Hi Reb_enfilade,
1" memory foam toppers are a little more difficult to find. I don’t know any of the members here that sell them but there are some listed on the sears page here that are 1" - 1.5" thick. Foamorder also sells 1" thick memory foam toppers and some of the polyfoam suppliers such as A1 Foam & Fabrics and http://www.foamonline.com/ also sell memory foam in 1" thicknesses. I would make sure you check densities because they will range from less than 3 lbs to 5 lb density. In the case of a topper then 3 lb density/durability isn’t as big an issue because if it breaks down faster than a higher density memory foam then they are also fairly inexpensive and can be replaced without replacing the whole mattress. The biggest issue with lower density memory foams is that they may not perform as well as higher density memory foams.
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The choice between memory foam and latex would be a preference choice. There is more about how they compare in post #2 here. The topper guidelines for thickness and firmness include the reference points and suggestions I would use to improve your odds of choosing the most suitable topper but beyond that it will really be a matter of trying it to see how well a topper works for you on the mattress you are using it on.
Mattresses don’t have ILD’s (only individual foam layers) and every layer in a mattress will have an effect on all the other layers so the firmness of any particular layer may not relate to the firmness of the mattress as a whole. Serta also doesn’t normally provide information about the firmness or ILD of their individual layers. There are also other factors besides just ILD that can affect how soft or firm an individual layer will feel for any particular person (see post #4 here).
There are also no standardized firmness ratings between manufacturers so a mattress that is rated as “medium firm” with one manufacturer may be rated as a “medium” or a “firm” by another manufacturer. Firmness is also very subjective and relative to each person so what feels too soft for one person can feel too firm for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping positions, and preferences and sensitivities. The only way to know how firm or soft a mattress feels for you would be based on your own personal testing or sleeping experience regardless of how anyone else may rate it. Only you can feel what you feel on a mattress (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Memory foam can also be somewhat tricky because the ILD of memory foam also changes with temperature, humidity, and the length of time it is continuously compressed and how firm a memory foam topper feels will also vary based on the specific properties of the memory foam other than just ILD (see post #9 here and post #8 here).
Since firmness is so subjective and relative to different people that can have a very different sense of what feels firm or soft for them … I would go by your own experience and perceptions on your mattress in combination with the suggestions in the topper guidelines so that you choose a topper based on using your actual experience on a mattress as a reference point.
When you can’t test a mattress/topper combination in person … the three most important parts of choosing a topper are …
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Using the topper guidelines and your own preferences between different materials that you are familiar with to give you a reference point for the type, thickness, and firmness of a topper that has a reasonable chance of success.
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Talking to the suppliers you are considering (assuming that they are knowledgeable about their products) so they can describe the toppers they are selling to give you a sense of how they compare to others that they sell or are available in the market.
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Making sure you are comfortable with the return or exchange policies and the costs involved so that you have some “insurance” to offset the uncertainty and risk involved in choosing a topper just in case you make a choice that doesn’t work as well as you hoped for.
Phoenix