…one vendor of interest uses a “sculptured” latex [egg crate pattern] for its comfort layer on some models and I seem to recall another offering a topper of the same design.
…these, I understand, would be softer than a solid latex comfort layer/topper but how would they compare to layers/toppers with shredded latex?
And…would the sculptured layers wear as well as conventional sheets?
Hi fredss,
You can read more about some of the characteristics of shredded latex in post #38 here and some comments about shredded and convoluted latex in post #3 here.
In general … a shredded material will “act” in different says than a convoluted layer and depending on the density of fill of the shredded latex it will tend to both “flow” away from compression (like a featherbed) and also compress under compression. This means that it can “allow” some of the pressure points with a smaller surface area (such as the shoulders to sink into the layer more effectively while compressing more under the heavier hips (and holding them up a little higher relative to the shoulders) which have a larger surface area. The translation of this means that they can have less effect on alignment while still providing extra softness.
Convoluted latex will only compress under pressure and the specifics of the convoluting will change the response curve (compression modulus) of the layer which can change the feel and performance of the mattress. There could be some benefit in terms of airflow as well.
Latex is a very durable material in any version compared to any other type of foam but a convoluted layer will be less durable on top of a mattress than a solid sheet of the same thickness and ILD but firmer latex is also more durable so convoluting a firmer latex would make it softer and more comparable to a softer solid sheet both in terms of softness and durability. The convoluted layer would feel and perform differently though because it would start off softer and then get firmer faster with deeper compression as you sank into the parts of the layer that had more material (the thicker parts of the hills or the solid part of the layer) but this would depend on the specifics, shape, and depth of the surface modification which would change the “feel” and response of the mattress compared to a solid layer.
The durability of a latex layer (convoluted or not) wouldn’t be a primary consideration for me or as important as the specific benefits that the convoluting (or other types of surface modifications) may provide in terms of PPP. If a mattress that used convoluted latex was an improvement in some way compared to a mattress that used a solid layer in the same part of the design then if the material was latex, whether the top layer was convoluted or not wouldn’t be an issue for me.
With polyfoam the reduced durability of a convoluted layer … especially in thicker and lower density versions of polyfoam in the upper layers of the mattress … would play a much more important role in the durability of the mattress as a whole.
Phoenix