HELP!! We need a recommendation on a topper! We got a ZedBed Flex Foam Enviro king bed. The bed on the show room floor had a nice ‘plush’ feel to it but yet still VERY supportive. Unfortunately when we got the bed we ordered it is too FIRM. Upon some more research online the bed is noted at firm to our surprise. Wish we would have realized this in the mattress store!
So here is a link to a crosssection of the bed:
http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/zedbed/zedbedjune2011/2011060101/11.html#8
The Manufactures Description:
The Flex Foam Enviro mattress features a 2 inch top layer of high-density, PURE memory foam made with soybean oil. Additional support comes from a mattress base with 2 layers of foam: first, 4 inches of semi-firm Eco-Sens HR foam, made using renewable soy, and 3½ inches of firm Celcar foam with 22 ventilation channels to remove air from within the mattress. The ventilation channels vary in size and are precisely positioned throughout the 5 zones of the mattress where the body weight is greatest to ensure that you feel comfortable—with your spine perfectly aligned—anywhere on the sleep surface. Overall mattress height is 9½ inches.
We are looking for topper suggestions. We feel the mattress that we got is supportive but are looking to give it more of a plush/cloud feel. We like the idea of a latex topper but worried about how that may interact with the memory foam. A wool topper is another thought but not sure if it add enough softness. We have tried both a soft latex and wool topper on the show room bed…but that bed still feels plush to start with!
Thanks for any advice!
Hi PlushNotFirm,
I can see that this could be on the firm side because the memory foam layers are thin enough that the polyfoam layers underneath would come through more. this is actually a memory foam construction that i like because it is much less risky than thicker memory foam layers but the firmness of the layer under the memory foam is the key.
This would be similar in style to the new Tempurpedic Simplicity line where there is a thinner memory foam layer over polyfoam and the “feel” of the mattress (the Simplicity comes in soft, medium, and firm) is controlled by the firmness of the layers under the memory foam. The ZedBed doesn’t say the density of the foams they use but it is very likely that they are higher quality all the way through than the Tempurpedic Simplicity.
Because the memory foam is thin and it is on the firm side … you have some room to add a topper without compromising support.
The choice of material you use for a topper would be entirely based on your preference but the more common options would be memory foam, latex, or wool and these would be each be different even though all of them could work. These would be the best for pressure relief although polyfoam or a fiberbed would also be options. Ultimately the choice would be based on your preferences.
Memory foam: adding one or two inches of additional memory foam would add to the memory foam “in the mattress” feel and make it more like other memory foam mattresses which use thicker layers but still not too thick. If you like the “in the mattress feel” more and the slow response of memory foam … then this would be the way to go. I would consider using no less than 4 lbs and a more breathable memory foam with a good quality cover (cotton, bamboo or some type of cover that can help with cooling) would be a good option. The outlet that swells the memory foam should have the knowledge of their products to help you make a good choice.
Latex: This would be my personal preference because it makes the surface a little more lively and a little less restrictive than a thicker layer of memory foam. It would have some of the feel of latex on the surface and yet still have the slow response feel of memory foam underneath. Because the memory foam underneath is thinner … you wouldn’t have to worry about what is called foam creep which means that it is firm when you get into bed but softens over the course of the night and you sink in further. This would slow down the rate that heat reaches the memory foam and it’s response but it would still respond and it has a very nice feel IMO. A good “soft” latex option here would likely be a softer ILD in the range of 19 or so (depending on your weight and preferences but you seem to like soft) or another option would be a shredded latex topper such as this one (you can see a review and some comments about it here) which can be both soft and supportive. Unfortunately it seems that the King is out of stock but its possible they are getting more.
Wool: Wool has some localized softness and can also have a very nice feel to it and it has the advantage of being one of the most breathable and best temperature controlling choices there is. It would likely be a little firmer overall though than the other two options and while it provides localized pressure relief to joints and pressure points … it doesn’t spread weight over as large a surface as a foam topper. I would definitely try this first to make sure it was what you wanted if you were considering this.
Some suppliers for all of these are in post #4 here or in the topper thread here or in this thread for wool. A forum search on “topper” will bring up many many more posts that may also have some helpful feedback about various toppers but it may also be a little information overload.
Personally I would stick with 1-2" of either latex or memory foam depending on which “feel” you find most attractive.
Phoenix
Thanks so much for the info Phoenix! I believe we definitely want to go the latex route. The shredded latex topper looks very intriguing. What do you think the longevity of it would be? It is not instock on Amazon but the direct Seven Comforts website appears to have them!
If we go for a solid latex topper. Looking around at them, I see a lot of 3" toppers from quality vendors you recommend. I have my eye on this one. Is a 3 inch topper going to be too much? If so I’ll continue a search for a 2" topper with 19 ILD (we want it as soft as possible!)
Also, we have this wool mattress pad. Should it go over the topper or just over the mattress for protection? If it goes over the topper would we need to get a cover for the topper? Part of me thinks the shredded topper shouldn’t go under of mattress pad but solid topper should.
Thanks for your informed advice!
Hi PlushNotFirm,
Latex is very durable and their website says 10 years or more which I don’t think would be unreasonable at all.
Because latex is very resilient and supportive (has a high compression modulus) even in lower ILD’s there is more room for error with latex than with other materials but I would still tend to a little thinner just to be on the safe side because you already have some “soft stuff” on top of your mattress.
The Seven Comforts will be more along the lines of pressure point relief because the microrods will both pack together (they can be fluffed up) and compress. The price on their website is a little more than Amazon but they are still very good value IMO. We like ours a lot 
Edit: see post #52 here first if you are considering ordering this topper.
A 19 ILD latex topper will just compress and will be more of a “whole surface” softness and feel softer overall (just to give you a sense of the difference).
I would put the wool mattress pad over everything with the topper (of either type) and the mattress underneath it. You will still need a cover for a latex topper yes to protect it from ozone and ultraviolet and oxidation which will degrade the latex more rapidly. A good cover is important with latex.
Phoenix