My wife (5’ 8" 200lbs side sleeper) and I (6’1" 270lbs side sleeper) started our DIY mattress experience about 6 years ago with a foambymail DYI matress as below:
5" HD36-R Foam –base layer
2" 3LB Memory Foam - middle
1" Latex Foam (4.6LB density) top layer
layers were glued and put In a Poly cotton knit cover
this mattress was great in the beginning but after 2-3 years of use began caving in and making sleeping ubearable we decided to get something new but budget minded. since the old matress was glued we decided to sart fresh. i did some research and fopund these forums which discussed how latex was better than foam so i decided to make our new bed out of latex and some harder foam to try to reduce caving in the future (like our old matress). new matress:
Foambymail
4" Lux-HQ Foam (ILD 50 @ 25%)
3" Dunlop Latex foam (29 ILD)
SleeponLatex
3" Latex medium (i think this is a 34 ILD?)
this was very uncomfortable to sleep on so we added a hybrid 4" 3LB Memory foam topper. hated that so we thought maybe put the topper under the latex similar to our old matress.
we are still miserable and hoping for help.
NOTE: we are at 14" so any recommendations on a matress cover that would fit any recommendations or any new additions would help (i didnt want to glue the layers until we were 100% ready so they shift and create bumps and unevenness at the edges)
What kind of discomfort are you having on the new mattress? Do you get back pain resulting from misalignment (indicating the mattress is likely too soft or lacking enough support) , or are you getting pressure points (potentially indicating too much firmness)? Would you say it feels too soft, or too firm, overall?
One major difference of note between your original DIY and the new one is the significant increase in ILD of your support layer. The lux foam is ILD 50, which is very, very firm. Maybe you could try layering the two 3 inch latex layers the (34 ild on the bottom and the 3 inch dunlop latex foam over that) to create a support layer, and then put the memory foam on top, to see how that feels. If it feels CLOSER to feeling right than the previous mattress, it could indicate that the lux foam is too firm.
Another thing to note is that 4 inches is very think for a memory foam topper. That could potentially be contributing to pain by causing misalignment of your spine. If you still have any of the old parts from your old “DIY casper”, such as the 2 inch 3 lb memory foam, you could try using that as a comfort/top layer instead, just to see if it feels better.
Lastly, it’s recommended to hold off on the cover until you get a configuration that feels good to you and your wife!
The bed feels OK in the evening but halfway through the night it feels like I’m laying on a concrete floor. We wake up with back pain and shoulder pain from sleeping on our sides. The other issue is that if we dont use the zippered mattress cover, the layers will shift and will create gaps and we see tears starting on the top layer because of leaning against the headboard to watch TV before sleeping. We originally had the memory foam as the top layer, but the end result was same at end of night (cement floor) but now we also felt like we were in quicksand lol. the old mattress is sealed in a bag, i tried splitting the pieces up but the cutting wasn’t even so i gave up,
Im willing to replace the LUX foam for another layer or add another layer if needed, at this point i just want a mattress that will be comfortable to sleep on.
what would be a good setup for us with our weight/height/current layers?