Q: re: use of a wool topper on top of a component latex mattress

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
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We replaced our Stearns & Foster inner coil one sided mattress when it gave up the ghost after a ridiculously short time (especially for the money we spent). It was only really comfortable for a couple of years at best - by the time we replaced it, my wife’s back was hurting from sleeping on it and I really didn’t enjoy it either any more.

Once bitten and twice shy, and determined to not make the same mistake twice - we started looking into alternatives. Looked at everything really - individually wrapped coils (didn’t trust the brands) memory foam (too hot), bed in a box (too average), air mattresses (ha ha, no) - absurdly expensive 5 figure luxury brands made in Scandinavia (gulp) - you name it we tried it - before arriving at latex.

We ended up getting an Omi Mattress OrganicPedic Duo 3-layer 10" from a local brick and mortar. Yes, I realize now we over paid (not the listed price on internet which is cray cray, but still). Somehow I missed this website (my bad) when researching - and the amount of information (mostly misinformation, or, less charitably, disinformation) out there is simply overwhelming. Blind 'em with BS, I guess. We ended up really liking the retailer (Austin Natural Mattress) who was actually very knowledgeable, straightforward, and helpful (and patient) and felt confident in the quality of the product, and was attracted to the idea of having a 100% organic mattress after disaster with one of the Ss. DW was also very resistant to idea of purchasing a mattress, any mattress, without trying it out first and also we both valued having a local we trusted, and we had already invested a lot of time at that point - so we bit.

Even though we overpaid - the mattress is great - and if it lasts as long as we hope, it will be worth it. So far, really, no complaints. It’s a split King component latex. I prefer a tad plusher than the DW who prefers a bit firmer mattress.

The question is, we spent a lot of time trying out different configurations of the layers. I think we even swapped layers once, and have played with the order. We ended up going with just Dunlop which seemed to work for us a bit better than the Talalay.

For a finishing touch of luxuriousness and to get the sense of a pillow top we bought a wool topper. It’s funny, for the amount of time we spent researching and configuring the mattress, the wool topper was something of an afterthought - like - yeah, we should get that too. I guess it was the 3" Wooly offered by Omi Mattress.

Now I’m starting to wonder about the topper since we put so little consideration into it. Does it take away from the support offered by the latex? Is it something that will end up being more uncomfortable as the years go by and have to be replaced sooner? Would we have been better off with a latex topper or just a softer talalay top layer?

Next question is more philosophical - how come latex doesn’t just dominate this field? OK, I get it, people have different preferences. . .but I wouldn’t have even stumbled onto latex, which just seems to tick all the right boxes (except maybe price) were it not for our disastrous experience with the dominant industry players. Also, a lot of folks seem to be buying a lot of other really expensive mattresses (hello TemperPedic) that don’t have the qualities that Latex offers.

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Hi comet,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Much of what you’re asking comes down to personal preference, so there really wouldn’t be a right or wrong answer.

There’s more information about wool toppers and some of their advantages/characteristics in this post (and the posts it links to). Wool is a great material and many people have a preference for this as a topper as opposed to latex or other foams, and there’s certainly no harm in placing a wool topper over latex.

The primary “deep support” within a mattress comes mostly from the deeper firmer layers, and toppers (wool or otherwise) tend to mostly modify surface comfort. A wool topper can create a slightly softer surface comfort when placed over a firmer piece of latex, or slightly firm up the surface comfort when placed over a softer piece of latex. Wool will tend to compress a bit over time and can firm up slightly, and can be quite durable. Whether you would choose wool versus latex (Dunlop or Talalay) would again depend upon your goals and personal preferences. There’s more information of the differences between multiple styles of toppers in this post. There would be no empirical reason to replace your topper – only one of personal preference.

That’s one I really can’t explain. I certainly have my thoughts, which are shared by many people with whom I’ve spoken in the industry. From the retail standpoint, it takes a bit more education/knowledge and time to comprehensively explain the differences between blends of latex, certifications, Dunlop versus Talalay, ILDs, and so on, and as people on this forum are well aware, unfortunately a premium isn’t placed upon education and training in most retail establishments. Also, latex has a bit of a different feel, which not everyone may enjoy. The pricing for latex can be a bit higher, which can discourage some buyers. And for many salespeople, it is easier to sell what is advertised more on television and what has a bit of a “different feel”, such as the more “mainstream” products and memory foam. So, while this list isn’t complete, there really are many reasons.

Phoenix

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Thanks. I think we’re pretty happy with the sleep we’re getting now - so it’s all working - just wanted to be sure the topper wasn’t a problem.

Re: latex position in industry. Price I get (sure, it’s small premium up front, but I bet not when considering the overall life) a little. I also guess people have a wide variety things that make them comfortable.

But what I don’t understand is the issue of educating consumers on Latex from a retail perspective - if anything it seems a lot simpler. One kind of foam, two varieties, with different properties, and which come in different degrees of firmness, that can be combined (or not) to suit preference. I guess there’s also differentiation between natural, organic, synthetic varieties. . . but on the whole it seems quite a bit simpler to me than the endless way in which “traditional” inner spring mattress are packaged, configured in endless variations, and marketed with all the transparency of a concrete wall.

Maybe that’s the issue - there’s not a lot ways to insert obfuscation into a latex mattress or hide the ball - it’s pretty simple technology - and differentiating product comes down to kind of latex, quality of construction, use of cover materials, and price - that would be a hard world for the major’s to build big profit margins on I guess.

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Hey comet,

I’ll chime in here, being a retailer for 25 years who has sold latex and “traditional” and memory foam mattresses.

It is much more difficult to sell latex mattresses to the general public.

The biggest thing is that people aren’t as familiar with latex in North America as they might be in different parts of the world. They’re not bombarded with latex advertising on television (as they are with memory foam), and their families don’t generally have decades of use of latex (like they might with many of the “S” brands), so right away there’s a level of “comfort” (pun not intended) that is missing and has to be overcome.

Explaining about latex also takes more time - differentiating between Dunlop and Talalay, and then synthetic, natural or blended options, and then talking about specific things such as ILD and compression modulus and more technical terms and so on. These are things that you generally don’t do with polyfoam - you’re not going to get into the intricacies of isocyanate and polyols and surfactants and reactants, etc. And getting into the details about Oek-Tex, Cradle to Cradle, GOTS and GOLS also takes quite a bit more explaining (it’s more detailed than explaining CertiPUR-US).

Another thing is that with so much advertising done on television, it’s easier for salespeople to sell what people have seen on TV. They come in asking for something, so why would a salesperson turn down a sure thing? With latex, you’re often overcoming someone’s “preference” based upon a supposition that they’ll like something based upon what they’ve been told by advertisers. So that’s another thing - you’re having to explain first off that what the person was looking at wasn’t so good, and then you’re having to explain why this other product is much better.

So from my standpoint, it is more difficult in the retail landscape to sell latex, but I don’t mind, because it is a very durable product with many benefits. It just takes a bit more time to describe and define. But in the end, that’s my job!

Jeff Scheuer
Mattress To Go

My favorite customers are those who have taken the time to become educated, because with latex they are already well aware of the benefits of the product and at tat point I’m merely confirming comfort preferences and they don’t need to be “sold” on anything.

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Thanks Jeff and Phoenix - interesting stuff.

I know y’all do this every day - but to us civilians, it’s really a fascinating industry.

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Hey comet,

I find it fascinating as well. You’re welcome!