Part 2: Need Help! DIY Mattress 13” quilted top latex (and foam,) I’m at a loss

Mattress Talk
1

https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/need-help-diy-mattress-13-quilted-top-latex-im-at-a-loss/38568

The link above was my first post and since then I have learned so much more about my self and the way that I sleep. I’ve spent now hundreds of dollars and stuck with layers of mattress that I no longer need. The most important part is that I learned so much and I am in the final stretches of figuring out the perfect mattress for me. I am here now posting with updated information so as to get help from the community with the final version.

Here is where I started: “So far I have an 8 inch foundation with legs from Ironwood Bedframes, The cotton and wool quilted mattress cover from Foam Sweet Foam (FSF,) one layer of Latex 3” medium ILD 34, and one layer of Latex 3" soft ILD 19 both are from Sleep on Latex. I added this all to an old junky 6 inches of HD foam taken from a Walmart mattress that I took the 2 inches of memory foam off of leaving it as a chunk of 6 inch hard foam."

I now have an 8 inch foundation with legs from Ironwood Bedframes, The cotton and wool quilted mattress cover from Foam Sweet Foam (FSF) 12+1"
2 x 3" of HD36-HQ Foam - Standard Mattress( from foambymail) for a full 6" of base. 35ild
3" Natural Latex from SleeponLatex.com no case - Medium 34ild
3” Titanflex™ Topper medium (28 ILD) from mattresstopper.com
This is probably version 3.1 in my spreadsheet. This version is my favorite because I finally have the alignment and support I need but it is very hard.

“I’m 160lbs and 5"10” male who likes to sleep on my sides only." Or so I thought. I sleep on my sides and stomach actually. I found out I start sleeping on my sides and throughout the night I roll over from side to side and if really uncomfortable I lay on my back then proceed to snore and that’s a problem. When I am close to waking up I tend to kick out the leg I am sleeping on and roll on to my stomach. “I have never had any joint or back problems my whole life.” Until I tried to experiment with making a perfect bed.

I got recommendations from here to try soft latex and tried both the soft Dunlop latex from Sleep on Latex, and a soft Talalay from Latex Mattress Factory.
Just few of the many configurations I tried.
3" HQ-36
3" Medium Latex
3" Soft Dunlop
3" Soft Talalay
Way too soft. Major back pain.
3" HQ-36
3" HQ-36
3" Medium Latex
3" Soft Talalay and also swapped the Dunlop Soft
Still caused major lower back pain. Probably because of the rolling on to my stomach in the early mornings before waking up.
3" HQ-36
3" HQ-36
3" Medium Latex
3" Soft Talalay and also swapped the Dunlop Soft
Now I have
3" HQ-36
3" HQ-36
3" Medium Latex
3” Titanflex™ Topper medium
This is the only combination that has given me, what seems like, perfect alignment and stiffness I THINK I need. I love how firm this feels but it is just so hard. I would love to have a memory foam on top of the Titanflex or just remove the Titanflex for something firm and yet soft to mold to me a little, I think. My fear is getting something that is soft like the latex 3" layers I have tried before that left me with severe lower back pain. Is there a memory foam that is stiff yet soft? Also I’m willing to add or subtract any parts of the layers to the bed.
For example:
3" HQ-36
3" HQ-36
1" HQ-36 (add in)
3" Medium Latex
2" Memory foam (add in) Or any other combinations/ideas.
Thank you for your time and comments.

2

Hey MynameisDock!

Thanks for the update. I do, of course, hope some of our experienced DIYers on the forum will chime in but I’ll share a few thoughts too.

Fair, sounds like anything too soft causes you to have a sway back and end up sore.

So this is definitely a no.

This is good news! Glad you’re getting the right support/not waking up in pain, but sorry you’re not finding a whole of comfort in the comfort layer.

I think if you throw 3" of any kind of foam atop the titanflex layer, you’re going to have way too much foam and it’ll throw off your alignment. I actually think you need to be experimenting with 1-2" toppers at this point just for additional added softness.

The common issue with memory foam is that it tends to “collapse” under ones body heat throughout the night. So, it’s never really going to “push back.”

But, if you use a thinner layer, you’re also not going to create such a deep foam cradle, and eventually you’ll get “pushed back” by the firm titanflex.

I’m also going to tag @BackScience here for ideas and insights that are more specialized than what I can provide.

NikkiTMU

3

Even after so many years of mattress designing, I always find it interesting just how many combinations of layering that can be used to make a mattress and it is for that reason, DIY is not as simple as one would hope, but I do appreciate you systematic approach to trying to figure out what is best for your needs. To your question about memory foam, there are more dense versions that we used on some of our Tempflow memory foam mattresses to do provide some support structure, while maintaining the pressure relief, but as Nikki mentioned, the whole idea of memory foam use is to avoid push back and instead contour to fill in the bumps and curves of the body, which will also provide some overall support, but it is important to have the right push back type of foam underneath for an overall combination of support and comfort. So, you can add it to the top of a mattress, but it does have to blend well with the layering underneath.
With a medium firm latex, I would recommend a more plush, but higher density 5lb. memory foam, so it transitions well. We had great success over the years formulating that type of mattress for customers, so depending upon the latex quality, it should work well for you what you are looking to achieve. Feel free to go to our www.Tempflow.com website and contact us if you are looking for that customized high density U.S.A. made memory foam topper solution.

Thanks!

Dr. Rick Swartzburg, D.C.
Head of Product Development