness. It may be worth calling them to see if they will say where the latex comes from or provide more details.

The simplest option seems to be to go to Ikea and get one of their Latex mattresses. Though they aren’t 100% natural, I doubt that anything else in that price range would be. Advantages are that local pickup is possible, and they have an exchange policy. The ones I’ve seen and tested so far are quite firm, but I do have the topper to put on top of it. Also, their lineup seems to be in transition at the moment and the latest models aren’t on display locally just yet.

This would be a good option but there also may be a manufacturer near you which will sell you something similar using higher quality Dunlop or Talalay at a similar price. This would make a good base for a topper but if it didn’t work there would not be anything to exchange it for and they don’t have a refund. I might even consider bringing your topper to the store and testing the topper/mattress combination if they are OK with that.

If there is a local supplier of raw latex (either a foam supplier or mattress manufacturer near you) … then you can purchase zipper covers here.

I don’t know of any DIY mattress manufacturers in Canada that are similar to the ones in the US who offer layer exchanges but I know there are many who will ship a mattress anywhere.

If there isn’t a good source near you though I would seriously consider talking to one of the US options.

Phoenix