Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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I just bought the SULTAN EGERSUND that was on sale at Ikea! http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70100746 What do you think of it? I'm not a chiropractor but I was wondering if it would be ok to stack two of them on top of each other so it'd be 8'' instead of 4''. Also, would it be alright to put the mattress on the floor or do I need to buy a base and slats? I'm a student with a limited budget. Thanks! This message was modified Mar 5, 2008 by emale
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Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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Try the 4" first. It may just need a topper if it feels too thin. IKEA sells those too. In fact their mattress systems are designed to be used with a topper. The slat system IKEA sells for their latex mattresses is pretty reasonable. I'm not big on placing mattresses on the floor. 1st they stay cleaner raised off the floor. 2nd, if you live in a humid or damp climate latex should have air circulating around it--which it will on the slats, but not on the floor. |
Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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emale wrote: I'm a student with a limited budget. If needed, polyurethane will be a suitable and less expensive support layer. Consider a solid platform bedbase, and a conforming memory foam contour pillow. |
Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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Thank you for your comments! I had been sleeping on a mattress on the floor for a while so that's why I was considering to forego the base parts. However, since you recommended the slats, I will wait for it to go on sale. I've read somewhere that they recommend the slats to be a distance of 1.5'' from each other. I talked to the guy and he showed me a comparison chart that said that ANY pair of slats could be used, but I noticed that almost all the slats (from 15-28 boards) have a distance greater than that (with the more expensive/higher slat count closer to eath other). Does it matter at all (like provide adequate support for the mattress), or does it not matter? I'd like to save money but if it's going to hinder the function of the bed, then it's not worth it... considering I spend almost a third of my life on it. I've considered the polyurethane base but it's not that much cheaper. This line is on sale at 25% off and that's why I'm considering getting 2, putting one on top of each other since it's thicker, and less expensive than Ikea's top of the line Erfjord. I thought you need a slatted base for a latex mattress? |
Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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cloud 9 is right about latex needing some type of circulation. My 20 year warranty specifies that an "all latex" mattress breathes from the bottom, so it MUST be placed on a box spring, foundation or slatted platform. Solid plywood will NOT work and can cause mold on the bottom. cloud9 wrote: Try the 4" first. It may just need a topper if it feels too thin. IKEA sells those too. In fact their mattress systems are designed to be used with a topper. </p><p>The slat system IKEA sells for their latex mattresses is pretty reasonable. I'm not big on placing mattresses on the floor. 1st they stay cleaner raised off the floor. 2nd, if you live in a humid or damp climate latex should have air circulating around it--which it will on the slats, but not on the floor. This message was modified Mar 5, 2008 by BeddyBye
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Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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I personally think you'd be better off putting it on slats, however there is no emergency to do so. I used foam directly on the floor for 6 months and had no problem. If you live in a very humid environment or have it on cement near the ground level it might get mouldy but if the floor does not tend to be humid and you're not in Georgia or something, it will probably be okay on the floor. But of course slats are better in the long term. But you can wait... As to buying 2, I doubt it would make that much difference. The problem with buying 2 is that it won't change the "feel" of your bed that much, I don't think. I don't know what the ILD (firmness) of the latex is but if it's medium-firm or better, I doubt you will "bottom out" on it. If you are not bottoming out on it, then I would rather see you invest in some various toppers, one at a time, to see how those feel, as toppers will change the way it feels. In fact even if you are bottoming out, one of the Omalon toppers or a good 2" latex topper or even the Brylane topper might give you enough extra padding not to not bottom out. Just remember the Rule of Thumb: Do not have more than 2 to 3 inches (3" maximum!) of SOFT FOAM on top of your mattress or it will not give you enough back support. So here's what I would do: Sleep on the mattress on the floor as you have it and see how you like the feel of it. If it's fine, you're done. Sleep well. If it feels too hard or you don't like the "feel" of latex (as some do not), then begin trying some toppers over it. You can sometimes buy HR foam very inexpensively especially if you can find a foam warehouse in your city or you can pay a bit more and buy it on the net. You can also get great deals at places like JCP and Brylane sometimes on the net for good memory foam and latex and PU (polyurethane) toppers. Know that putting your latex on slats might make it feel softer. That might be good for you or bad, depending on how it feels to you. Ultimately putting it on slats will probably extend the life of it, and insure you don't get mould. IKEA's slat system will work if you get the one designed for latex. They have one that is on bent wood that might soften up the feel. If you want to really get into fine tuning your latex you can try adding a 1" -2" layer above or below it - of zoned HR foam or zoned latex. See one of the several threads on zoning to see what we mean - generally you buy pieces of foam that run the length of your mattress, divided into 3 and butt them up against each other. This allows you to make the hip area more firm and the shoulder area softer. Putting foam such as HR foam in this manner under your latex might give you an even better feel. But again, this is for "extra credit", it's only necessary if you feel your mattress needs to be fine tuned. |
Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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emale wrote: I've read somewhere that they recommend the slats to be a distance of 1.5'' from each other. I talked to the guy and he showed me a comparison chart that said that ANY pair of slats could be used, but I noticed that almost all the slats (from 15-28 boards) have a distance greater than that (with the more expensive/higher slat count closer to eath other). Does it matter at all (like provide adequate support for the mattress), or does it not matter? I'd like to save money but if it's going to hinder the function of the bed, then it's not worth it... If you find a good deal on a platform bed, but the slats are too far apart, you can always add more. This is what we did. We have a platform bed that we used previously with a futon that had movable slats maybe 2 (or 3) inches apart. When we bought a new mattress, to make sure it had enough support, we went down to the local hardware store and bought several more boards the same width and thickness of the slats and added them in. This might be trickier if the slats are fixed to the rails or somehow to each other. Also, I agree with the others: don't buy another mattress, just try a topper (or two). That way you have the flexibility to experiment with how firm or soft you want the overall feel to be. 4 inches plus another 2 or 3 inches of topper should be plenty thick enough. |
Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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emale wrote: I just bought the SULTAN EGERSUND that was on sale at Ikea! http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70100746 What do you think of it? I'm not a chiropractor but I was wondering if it would be ok to stack two of them on top of each other so it'd be 8'' instead of 4''. Also, would it be alright to put the mattress on the floor or do I need to buy a base and slats? I'm a student with a limited budget. Thanks! There certainly isn't much info on that page. How thick is the latex? Is it pure latex or is it combined with polyurethane foam? Is it Talalay or Dunlop or "jungle" latex? What is the ILD of the latex? I don't see how they could sell 4" of pure latex with a cover for $150 for a twin! Is it possible? Or is it a small amount of latex on top of polyurethane? I'm curious. |
Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
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emale wrote: I just bought the SULTAN EGERSUND that was on sale at Ikea! http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70100746 What do you think of it? I'm not a chiropractor but I was wondering if it would be ok to stack two of them on top of each other so it'd be 8'' instead of 4''. Also, would it be alright to put the mattress on the floor or do I need to buy a base and slats? I'm a student with a limited budget. Thanks!
Is there any indication on the packaging with your bed or the receipt or anything that might answer the following questions: What TYPE of latex is it made of? (Talalay, Dunlop, or ??) What firmness is the latex (usually given in ILD such as 28ILD or 34ILD, something like that; or IFD) Where was the latex made? Is there any polyurethane foam attached to the latex or is it pure 100% latex? I ask, because that is a VERY good price for a 4" piece of latex. Anyone else here familiar with IKEA's latex? If I was in the market for a latex core I think I would buy this. I'm tempted to buy one to use as the core for our futon couch/fold out bed. |
Re: Questions about my new Ikea latex mattress!
| I will let you guys know after I get it delivered from Ikea. |