If I purchased the natural but needed it to be thicker because all our sheets are for a 13 inch mattress, could I just add a topper to make the mattress thicker? And if so, which topper would you suggest to relieve my lower back pain?
Thanks, Joe
Hello javadog60 and thank you so much for the inquiry! If you just want to make the mattress taller without changing the feel, I would get a 3" extra firm 100% natural Dunlop layer to put under the mattress. If you want to make the mattress both taller and much plusher, I would recommend getting a 3" Talalay topper to place on top of the mattress. I’d be happy to make a recommendation on the firmness for the topper, I would just need to ask a few questions: If you don’t mind me asking, about how tall are you, about how much do you weigh, and do you normally sleep on your side, stomach, or back? Also, do you already have the Naturale or do you have yet to purchase or receive the mattress?
not at all. i am 6 feet and 200 pounds. my wife is 5’5" and 140 pounds. i am a side sleeper and she is a stomach sleeper. the mattress we have is a very old double sided pillow top. i have lower back pain and my wife has hip pain. we both really like the plush feel of our pillow top but i’m afraid that it no longer gives any support. it is a queen size. we are both age 70. still very active.
this is what i was thinking and i am welcome to any and all suggestions.
- buy the 8 inch wooden base with cover to place on our current frame. $375
- buy the natural mattress in the combination you suggest, which i understand is 9 inches thick with the cover. $795 unless adjusted by changing firmness or thickness.
if we add another three inch layer now or later, do you have an expandable cover to get in all the layers or do we just stack the covered layers.
i, of course want the most i can get for the smallest price i can get. thanks, joe
OK great, thanks for the extra info! Based on the information you’ve provided, I think the softer side of the Naturale should be just fine for both of you! Of course you have the option to flip it over and sleep on the firmer side if you’d like, but I think you would end up preferring the softer side.
If you decide to add a topper to the mattress, I absolutely recommend a 3" Talalay topper with 3" of medium on your side and 3" of soft on her side. The Talalay topper will add extra contour and pressure relief on your and your wife’s hips and shoulders, and it will also add extra secondary support which would be helpful at avoiding back pain for you as well. Secondary support fills in the gaps between your body and the mattress. If you have any gaps between your body and the mattress, or have areas of your body that aren’t being fully supported by the mattress, your body will work to hold those parts of your body up and by the time you wake up you’ve got back pain because your muscles have been working all night.
Regarding the cover, I don’t think that’s something you’re going to end up wanting to do, and this is for a few reasons. If you were to put the Naturale and topper in one cotton & wool cover, at that point you would have an inch of wool between yourself and the latex, and anything you have between yourself and the latex affects the way you contour into the latex, making firmer feel. Aside from that, having a top layer that is not encased with the rest of the mattress will allow that top layer enough spatial freedom to move upwards when you lay on it, making for an even more plush and enveloping feel. Since you like and are used to a plush pillow top feel, it’s likely best to keep the topper on top of the Naturale and in a separate cover (if you’d like a topper).
i think i am beginning to understand. i think my best best would be to buy the natural and the frame first. then, if we feel the need, we could add the 3 inch talalay topper with the stretch cotton cover and just lay that on top of the natural and cover the topper with a sheet - and sleep on that.
i just wonder, if you want to get as close as possible to the latex, is the cotton and wool cover of the natural going to interfere with the benefits of the latex? i understand that the wool is the fire retardant.
my wife is a side sleeper. i got it wrong in the post above.
thanks.
You are correct, anything you have between yourself and the latex affects the way you contour into the latex, making for a generally firmer feel and giving more surface tension to the top of the mattress. That’s not to say that the mattress won’t work for you as it is, that’s just not a question I can answer in advance. I think it would be a great choice to start with the mattress as it is and add a topper later if needed, that way you’re not spending more money than you might need to right off the bat.