Hi there!
My 2013 Sealy Posturpedic “Langley Plush” Queen mattress needs a refresh. It was great for a year, and a couple more with rotating it and repositioning myself, but for the past few years it’s been harder to find comfort. The box spring sits on a sturdy slatted frame and a center pillar.
It seems like a 3" latex topper is the way to go, but I might need a little help figuring out the height of a zippered cover. Should I try to retain any latex layers or bottom-ish layers, or just strip down to the protective cover over the coils? I also do not know how tall the coils are. I can tear it open and measure, but maybe the original product page (-> LINK ← ) or attached spec sheet can help answer that?
I’m 165/6’1" and almost exclusively sleep on my back, so lower back and shoulder support are the highest priority. Is medium talalay the clear choice, or is firm worth considering?
Thanks so much!
-Eric
I always admire someone doing a rebuild on a mattress they really liked and that felt good. Last one I really liked I threw out expecting to be able to buy something better, boy was I wrong…this then started my journey to build my own. You have a couple different ways you can go about it. First you can simply try to bring it back to as close to factory as you can by replacing the memory and polyfoam layers (usually what goes bad on the mattress). You’ll want to use a straight edge across the springs just to verify the coil layer is still in good shape (likely it is, those are 14 gauge coils so the wire is quite thick). The only real issue with this option is it’s impossible to rebuild the pillow top portion (around 1.5" on your model) so as long as you aren’t too concerned about that, you can just have someone sew a new zipper on the cover and you’re done. The second option is a bit more complicated since you are they beginning to design a mattress that works best for your needs. This can be very challenging and rewarding at the same time. This involves replacing the foam layers and changing the mattress cover while keeping the spring base (thus creating a hybrid mattress). Since the whole system works together, you may need to do some experimenting on what works best for you depending on what type of feel you like in the comfort layers (firm/med/soft, flat/cradling, hot/cool/neutral temps, etc). If you are set on going the second option then yes for your BMI a medium 3" layer of latex to start is likely best. I would not try to reuse any of the old bed’s foam comfort layers above the springs, they are likely totally worn out. Try the new layer directly over the spring base with just a fitted sheet and pillow and take a nap to see how it feels. From there you may need to do further tweaks to the layers and you’ll also need a good mattress cover unless the pillow top on your old one is still in great shape.
Based on those specs I see no latex at all inside. I see a bunch of super soft foam both in the quilt and first layer which of course are dipping by now and need to be replaced. I would tear it down to just the springs and .5" layer of gel foam and whatever is under the coils. I can only guess that the coil is 6" since it doesn’t appear to be a pocket coil. With what is under the coil I would think that you would be keeping 7" in total. Add 3" of latex and you would need a 10" cover but I would tear into it to make sure before purchasing anything. Medium Talalay would absolutely be the best choice based on your personal specs.
Great! I’ll get in there and take some measurements pics, thanks for responding so quickly.
Take a look at what I found inside - the coils are actually seven inches tall!
Once the stitching was removed and the cover pulled down, the plush top’s curtain can be seen stapled into the “SitRight” edge support fiber-block stuff.
The protective layer for the coils is pretty thin, is that acceptable since they’re pocket coils?
Hopefully this is enough information, but let me know if there’s anything else I can provide.
Thanks for the encouragement Mattrebuild. Yeah, definitely going with option 2, polyfoam is out of the picture now. I agree, the coils are likely fine, I’ll do a full teardown for analysis if Ken thinks it’s necessary. Thankfully I am not bothered by a whole lot when I sleep, I just need ample support - so with any luck, the first attempt will be a win. All of the stories here about finding that forever-bed have been very helpful narrowing down down what I wanted to do, and decided that re-use was important to me. I’m a practical sort that does not see the logic in discarding something if there’s a way to avoid that.
Slumberist, great job pulling apart the mattress. It’s very important to see what you’re working with and how it was originally constructed so you can formulate a game plan for how you are going to rebuild it. I know what you mean about trying to be frugal/practical about reusing items from the old mattress. You can see from my build that I tried several times to do just that but the final result is that in the end everything got changed. The main difference with mine and yours being that you were happy with the performance of your mattress at one point whereas mine never really worked well from the start. The older mattresses are much better constructed than today’s mass produced rubbish so that’s something to keep in mind as well.
As far as mattress construction it looks like the purple layer was some sort of memory foam and the yellow layer is likely poly foam. It would be good to put a tape measure to both those layers so you can document the thicknesses of each. The staples into the foam around the sides is very standard construction nowadays. The thin layer over the coils is also quite normal too. I would also measure the height of the pillow top because you will likely be discarding it but it is also an integral part of the comfort layers you’ll be redesigning (most new covers don’t have much padding at all). Ken should be able to help you figure out the best materials/firmness you’ll need to get the feel you’re looking for. Then you’ll need a good quality mattress cover that allows those comfort layers to do their job well.
That’s a foam encased pocket coil. They use foam around the edges for more support but it also means it can bend so it will work with an adjustable base. You can also keep the gel foam (blue) but it’s not necessary unless you want some extra height. 3" of latex and a new cover I think is all you will need. Good job once again proving I’m not crazy for teaching people how to repair their mattress and save some money. I don’t think Sealy likes this but I don’t really care what they think. Saving money is always a good thing.
Well, thanks to Ken I am now slumbering much better. The upgreade only took about 30 minutes.
Here’s a timelapse of the procedure:
[video]https://youtu.be/oCWH6oQK8Ak[/video]
Excellent video, once again you have proven I’m not crazy for posting videos showing how to do exactly what you did and how easy and well it works. Not to mention the money you saved and the additional benefits latex has vs. memory foam. Well done and thanks for sharing!!
