Pure Talalay Bliss Beautiful

[phoenix]

Hi cschisler,

Thank you so much for all your help. We have done some more looking locally and online. I have chatted online with one of your recommended manufacturers, Arizona Mattress at Mattressnet.com. I am leaning towards using them and doing a DIY mattress.

You’re welcome! If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own DIY mattress out of separate components that are purchased from one or several different sources 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 are not attempting to duplicate a design that you have already tested, then the next most reliable source of guidance would be a manufacturer who has experience with crating products using the types of materials you are considering.

We checked out an all Dunlop bed at a Maplewood Mattress Company which you also recommended.

Just for clarity, I don’t make recommendations for stores unless they are a vetted member here of the site. Maplewood Mattress is not a site member here, but they should be familiar with Dunlop latex.

We are glad we did because it was too firm compared to the Talalay Beautiful Bliss.
The specs were:
2.5 in -18 ILD Dunlop
2 in - 28 ILD Dunlop
6 in - 38 ILD Dunlop

Yes, I would expect this to feel firmer than the Beautiful. Not only are you using higher ILD latex layers than in the Beautiful, you are using Dunlop, which as I mentioned in my previous reply, Dunlop will “firm up faster” than Talalay.

In researching and laying on these two beds, we are considering a 6 in Dunlop core and then 2 - 2 inch 20-24 ILD natural Talalay top layers to make a 10 inch mattress. We then thought we may purchase an additional 3 inch Talalay topper in 19-21 ILD if needed. We are not super picky, but we both definitely prefer soft.

If you are considering the 38 ILD Dunlop core, this would end up being a bit firmer than the 36 ILD Talalay core used in the Beautiful. Using 4" of N2 Talalay is quite soft, and overall would be less padding material in the upper layers than the Beautiful (that has 6") and softer than the 24 ILD that the Beautiful uses, as the 3" of 24 ILD Talalay in the Beautiful is blended and overall is in a bit of a higher ILD range than the N2. In this combination you may feel a bit more of an “abrupt” transition from the 4" of N2 to the 38 ILD Dunlop core. If you added another 3" of 20 ILD Talalay on top of that, this would be 7" of quite plush latex on top of the Dunlop core, and you could have a legitimate concern of too much plush material, especially for someone like your husband.

In talking to the Maplewood Mattress, they seemed to believe it was important to keep a firm mattress core. They recommended not using soft for the middle later. In researching online I have read to layer the softest layer on top to firmest layer on the bottom.

Their concern seems to dovetail with my previous comments. I think the construction you are referring to is progressive (see this article).

I did read on Arizona mattresses that the ultra soft blended Talalay ILD 14 was not recommended for over 150 pounds and the Bliss was blended Talalay 15 ILD, so I am thinking we should not go with that soft of a top layer.

Many manufacturers have this same concern, so an upper layer in your situation of N2 Talalay or 19 ILD or higher would most likely be a good “softest” choice.

In your opinion will talalay hold up for us for the top 4 inches in a pure talalay soft 20-24 ILD? I am concerned about the hammock effect since visiting with Maplewood Mattress.

Unfortunately, I can’t predict what would feel best to you or how you might to a certain combination, as there are far too many personal variables involved. 4" of N2 Talalay is quite soft, but not as plush as a 15 ILD Talalay or N1. If you desire a more progressive design, something like 2" layers of 28/24/19 (or 24/24/19) ILD latex on top of the 38 ILD Dunlop core could be an option or if you do like the 4" of N2 but the transition to the Dunlop core was too abrupt, you could place a 2" layer of 2 ILD Talalay on top of the core as a transition layer. All of this is pure speculation, as only your own personal testing will be able to determine what might work best for you.

Your idea of calling Arizona Premium is also a good idea, as they are very experienced with DIY designs and they can provide some commentary on the configurations you’re considering.

Phoenix