Need advice on making DIY Foam by Mail bed firmer
Jan 1, 2012 1:42 PM
Joined: Jul 14, 2011
Points: 15
Background: I have an EcoSleep Madison that I love and I find the feel of this bed quite different and more solid in a futon sort of way than an equivalent foam by mail setup. I'm still trying to figure out why this is. Could it be the fact that the 6" 33 ILD core and the 2" 24 ILD latex are contained in a non elastic wool padded bamboo casing as opposed to the stretchy cover reccommended for the FBM DIY setups?

Question: My boyfriend recently got a similar setup from FBM - 5" of 36 ILD poly core and 1" of 33 ILD latex (spare bed) and it feels a lot squishier than my bed which SHOULD by numbers be notably softer at 33/24. By squishy I don't mean that it isn't supportive - it certainly is - but on my EcoSleep I feel as if there is somewhere to bottom out to, whereas there is no discernable limit with the FBM bed. I am 5'4" 110 mostly side sleeper with mostly shoulder/arm/carpel tunnel issues to address when choosing a bed. He is 6'2" 166 lbs a side and back sleeper with history of severe sciatica mostly corrected by surgery but still vulerable to pain.

He says the foam makes his back hurt - that its TOO forgiving of the pressure points. Thinking about how we could go about firming up the FBM bed. A 3" layer of 50 ILD ? and where would that go? base? middle? would it help to have it all in a non stretchy case so the squish was contained? how about a dense wool or cotton padded top (not too pricey) perhaps even a 4" roll up cotton futon as a topper ?

Given that most futons these days have foam in them already, it would seem silly to scrap the FBM bed for a futon but even at 36/33 ILD the FBM bed does feel too squishy. (Sorry can't come up with any better words - hopefully people know what i mean.)

Thanks!

 

 

This message was modified Jan 2, 2012 by numbernine
Re: Need advice on making DIY Foam by Mail bed firmer
Reply #1 Jan 3, 2012 10:20 PM
Joined: Mar 2, 2011
Points: 14
I do not think the cover has anything to do with the problems you are having.  I have a bamboo cover, a terrycloth cover, and a wool cover that have all been used on the same foam mattress and the mattress changes very, very little due to the cover.

 

I think your friends problem is the poly core.  A sore back is usually a sign of a "too soft" mattress.   I would switch out the poly core with at least a 3" layer of extra firm foam, and then 3" of whatever latex he desires.

Re: Need advice on making DIY Foam by Mail bed firmer
Reply #2 Jan 4, 2012 2:19 PM
Joined: Sep 30, 2011
Points: 60
jeff8407 wrote:

I do not think the cover has anything to do with the problems you are having.  I have a bamboo cover, a terrycloth cover, and a wool cover that have all been used on the same foam mattress and the mattress changes very, very little due to the cover.

 

 

I think your friends problem is the poly core.  A sore back is usually a sign of a "too soft" mattress.   I would switch out the poly core with at least a 3" layer of extra firm foam, and then 3" of whatever latex he desires.


You're saying the ILD 36 is too soft ?   Surprising.   My core is 3" 50 ILD LUX-HQ and 3" HD36-HQ (all from FBM) and it certainly doesn't seem "too squishy" to me.

Re: Need advice on making DIY Foam by Mail bed firmer
Reply #3 Jan 30, 2012 1:26 PM
Joined: Jul 14, 2011
Points: 15
So.. still trying to figure out what would be best for firming. The setup is FBM - 5" of 36 ILD poly core and 1" of 33 ILD latex. Without losing money on the whole thing - how could it be made firmer? ADD a 3" layer of 50 LUX HQ as a base? OR how would it perform as a middle layer? I'm interested in avoiding waste of material and money. As stated in the original post - even considering a 4" roll up cotton futon as a topper. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. 

 

Re: Need advice on making DIY Foam by Mail bed firmer
Reply #4 Jan 30, 2012 2:22 PM
Joined: Nov 25, 2009
Points: 93
"would it help to have it all in a non stretchy case so that the squish was contained?"

Yes, that's exactly the effect i've found TIGHTLY bound non elastic cases to have, & more squishy when I removed them.

Re: Need advice on making DIY Foam by Mail bed firmer
Reply #5 Feb 2, 2012 8:58 AM
Joined: Jul 14, 2011
Points: 15
Thanks for the reply. I kind of suspected that the case/cover would have some effect - and also, something to consider for the many others who are pondering thier DIY setups. Thanks again! 

 

Re: Need advice on making DIY Foam by Mail bed firmer
Reply #6 Feb 3, 2012 6:14 PM
Joined: Jan 14, 2012
Points: 9
JasonRatky wrote:

"would it help to have it all in a non stretchy case so that the squish was contained?"

 

Yes, that's exactly the effect i've found TIGHTLY bound non elastic cases to have, & more squishy when I removed them.


Can you give some examples of "tightly bound non-elastic cases?"  I'm in the market for one.

Re: Need advice on making DIY Foam by Mail bed firmer
Reply #7 Feb 4, 2012 9:12 AM
Joined: Nov 25, 2009
Points: 93
bigdaddyk wrote:

 


Can you give some examples of "tightly bound non-elastic cases?"  I'm in the market for one.



The best way is to sew one on, if you actually want the effect, since the casing would have to be right at the dimensions of the foam you're trying to case to have that binding effect.  Otherwise, I think the fabric on FBM's striped case doesn't stretch, is pretty heavy duty, & you can order it to any specific size/thickness, if yours happens to be to a whole-inch increment of thickness, or just over preferrably.

I have only gone the opposite direction actually, removing sewn-on fabric casings so that my latex conforms better.  If I were trying to make a block of latex more firm, I'd just scrap what I had if I couldn't return it, then buy firmer latex instead.  Otherwise I might as well be using polyurethane foam.  I find all the qualities of latex I like are no longer there, when it's tightly bound like that.

Recent Posts