Latex Mattress Info
As I wrote in a recent blog post, my wife and I decided to replace our aging inner spring mattress. I have been doing some research on this subject over the course of the past year, and I concluded that a 100% latex mattress is worth a try. Some of the benefits of latex include:
- hypoallergenic
- antimicrobial
- majority of materials are all natural
- excellent support and comfort
- durability
- temperature-neutral
Now that I had decided to go the latex route, the question was what to buy. Just about all of the well known name brand mattress manufacturers now sell latex or part-latex mattresses. However, my research led me to the numerous small companies, mostly operating on the web, that sold DIY latex mattress sets. By DIY, I mean that the latex layers that make up the mattress are sold individually, along with a casing, and is assembled on-site. This approach to buying a mattress is fairly recent, but it allows for a completely customized mattress.
A quality 100% queen size latex mattress will set you back between $1400 and $2500, depending on the vendor. In my opinion, there really aren’t too many differences, however there are two ‘flavors’ of latex generally sold - Talalay and Dunlop. These aren’t really types of latex; they refer to the process used to create the formed latex layer. The differences between the two processes really comes down to relative softness; generally speaking, Talalay is softer than Dunlop. I’ll expand on this further in an update to this page.
We ordered a three-layer 100% Dunlop mattress set from SleepEZ, and this is what UPS delivered to our house.
When I said DIY, I wasn’t kidding!
With latex, you can split sides of the bed (queen or larger), so one side can be softer, for instance. As mentioned earlier, the mattress layers are sold along with a casing, or cover that encases the latex layers, to give the mattress a standard, finished appearance (and of course to protect the latex).
We spent our first night on our new latex mattress last night, and while way too soon to be conclusive, so far, so good - we both slept very well.
If you are considering a ‘build your own’ latex mattress, this is what you can expect in terms of assembly. The entire process took me about 35 minutes working alone. The hardest part was carrying the compressed and rolled latex up to the bedroom on the second floor.
Each wrapped bundle weighed about 60lbs, and they are unwieldy to carry so you definitely want to get some help with this step. Of course, I had to be a tough guy and throw each one over my shoulder and carry them up…my back was thanking me for that.
When you unpack the outer plastic, the latex makes a loud ‘whooshing’ sound as it decompresses and expands to its natural thickness. It’s pretty cool! The next step is to lay out the included mattress casing - this is the cover that makes the latex look like, well - a mattress. In the following pic, you only see the inside. Further down you can see the finished result.
The top of the casing is folded over the headboard. It was a little tricky to get the bottom to lay over the foundation evenly, but a bit of adjustment on either side and it was close enough.
Speaking of foundations - let me take a brief detour to talk about what to put under your new latex mattress. Latex mattresses are heavy, and require a very stable support. Most pure platform beds (beds that don’t require a box spring or foundation) have wood slats to support the mattress, and as long as the slats are no more than 3″ apart, it will be fine. If the gap is greater than that, I’ve read that the latex could eventually start to ’sink’ through the gaps. In that case, you can add slats or lay a piece of 1/2″ or greater plywood over the top.
If you have a regular, non-platform bed (like mine), you have a few options. If you already have a newer, wood-slat based foundation under your current mattress, you can just use that and probably be ok. If you have an older box-spring, your best option is to toss it with your mattress, and buy a new foundation that is designed for latex mattresses. Most online latex mattress dealers sell these foundations, but you can also go into most any retail mattress store and buy a foundation the same price or less. Another option, if you have a box spring, is to cover it with 3/4″ or thicker plywood. I was almost going to go that route myself until I realized that what I thought was a box spring was actually a wood-slat foundation with a hardboard sheet on top - which should be fine for the weight of the latex. In hindsight, going with the plywood would probably have been a bad choice anyway, since it would add height to the overall bed and infuse the bedroom with the lovely scent of a construction site.
Now back to the setup process. The next step was to layout the layers of latex. We chose to customize our mattress as follows:
top layer : —soft—:
middle :med:med:
bottom: :firm:firm:
We knew we wanted a softer top layer, so we stayed with a single piece of latex. By splitting the bottom and middle layer, we are able to reconfigure each side to try out different options. We could try soft-med-med, soft-firm-firm, or soft-med-firm. This last config is how we set it up (and happens to be how SleepEZ recommended based on our weight, sleep style, etc), and so far it is working out for us fine. Most online latex mattress retailers will let you exchange layers until you have a good match, which definitely takes a lot of the risk out of a latex mattress purchase.
Here you see the right side of the bed with the bottom and middle layers installed:
Next, I added the two left side bottom and middle layers:
Notice that I’ve started to pull the casing up and around the latex layers.
A tip for moving the latex around once it’s flat - gently shake the latex as you nudge it in the direction you want to move it. The latex is durable, but it can also be fragile, and if you are not careful, you can easily take a chunk out of it. Next, I put the top layer, and lined them up.
The last step was to pull the cover over and zip it up. This seemed like it would be a challenge, as it appeared that the casing would not be big enough. However, after a little shimmying, squeezing, and compressing, and it zipped up just fine:
Looks just like a traditional mattress, now.
Here’s a close-up of the label…just because I took the picture!
The finished product…I know the bed could have been made a bit neater, but you get the idea.
I will continue to update this page with more information and thoughts.
I will also be writing about the new pillows I ordered; one is made of 100% latex like the mattress, and one filled with organic buckwheat hulls, wrapped in comfortable wool. I am expecting those to be delivered today, so I’ll provide my thoughts next week, after I sleep on it. (sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Feel free to leave comments or contact me with ‘Contact Me’ link at the top of the page.
Thanks!
Hi, I have a latex mattress myself and am about to move house. I am having serious problems trying to think of a way to move the mattress without having it fold in half and collapse in. Do you have any ideas?
Thanks
Hi Michelle - I think it depends on the type of mattress you have. If you have a latex mattress from one of the big retail brands like Sealy, your best bet is to contact their customer service for advice. My guess is that it should be moved like any other mattress.
If it is a ‘kit’ mattress like I have and described on this page, the right way to move it would be to take it apart and reassemble it at your new home. Unzip the casing, mark each layer somehow so you remember which piece goes where, and fold up or roll the latex layers carefully, then pack individually in large boxes (a ‘wardrobe’ size moving box would probably work well). As I already mentioned, don’t worry about folding the latex - it is very resilient and will regain it’s shape as soon as you put it back together.
Good Luck!
-Brian