Quality topper on a cheap base

I’m thinking about getting a cheap king-sized foam/memory foam mattress from somewhere like Walmart. Like Zinus or similar. Then layering a quality latex 3" topper such as the Latexmattressfactory.com 3" dunlop 19 ILD on top, $319.

Any other idea how I can get a king-sized base and initial comfort layer that would be suitable for a 3" topper for under $400? I’d like to keep the whole mattress under $700-800 shipped.

Thanks!

Hi Imyyap,

You can see my comments about choosing a firmer mattress first with the intention of adding a topper later in post #2 here. In most cases I would avoid this approach because of the uncertainty involved with two purchase choices instead of only one and choosing a topper that would be suitable in terms of PPP for a specific person on a specific mattress can sometimes be almost as difficult as choosing a mattress that doesn’t need a topper in the first place. I would generally focus on choosing a mattress that is likely to be a suitable match without a topper (unless you can test the combination in person or you are purchasing both online as a “set” that is designed to work together and they both have a good return/exchange policy) and then use the option to add a topper as a “backup” strategy in case your initial choice is too firm and doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for rather than a “primary” strategy.

It would also be very difficult to avoid buying a mattress in your budget range that doesn’t have lower quality and less durable materials in the comfort layer that would be a weak link in terms of the durability and useful life of the mattress/topper combination.
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You would probably be better off using your budget to choose a mattress that doesn’t have any lower quality materials or weak links and that doesn’t need a topper to be a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences).

Phoenix

Thanks for the info! The problem I keep running into is that basic polyfoam from the reputable distributors is very expensive, essentially as much or more than getting a cheap polyfoam/memory foam mattress. The unknown factor is whether the underlying polyfoam of the cheap mattress is any good. The benefit is that the mattress comfort layers become intermediate layers so I don’t need to worry about additional layering. Based on the reviews of the Zinus 8" memory foam mattress, I believe it is rather firm which seems like good base/intermediate layer material. Because it’s so cheap, I’m going to give it a try and if it doesn’t work out I might return the mattress and keep the topper. It’s a risk, but at a pretty low cost (if I wasn’t buying the mattress directly from Amazon, I would be more circumspect because returns would be much more expensive).

I purchased a Zinus 8" Green Tea Mattress king for $232 and a Latex Mattress Factory 3" soft/19 ILD Dunlop topper for $319.

That makes for a $551 outlay and possibly another $60-$150 for either a mattress pad or topper cover or mattress cover fit to the new depth. If the comfort is right and I keep it then, based on what you’ve said, I anticipate the topper will outlive the underlying mattress and should that happen I’ll swap out the mattress. If the mattress fails extremely prematurely, I would reconsider the base approach and get some quality polyfoam from a reputable supplier. I’ll report back with the results.

Hi Imyyap,

Zinus mattresses tend to use lower quality/density materials than I would be comfortable with in terms of the durability and useful life of the mattress and they are also made in China which would also add some additional risk as well (see post #6 here).

IMO … you would have better quality/value options available to you than purchasing a high quality topper and putting it on top of such a low quality mattress but of course these are choices that only each person can make for themselves.

Outside of any potential durability issues though … I hope that the combination works well for you.

Phoenix