Hi Erica,
The Verlo website carries three mattresses with latex in the comfort layer. One of these is all latex (has latex in the core as well) so perhaps this is what he thought you meant. Very few outlets carry mattresses that can be customized as they are mostly premade but when you are testing that doesn’t matter as we are interested in how the different thicknesses and ILD’s of the comfort layers work for you regardless of the price of the mattress. The most important part of testing is to find out the type of layering which works best for you. The final step is to decide whether to actually purchase the one that was best (if it has good value) or to “duplicate it” through a DIY outlet.
The englander example was just a random example to give you an idea that in most places a $2500 all dunlop latex mattress would be considered good value … but that here there are other higher value choices when you know where to look. The latex quilting … while really nice … would add to the cost and is not really worth considering. It just happened to be part of the mattress I was using as an example to show you comparative value.
The stretchy bamboo covers are a great choice (or any good quality stretchy material) and there are also covers available that are quilted with wool which many people like. The wool would slightly reduce the ability of the latex to take on your body shape and reduce pressure but many people like it because wool is highly breathable and temperature regulating. If your mattress has a cover without wool and you would prefer the wool “tradeoff” … you can always add a wool mattress protector. The Pure latex bliss for example just has a thick stretchy cover but no wool.
Flame resistance is a complex question and with the mattresses you are considering … I wouldn’t worry about the technical details as they are all 1633 compliant (as all mattresses are). If you have specific concerns about this … then this article has a bit of information at the end regarding fire retardency Your sleeping style, preferences, and statistics - Natural vs Synthetic - The Mattress Underground
Alll mattresses should have a mattress protector which goes on top and there are many choices there. Post # 12 here has some information about this.
For now though … the most important thing would be to test the Pure Latex Bliss along with the Verlo mattresses with latex comfort layers to “nail down” the type of layering that works the best. After that you can compare what you have seen to similar mattresses online and decide where the best value is.
Phoenix