SOL Options and Encasement Help

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Looking for those with experience to chime in, specifically about sleeponlatex brand options and other brand encasement covers. (I’ll call SoL soon but might be after the holiday.)

You can skip to the - Questions - section if you want and I won’t blame you!

Brief history: I’ve had cheap and slimmer beds previously. I need a twin now for space and thought I’d try natural, albeit on a limited budget. (SOL is the most economical I’ve seen or used from friends.) Many friends over the years had different kinds of latex mattresses and toppers, giving me a little hands-on knowledge.

Despite plenty of research too (Your forum is the best!), I keep running into issues:

  1. Sleep on Latex ‘slim’ mattress was recommended by a couple friends. I went to their site and it’s not offered now.

  2. The “medium firm” mattress option isn’t available anymore either in any model. (Combo sleeper: mostly stomach and back, occasional side. Short stocky build under 200#)

  3. Their 9" mattress in twin is on back order for a long while…

What could I do? Well,

  1. Since I prefer slim mattresses generally, and tried a friend’s Sol 3" dunlop medium topper on its own in the past which felt very supportive, I ordered that as a DIY core.

Unfortunately, what I received is much softer and sinky than my friend’s old one. Wondering how that could be, I did more digging on TMU and Amazon. Looks like sol medium “used to” be made denser at 34 ILD vs. their current 30 ILD.

Sigh.

  1. I also need a twin bed frame and it’s been hard to find economical, yet solid ventilated surfaces. SOL now has their Twin Airframe “out of stock,” and it was available a day ago! (It’s pricy for me but the best I’ve seen and only I’ve seen of that kind of design.)

After the above roadblocks and obstacles,
I’m wondering the following from those with experience:

- Questions -

Encasement:
I know some thicker encasements can make squishy latex layers more firm and supportive. (Naturepedic and OMI, for example.)

Would a robust zipper encasement (not stretch knit) make that 3" medium function with less sink and more as a support core, alone or paired with firm?

Does anyone have specific encasements that did this for your layers? Under $200 preferred, but curious to know anything that worked.

Firm layer:
Since I’m sinking much more than I’d like into the 3" medium 30 ILD, do you think putting Sol firm 44 ILD beneath it will create a supportive foundation in total?

If so, would 2" or 3" of firm work?

I’m hoping someone out there has done a similar build with success. You can also let me know if you think the 3" medium isn’t going to work. Looks like you get one exchange from Sol.

Frame:
Anyone have good experience with a platform style economical, yet solid ventilated surface frame that is available?

Thank you so much for reading! I hope to share a success story in the very near future and pay it forward.

2

Hey Birdwatcher,

Welcome to The Mattress Underground :slight_smile: ! Thanks for your questions. Thanks too for the brief history and lead-in details, they are most helpful and interesting.

Congrats on your new mattress shopping adventure :slight_smile: ! Thanks for considering trusted member Sleep On Latex for a possible purchase, I regard their latex expertise, product quality, and customer service highly as they are deeply experienced in the Dunlop latex category. I strongly encourage and support following up directly with SOL on your product questions, either with a phone call or by using the TMU forum (we can let them know that you have unique forum questions for their response if you prefer).

I skipped commenting on points 1 and 2 as they address unavailable products in addition to back-ordered stock. SOL is not unique with supply delays currently. Many suppliers and manufacturers are suffering from ongoing supply chain disruptions globally, as well as soaring costs of materials triggered by scarcity and high consumer demand. You may find this significant price increase post by expert trusted memberMFCinteresting for a more detailed discussion on the matter. In other words, longer delivery lead times will continue to be the norm as long as materials’ availability continues to be an issue.

Until you discuss your DIY options with someone from Sleep On Latex’s team, let’s put your proposed questions on hold for just a bit…unless some helpful consumers may have experience that they can contribute…until then, I’m looking forward to hearing their suggestions for you :wink: .

Thanks,
Sensei

3

Thank you for the reply, Sensei.

From the industry price increase link you shared, now’s the time to get this build figured out.

Updates:

I was able to talk to SOL and Tom was extremely nice.

Layers:
I’m ordering their 3" firm 44ILD to combine with the 3" medium, and hope it will shore up that medium for me into a more robust support.

From there, I’ll see if the medium 3" is still compressing too much (support core too soft), if I need a thin comfort topper layer (surface too firm), etc. in terms of layering.

Frame:
Tom also said that the Twin - Airframe (their metal bed frame) may actually be in stock, but showing otherwise due to a website glitch. They are checking on it this week and I’ll be watching it for any changes.

Because of the price as well, I am open to any alternative platform frame suggestions in Twin size.

Encasement:
I am still in need of any advice regarding encasements. Dust-proof and zippered for full coverage seems ideal. (A metal zipper track would be nice, but finding that under $200 - $300 is another story).

I’ve found some informative posts on encasements, like from diynaturalbedding. However, it’s hard to tell what natural cotton or wool options actually stop dust, other than ruling out stretch knits. My research on bamboo fabric is that it’s not natural due to processing, so I think I’ll stick to cotton and/or wool unless those sources were inacccurate.

4

Hey Birdwatcher,

Thanks for your reply and updates :slight_smile: .

Happy to hear that you are enjoying working with Tom; the SOL team are highly specialized and knowledgeable of the latex mattress category.

Sounds like a good plan, Birdwatcher :slight_smile: ! You’ve done your homework and now that it’s time for action, it will be interesting to learn how your DIY works out :wink: .

I checked the SOL site and the Twin Airframe seems available, so the site glitch must be repaired. It does have an ideal construction for an all latex mattress; the combination of slats and circular holes in the base provides both airflow and support. Platform frames are a hot topic on TMU, you may want to do a site search on the subject to check out what other consumers are researching.

When researching natural/ organic encasements, look for those carrying GOTS/ Global Organic Textile Standard and Okeo-Tex certifications, these will ensure that the product has been organically farmed and is free of harmful substances. You may consider checking in with these DIY Accessory & Component trusted members offering encasements, they all offer budget-friendly products and will be happy to answer your questions as well. Looking forward to future updates once your setup is completed…

Thanks,
Sensei

5

Those are good suggestions, thank you.

The 3 x 3 layers are working well for me from SOL. If anyone is wondering about trying smaller and denser layers first, I think it’s a good method. You can always add more if you need to.

I am still looking at encasements and the possibility of adding minimal quilted cushion to the top, maybe of wool or cotton. I was checking on that organic barrier cotton zip cover from places like white lotus and lifekind, but it might be too thin for an outer encasement.

6

Did you find an encasement you liked? I recently tried out Naturepedic’s EOS mattress and they’re a bit pricey for me but REALLY like the encasement they use compared to other mattresses I’ve tried.