My husband and I are very different weights but we've always preferred the same firmness in an innerspring mattress.  I assume the same mattress is supporting us differently; I'm lighter and don't sink in as much as he does, but my back likes the firmer support.

If we order from flobeds or sleepez we now have the option of choosing different levels of support.  But from reading here it seems that latex might have a very different response to our difference in weights.  So I'm wondering whether I should get the two sides with similar levels of support, as we've done in the past, or increase the firmness on his side, as flobeds recommends.  Can anyone help with this?  I'm not sure how latex compares to innersprings in this respect.

like a steel spring if you have the exact same build on each side of the mattress and two very different sleepers the heavier person will sink into the mattress more on a latex mattress. 

I think I would follow flobeds recommendation, especially since they seem very good about allowing you to exchange layers if you are not happy. 

The whole point of a customizable mattress is to not compromise.

lnkholder wrote:
inkholder: Keep this in mind regard SleepEZ. They only allow "one" layer exchange for free (you pay shipping for layer back to SleepEZ) after that, you have to buy any other layers you exchange! Flobeds allows unlimited exchanges for the 90 days, you only pay shipping charges back to Flobeds. If you have difficulty, as I did making up my mind about what firmness I wanted, then FloBeds is the way to go. If you can guess accurately, regarding firmness level for you and your husband, then SleepEZ may be less expensive.

Go here to read about SleepEZ      http://sleepez.com/warranty.htm

Go here for Flobeds                      http://www.flobeds.com/testrest.htm

When it comes to adjusting firmness levels for different sleepers, then as far as I am aware, nothing compares to latex for adjustability. Some might reference air beds or even waterbeds, but it is my considered opinion ( I slept on a waterbed for 20 years) that latex mattresses, with a split configuration, gives you the most adjustability to help you find the comfort level you want.

budgy wrote:
I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly.  Are you saying that the heavier person would sink further (relative to the light person) on a latex mattress than he would on the steel spring?  That would argue for needing more of a differential firmness than we've wanted in the past.

The flobeds recommendations are for normal people and aren't a good starting point for me with my steel reinforced spine - all those drawings you see of a mattress supporting a spine correctly are irrelevant to me.  I'll probably start there for my husband's side.  But based on my weight (135) and side sleeping pattern, they recommend that I use a medium latex for my top core layer (unlikely) and their posture v-zone (out of the question).  So I'm trying to decide whether to start with the same thing as my much heavier husband, or to maybe lighten up a notch.

My back loves to sleep on the floor.  My aging shoulders, hips, and joints, not so much - the floor is not ideal for pressure point relief. 

i don't think it will be more apparent than it would be on a steel innerspring, (also depends on what type of coil this is however) but just saying both types of beds respond almost solely based on weight, so the heavier you are the more you will sink into either type of mattress.  hope that clarifies a little bit better.