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The mattress and topper finally arrived here from Michigan on Wed, Nov 26th. We could not set it up until Fri as that is when the old bed was going to be picked up by JCPenneys. So it took 9 days from order to delivery; Michigan to Oregon. FBM did send out a UPS tracking number as soon as it was sent. As you can see by the pictures, it was packed up very well and although the boxes look a little ragged, it was well packed inside with several layers of plastic. On Friday morning, I went and picked up the two king foundation pieces from the local furniture store and then waited for the shippers to come and pick the old bed up. They arrived just after noon, and took the so-called "green" Simmons mattress and foundation set away, so we were able to then go ahead and set up the new king size latex mattress set. To call that mattress "green" is really stretching the core of the English language, but I guess they have a right to do it.
This message was modified Dec 27, 2008 by BillB
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| Bill, thanks for the info on including pictures. I think I can handle it. It's kind of like building a web page. I'm still messing around with my mattress configuration. It can take a few days before I know if something is working or not. Haven't found the winning combination yet. |
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Any updates on the mattress, Bill? Still comfortable? I think there are quite a few of us who are waiting for your final opinion(s) before pulling the trigger on our own DIY beds... |
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Ok, I did it. I just made my own mattress-similar to Bill's. We ordered the 2 in latex medium topper from FBM and used that on top of old mattress to sample. Then I ordered a 6 in latex firm core from FBM with upgrade to terrycloth cover b/c they assured me it would fit the core and topper both-it has zipper all around. Hubby is CHEAP (hence the DIY plan) so we're trying to re-use our spring foundation. It has slats on the bottom and our bed frame has 6 legs instead of 4 (center support for queen). We flipped the foundation over so slats were bedside up. Then hubby went and got 2 pieces of plywood to go on either side of center support and make a seamless layer. I put a fitted sheet on top to protect mattress from the wood. When we opened the core (on foundation as Bill suggested), it was already in the terry cover, so I opened one side and slid the topper in on top of the core and zipped the whole thing shut. We're just using current mattress cover for now, but if we need more fluff, we'll get Cuddlebed. FYI-I think the latex smells when you first sleep on it. So if you are ordering some, be ready for that. Also, FBM does a crummy job of packing. It's tightly sealed in several layers of plastic and vacuum packed, but the boxes were torn with each shipment. Does anyone have reason current foundation plan will be disastrous? I know the slatted ones are around $200, so it's not cost prohibitive, but cheapskate prohibitive. LOL Will give you update on comfort after a few nights sleep. Hubby can't stop guffawing over fact that I made my own mattress. |
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Very nice post, Bill. I would only add that if I were going to do a similar project, I would probably buy each side seperately - instead of one big latex medium core, I'd buy 2 extra long twin cores, one medium and one medium firm. The same with the toppers : one extra long twin medium and one twin extra long softer topper. That way I could change it up a bit and if one side is definitely better for either partner, one can change it up. For a more radical and adjustable approach, one can also divide each extra long twin up into 3 parts, divided equally length-wise and instead of a 6" core, get 2 x 3" cores. With 3 different ILD's: very firm, firm and medium, one can then make the same bed in the same way as Bill's photos, but with a compartmentalized and adjustable method - adjusting each side individually for the top, midsection and lower section of each side. This is what I have done, only with HD foam (10 year warranty high-quality foam) instead of latex (I do not like the feel of latex). The individual pieces butt up against each other very easily and do not move around. We put a fitted sheet over the whole deal to kind of hold it together, then the cuddlebed topper over that, then an extra sheet to protect the cuddlebed topper, and voila! |
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Bill (and other sleep gurus), I'm about to do the same as you did, but my wife is a little afraid of the DIY approach (I'm very, very competent at DIY). All of my figures come from Foam By Mail. I probably won't consider another supplier. They did, BTW, tell me over the phone that this was not chinese latex, if that makes a difference, and that it was 100% natural Talalay. I did want to try the 2 twins, instead of 1 king (mainly to give her more options), but worry about the extra 2" in width. If its an issue, can I shave an inch off each side myself (our bed frame has an inset at the corners 77" wide max)? I'm a stomach sleeper about 180 lbs. She's a side mainly, about 130 lbs, and she likes the top soft and "luxurious". I figured a firm 36 ILD and medium 29 ILD base, for me and her respectively, than a firm 32 and soft 20 topper (his-hers). I thought of the 3" toppers just because it seemed she always gravitates to the thick pillow tops when we shop, and I still shouldn't sink much with the 3" 32 ILD topper. If I felt my side was too firm (which I doubt), I could exchange just my topper for a soft at minimal shipping expense. The Costco cuddletop sounds good too. Anyone have any words of wisdom? 3" too overkill for a topper? 36 ILD base and 32 ILD topper too firm in general even for me (I like soft too, but firm keeps my face from sinking in). It does seem like the FBM toppers, at 20, are still firmer than most (and I hear you when you say numbers don't tell the whole story, but I have to start somewhere). If I had to buy just one king, I would get the firm 36 base and soft 20 ILD 3" topper for both of us. I know she'd like the topper, I just worry if the base would be too firm...but would the 3" make up the difference for her? FBM says I worry too much, and there isn't much difference between the medium and firm base feel (29 vs 36) yet Bill says get the firm base at my weight, and that his wife felt too firm at the shoulder with the medium 29 ILD base and 2" soft 20 top...would the extra inch of a 3" soft top have helped her (and my Pam) even if I get the firmer base? Also, do you think the 3" topper would also fit in the terrycloth cover? |
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jeffandpamsmith wrote: Anyone have any words of wisdom? 3" too overkill for a topper? 36 ILD base and 32 ILD topper too firm in general even for me (I like soft too, but firm keeps my face from sinking in). It does seem like the FBM toppers, at 20, are still firmer than most (and I hear you when you say numbers don't tell the whole story, but I have to start somewhere). If I had to buy just one king, I would get the firm 36 base and soft 20 ILD 3" topper for both of us. I know she'd like the topper, I just worry if the base would be too firm...but would the 3" make up the difference for her? FBM says I worry too much, and there isn't much difference between the medium and firm base feel (29 vs 36) yet Bill says get the firm base at my weight, and that his wife felt too firm at the shoulder with the medium 29 ILD base and 2" soft 20 top...would the extra inch of a 3" soft top have helped her (and my Pam) even if I get the firmer base? Also, do you think the 3" topper would also fit in the terrycloth cover?
Let us know what you end up with and how you both like it, |
| If I get a 3" 32 topper and she gets the 3" 20 (too keep the heights the same) do you think we really need separate cores, The "firm" coreis only 36 (med is 29, and FBM says thr're not that diff, but maybe to a 130 lb woman they are) and I don't want her to lose all support with the 20/29 combo. |
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Jeff, I think you're on the right track. Yes, I do think that the XL twins are the way to go and I also like your idea of getting one firmness (firm and med) of each 6" base, and one firmness (med and soft) of each topper. You've got maximum flexibilty that way. You can try every combination out and see what is best for the both of you. If you are a true DIYer, you'll figure out a way to make the XL twins work. It does sqwuish up a bit so yes, it will fit into the 9" terrycloth cover just fine. Just make sure that FBM knows you want a King mattress cover. If I could do it over I would get the XL twins just for the extra flexibility of a different configuration, but like you was worried that it would work. One thing also, If you bought different firmnesses and you didn't like them and had to order an extra piece and you live in a big city; you could always unload the extra piece on Craigslist and I would bet you could get pretty close to what you paid for it as the prices from FBM are excellent. And contrary to what you will hear on some of these threads, the product is excellent. It compares favorably to all the latex I have seen with my own two eyes. A 3" topper would feel softer than a 2"... but if your wife really likes a soft mattress, then I would recomment the medium core 6" piece rather than the firmer one. The Costco cuddle bed cover is really a great product and you do need some kind of mattress cover to protect it, but the thing is, don't let your body get too far away from the latex or you're losing the reason for having it. You also need a nice smooth foundation for all of this to go on. I wouldn't put these on box springs, but these newer smooth foundation pieces work fine. I see the wooden slats being recommended and I understand the breathing concept, but I would not use them myself as you can actually feel any irregularities in the foundation. I know that sounds strange but its the truth, you can feel any irregularities under 8" of latex. This message was modified Feb 27, 2009 by BillB
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I wanted to give an update after sleeping on the FBM latex mattress for one year. This is a 6" med ILD Latex with a 2" soft ILD Latex topper. Its on a normal foundation (no springs) and is covered with a Costco Cuddlebed mattress pad. The entire package cost right at $1000 for a king sized setup. I am a stomach and side sleeper, 5' 8", approx 155lbs and my wife is a side sleeper, 5' 3", approx 140lbs. We chose the medium support layer as a compromise, I would have preferred just a touch firmer and she a touch softer. This has worked out well though. The mattress when it came was firmer than you might imagine, and we bought the Costco Cuddlebed mattress pad both for the mattress protection, and the additional 1" of softness. Before I bought this mattress, I spent several months on this forum, reading and studying and asking questions and also did my best to go out and find some real latex to lay on, look at, touch, etc, so we knew what we might be getting into. This a is very important part of the process. Trying to digest what these mattresses are going to actually 'feel' like by just reading is likely to bring unsatisfactory results. We are both very satisfied with the mattress and it looks and feels exactly the same today as it did a year ago. I was never that hard to please before but this mattress is much more comfortable than what I used for the last several years. I have changed pillows, I used to like an old down/feather mix pillow and really couldn't sleep on anything else. Now I use two down-only pillows that I bought for $15 each at TJMaxx and they are much more comfortable for me. My wife likes the mattress alot. She had alot of trouble with the older bed being too hard for her, even though we had a 2" memory foam piece on it. All in all, we couldn't be happier. If I had one thing I would have done differently, it would have been to buy two XL twin pieces, one firm and one med for the base layer. I got exactly what I thought I was going to get from Foam by Mail, a decent latex mattress at an excellent price. I am well aware of the continual bashing that Foambymail gets on this forum. I represent them in no way other than being a very satisfied customer who would buy from them again. |
| Bill, thanks for coming back and reporting to us. I appreciate your honest report! |