Please, please, please: The right latex mattress for a daybed?

I pretty much need someone to tell me exactly what to buy, with exact parameters, and a source. I frankly don’t have the impetus or the nerve to go to mattress stores in the city & deal with people.

So! – I live in a tiny apt and there’s only space for a twin daybed that needs to be my bed AND a sofa. I only found this old post from the forum that gave me some direction, but for ex. Dunlop vs Talalay, I can’t decide.

List of details

  • This mattress will get heavy use. Sleeping and sitting on it every single day.
  • I’m a very slim/light person. My BMI is under 18, around 115lbs. This is my normal weight. Does this mean I need to get Talalay? I still don’t want to sink deep into the mattress.
  • I’m strictly a side-sleeper.
  • This is a twin mattress, budget is $800.
  • Does it need to be Dunlop or Talalay? All solid latex or poly hybrid? Shall the latex be soft, medium, or firm? ILD? I will be putting a 100% wool mattress pad on top.

I’d REALLY appreciate someone guiding me like a baby here!

Thank you!

Hi nycsteven,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I’m sorry nycsteven, but that is not what we do here on this forum. I assist with “how” to purchase a mattress, but I don’t pick out a mattress for you, as that’s your job. It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

If you’re curious, there is more about the difference between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here. All latex, Dunlop or Talalay, would generally be considered a very durable and high quality material.

In your situation, you may wish to speak directly with a knowledgeable company or manufacturer specializing in latex to help guide you through this process. A really good place to start with that would be the site members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. There are a wide range of latex options included in the choices there and I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.

I think these people would be the most helpful to guide you as you indicated you desire. Additionally, make sure the decking used for your daybed is quite solid.

Good luck!

Phoenix

Hello Phoenix – Thank you for the reply! To be honest, even with about 24 hours worth of studying up on this site, you go down an endless rabbit-hole. I’ve narrowed it down to these 2:

  1. Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams “Total Latex”: 10" profile w/ 9" total latex
  • Comes w/ 6" Talalay (36 ILD) OR Dunlop (32 ILD) core & 3" Talalay comfort layer. I’m thinking Medium comfort layer, but do you think I should pick a Dunlop core? Default is a Talalay.
  1. “Simple Sleep Latex"My Green Mattress : 8” total latex profile
  • Whole thing is Dunlop. Core is 6" of 26-28 ILD, and comfort layer is 2" of 11-14 ILD.

My only issue at this point becomes durability for seating & seat height in a couch. The 8" mattress gives the daybed a seat height of 24" – 22" being the highest I’ve seen in proper couches – but assuming 3 people are sitting on the couch @ 150lbs each = 450lb load on 8" mattress. The 10" on the other hand brings the seat height to 26", but I’m worried it’s too high to be a couch? I’d appreciate your opinion on this & on the bullet points for each mattress. It really is a compromise game.

Hi nycsteven,

I can provide some comments about how each model might compare to the other, but again picking out for you what you might like best is beyond my scope via an online forum.

The common heights I see listed for couches range from 17’-24". Daybeds do tend to sit higher than an average couch. I’d also check to see if your daybed is rated for 450 pounds (three people sitting on it as you mentioned). Overall, I would tell you to choose what might work best for your sleeping, as your restoration is key to your health.

With the Ultimate Dreams, the Dunlop core will have a bit more of a “solid” feel to it and will be a bit less buoyant than the Talalay core. It might have a bit more of a “couchlike” feel to it, and the Dunlop does “firm up faster” when compressed past about 25% or so than Talalay. Because of the use as a seating surface, the medium Talalay might be a better choice for durability than the soft Talalay. Plus you stated you don’t like to sink deeper into a mattress so the medium could be a better choice than the plush for the upper layer. This mattress does allow you the ability to exchange the upper comfort layer.

The My Green Mattress is all Dunlop, and would feel a little softer overall than the Ultimate Dreams you are considering. It certainly would be a solid product, and a little shorter than the Ultimate Dreams. It is not customizable. It has a slightly thinner comfort layer, but it would then match up with the slightly lower ILD Dunlop core for a progressive comfort.

Those are the objective things I can point about each product, which hopefully might assist you in your decision making process.

Phoenix

Hello Phoenix,

Thanks again for the follow-up. After much, much deliberation, I made a complete U-turn on the Dreamfoam & MGM mattresses, and finally made a purchase (now awaiting layer configuration). I decided the Dreamfoam was too thick at 10" and the MGM was only Dunlop. It’s also interesting to note that the Dreamfoam rep told me their Dunlop was ALSO blended, and told me he didn’t have manufacturer info since they don’t “use it much.” Needless, I looked like a nut-job pantomime the amount of times I stood by the edge of the daybed with a ruler, trying to “pretend sit” on a 10" mattress. :whistle: I really hope this can be a case study for future readers w/ a unique heavy use sit-n’-sleep daybed situation – I’ll follow up on my journey all the way through.

Now to the thick of it: I decided on approx 8" 100% latex mattress that would layer both Dunlop & Talalay. I went through all the vendors on this site meticulously, settling with SleepEZ. I had 2 choices at first, one being their 9" natural latex mattress (1" is wool topper), and the one I settled on being the 8" w/ no wool. The reason I left the wool out is that 1) if the mattress is firm I don’t want the wool making it firmer and 2) I can cut the thickness even more. I do have an imported Austrian wool topper on the side that I’ll test with once I get the mattress; if I like it, I’ll just open the zipper and put it inside. Additionally, you were very keen to point out the daybed’s weight limit, which I found out is 400lbs – subtract the weight of the mattress, this suggests max 2 people sitting on the bed, which I surmise 8" is enough for.

In terms of configuring the layers – top-to-bottom 2" Talalay + 3" Dunlop + 3" Dunlop – I would appreciate your input on my thoughts. I’m thinking a 2" natural talalay in MEDIUM* + 3" Dunlop in MEDIUM** + 3" Dunlop in FIRM. SleepEZ’s ILD is: Soft - 19-22 / Medium - 30-32 / Firm - 37-40 / X-Firm - 44.

  • I’m thinking natural over blended Talalay so it can soften a bit. Flobeds tests 2.6% more softening of natural over blended here.
    ** I suspect both Dunlops in firm would be way too firm?

Thanks again!

Hi nycsteven,

The amount would be slight and would also depend upon the brand of Talalay, but blended Talalay in lower ILDs can be a bit more durable than natural.

I can’t tell what might be “too firm” for you, but that would probably be a quite discernible transition from the plush to the firm layers.

Phoenix

Hello Phoenix & Future Readers,
I wanted to come back on here after finally testing out the softer top layer, and report what I settled on. I found that [2" Natural Talalay in Soft] + [3" Dunlop in Med] + [3" Dunlop in Firm] was the best for my body; my specific pressure points didn’t have enough sink-in with the Med top-layer, it was keeping me propped up. I’ll also say this was SleepEZ’s initial recommendation. I also added a wool pad on top. In all, I’m pretty surprised how heavy & supportive latex can be in such thin (8") form.

Now, one thing I noticed is a big issue w/ static electricity, and I’m going to expand on it in this relevant thread. I’m a bit concerned from what I read around the web.

Additionally, I’m going to PM you re: something before posting it here in the case it might be incendiary.

Hi nycsteven,

I’m glad you found a combination that worked out well for you. Hopefully the softer upper comfort layer still feels good enough for you as a sitting surface. Many people, as you mentioned, are surprised at the high compression modulus that latex has, and how much comfort and support can be achieved with thinner layers as compared to polyfoam and memory foam.

I responded to your other post about static electricity with linking to a few good posts where I’ve already discussed this. It’s not particularly common, but it does happen in some situations, especially when a product is new and is moved about a bit and in the drier environments experienced in the winter times. The charges tend to balance out over time.

Phoenix