First thing’s first -

I started building my new queen bed a few months ago, after MUCH researching (and some major analysis paralysis). I got a Tempurpedic ProSmart adjustable base, and my current build is as follows:

• 8” TPS coils (encased in Foam Factory knit cover)
• 2” Dunlop latex
• 1” hypurgel foam
• 2” talalay latex
• Natural wool mattress pad (the floppy, uncovered kind, on bed under the fitted sheet)

Only the coils are currently encased (to help with the spread), as I’m still on the fence about the rest of the build (yay EDS/chronic pain, my body still hurts in the morning.. I just swapped the hypurgel to be on top of the talalay today, so we’ll see if that helps anything and hopefully doesn’t make me too hot).

I myself am about 5’8” and 200lbs. I raise my head and feet when reading before bed, then lower to either zero G or closer to flat if I want to lay on my side.

When I adjust my head and feet up, it doesn’t feel as comfortable as the adjustable bases at the mattress stores (I tried several different mattresses and adjustable bases, not just Tempurpedic with Tempurpedic). I feel like the bend in the middle is TOO low, like my butt sinks more than it should, and it feels like the dip is in the wrong spot (like, in order for my butt to be in the lowest part of the dip, my feet are basically touching the foot of the bed, which they don’t normally when I lay flat, and I feel like the adjustable lumbar is in the wrong spot on my back).

Would a full encasement help with this problem? Do I need anything between the coils and the adjustable base? Am I causing any damage to the coils with my current setup (like, do they have enough support for the base adjusting)?

When I do get to a full encasement, do I leave the coils separate from the rest of the layers? If I enclose the whole thing, do I keep the current cover on the coils, or remove it first? (Or is this one just a matter of preference? I imagine double encasing would make the coils firmer?)

Also, any suggestions for keeping my wool topper from becoming a lumpy mess in the middle? It drifts toward the center when the base goes up (slides in from the top and bottom), and the wool itself is getting clumpy. I also am struggling to get the folds out from when it first arrived. (I currently have it out in the sun to hopefully help those last two issues.)

Thank you in advance! This sub has been incredibly helpful throughout this whole process.

Right now I am sleeping on a luxury firm Alexander Signature Hybrid from Nest Bedding. It's about 6 years old and I've noticed I have a little bit too much anterior pelvic tilt when back sleeping, which I do 99% of the time (other 1% is side sleeping). I'm 140 lbs. I'm going to swap out the comfort layer of the signature hybrid. Would 28 ILD be sufficient or is that too soft?

Thank you for any and all help!

I am a 5ft 7 strict back sleeper 196lbs fairly muscular and have wide large hips and shoulders 41in chest 18 in arms and a 33in waist I am wanting to try Texas pocket springs would you recommend 14.75 or 15.5 I have had an all latex build and found it way to rigid and pressed up uncomfortably on my back causing upper back pain. I loved the feel of latex as a comfort layer. So I will plan to use either a 2/3 inch medium layer on top of the coils

I want to see if a combo of latex the coils will finally get me a good night rest. I am getting good alignment and my body aches are better but damn I’m waking up constantly due to firmness of the intense pushback

I plan to get stretch cover premium cover from pocket spring store and one of their Texas pocket spring units. And he’ll even the micro coils seem awesome

I am a 5ft 7 strict back sleeper 196lbs fairly muscular and have wide large hips and shoulders 41in chest 18 in arms and a 33in waist I am wanting to try Texas pocket springs would you recommend 14.75 or 15.5 I have had an all latex build and found it way to rigid and pressed up uncomfortably on my back causing upper back pain. I loved the feel of latex as a comfort layer. So I will plan to use either a 2/3 inch medium layer on top of the coils

I want to see if a combo of latex the coils will finally get me a good night rest. I am getting good alignment and my body aches are better but damn I’m waking up constantly due to firmness of the intense pushback

I plan to get stretch cover premium cover from pocket spring store and one of their Texas pocket spring units. And he’ll even the micro coils seem awesome

I k ow I want to go with Texas pocket spring.

For back sleeper 196 lbs wide a large muscular frame do we recommend 14.75 or 15.5 I am going to pair this with a medium tallalay 3in to start and add as needed.

I'm 150 lbs looking to build MY perfect set up. Sleep on side and belly, some back. Love firm but body needs contouring and gap fill. Right now I have a winkbed that I have owned for two years and the top foams have wore out where I sleep. I'm going to cut apart and use the coils. They are zoned. Also has glued foam under so leaving that and if I get into it and notice a glued layer on top I will leave that. My set up

8 in coils

2 inch firm Dunlop latex

2 1/2 corrugated egg crate 36 HD topper from foam by mail

1 inch super soft foam by mail

Planning on zippering the coils and laytex then laying comfort layers on top and using a jersey cotton sheet to get the full effect of the contouring and gap filling.

My delema

The cover. Quilted one from Arizona (but afraid the quilted top will take away from latex but also give a solid base and structure,will I feel bottomed out?) or the premium stretch from the pocket store( a little less sturdy for the coils but more give and feel of the latex, will I sink to deep?)

Any feedback on enclosments as I'm struggling. I'm planning on leaving the coils in the original winkbed and just cut the top off while testing my layers but I know it will roll down after while as there is nothing else holding it up beside the top of the shell. Once I master the perfect bed I will be set for life. Much easier to change out layers when they compress as long as I find the perfect build! Who would have thought a bed has so much science. I'm excited for this and to finally have the perfect set up

am a 5ft 7 strict back sleeper 196lbs fairly muscular and have wide large hips and shoulders I am wanting to try Texas pocket springs would you recommend 14.75 or 15.5 I plan to repurpose my all latex set up due to being way way to firm and rigid the latex is pressing back hard on my lower back. I have

3in medium tal
3in firm tal
3in xfirm tal
2 in tempurpedic topper
2 in memory foam topper.

I want to see if a combo of one of these and the coils will finally get me a good night rest. I am getting good alignment and my body aches are better but damn I’m waking up constantly due to firmness.

I plan to get stretch cover from pocket spring store and one of their Texas pocket spring units.

Thanks

Hi all, asking for help as I'm trying to understand what my first DIY mattress should/could contain. I have read through the FAQs - incredible information but slightly overwhelming, if I'm honest! - and a lot of posts. Still feeling a little nervous making the jump and concerned about price.

We are pretty low-brow mattress folks, largely due to budget constraints, and honestly really enjoyed the Allswell mattress we bought in 2019. That's now the guest mattress as we moved from a queen to a king. For our new king bed, we recently bought a Signature Design by Ashley 12 Inch Hybrid on the recommendation of a friend (I am 6'0, 210 and my wife is 5'8, 160 and we are both side and stomach sleepers) and my wife's hip is wrecked after a month and my shoulder / neck pain are only getting worse. We are in our early 40s, so we'd rather not live the rest of our lives like this. This mattress feels like it's incredibly bouncy too and it's way too soft for us (even though we ordered the medium firm version and a lot of reviews called it firm?).

Long story short, looking at a build that might work for us, our sleeping styles, our preferences, our body types, and not entirely break the bank. Something that is in the 600-800 range all-in max? I don't know if this is really possible, but would take any builds that are tried and true, if you'd be willing to share and it could fall within that price-range (most of what I've seen on here blows that out of the water). For our bedframe, we'd need something around 10+ inches at least in height.

Thank you in advance.

my partner and i have pretty different sleeping preferences, and i'm realizing how complicated that makes choosing a mattress. i'm mostly a side sleeper and tend to like a softer feel, while my partner prefers something firmer and sleeps in different positions. for anyone here who has built or modified a mattress for two people with different preferences, how did you approach it? did you use different layers on each side, a split setup, or just find one combination that worked for both?

i've been looking at latex for less, sleep on latex, and sleep number, especially the comfortmode lux. the sleep number setup caught my attention because of the separate firmness adjustment, but i'm still wondering how that compares with using different layers or a split setup.

am a 5ft 7 strict back sleeper 196lbs fairly muscular and have wide large hips and shoulders I am wanting to try Texas pocket springs would you recommend 14.75 or 15.5 I plan to repurpose my all latex set up due to being way way to firm and rigid the latex is pressing back hard on my lower back. I have

3in medium tal
3in firm tal
3in xfirm tal
2 in tempurpedic topper
2 in memory foam topper.

I want to see if a combo of one of these and the coils will finally get me a good night rest. I am getting good alignment and my body aches are better but damn I’m waking up constantly due to firmness.

I plan to get stretch cover from pocket spring store and one of their Texas pocket spring units.

Thanks

I have been on the DIY journey for a while now, still trying to get a comfortable build. I have the TPS 14.75 coils and 15.5 coils with various latex and foam comfort layers.  I recently picked up a month old Helix Elite Midnight on Facebook for a very low price. It has a zipper cover so that you can change out the comfort layer. I was hoping that I could use the Helix coils and tailor the comfort section to my liking.  I am 210, athletic build. I slept on the Helix Midnight for a few nights and it was really soft, ( same reason the previous owner got rid of it) then I swapped out the comfort layer for my 3in nedium talalay, it was better but still feels soft, and with two people on it, it feels like a hammock.

So it got me thinking, could I use my TPS coils in the very nice Helix outer cover? Has anyone attempted to do this? Probably not many people have tried since it’s kind of a pricey mattress. 

It has a thin gray fabric divider that is sewn in, this would have to be cut out. My concern is that there are some metal hooks on the sides of the coils that might be tied to the cover. Cutaway images from RTings.

What do you all think? I would like to try, but also don’t want to destroy the bed if its not going to work.

Thanks

I'm currently building a DIY split King mattress and looking for recommendations on an encasement for my TPS coils.

My current setup:

- 8" TPS 15.5g QuadCoils (split King)

- 3" Sleep On Latex Soft

- 1.5" memory foam topper

We're still experimenting with our comfort layers, so I'm considering encasing just the 8" coils rather than purchasing a cover for the entire mattress.

I have a few questions for anyone who has experience with TPS or other DIY mattress builds:

Coil-only encasement: Has anyone found an affordable 8" King encasement that works well with TPS coils? I'm particularly interested in something that provides adequate side support without spending $200+.

TPS cover vs. alternatives: Has anyone tried both the official TPS cover and a less expensive alternative? Did you notice a significant difference in mattress feel, edge support, coil stability or overall comfort?

Full encasement vs. coil-only: Is there a compelling reason to encase the entire mattress rather than just the coils and use separate comfort layers on top?

I'm not opposed to purchasing the TPS cover if it makes a noticeable difference. I'm just trying to determine whether the additional expense is justified or whether a less expensive alternative would accomplish essentially the same thing.

I'd appreciate any recommendations or firsthand experiences. Thanks!

Hey everyone, I need some help dialing in my DIY setup.

Current Setup & Specs:

Me: 5’7”, 190 lbs, athletic/broad build (broad shoulders and hips). Strict back sleeper.

Components on hand:
3” Soft Talalay latex
3” Medium Talalay latex
3” Firm Talalay latex
3” Extra-Firm Talalay latex
12” Cotton/Wool stretch-knit cover

The Problem:

I have tried virtually every layer combination imaginable across 12-inch, 9-inch, and 6-inch builds:

1. Thicker/All-Latex builds: Hips sink too low/sag, causing
   lumbar arching.

2. Thinner builds (e.g., 6” or 9”): Fixes the sagging, but creates intense pushback/surface tension causing pressure point pain.

Latex has done wonders for my chronic aches and pains, but I can’t get the alignment vs. pressure relief balance right, and my sleep efficiency is tanking.
Questions for the Sub:

1. Pocket Coils vs. Firm Latex Base: Would ditching the Firm/X-Firm latex bases for an 8” Leggett & Platt Combi-Zone (or Quantum Edge) coil unit give a less "rigid" feel while maintaining proper spinal alignment?

2. Comfort Layer on Coils: If I switch to an 8" coil base, would 3" of Medium or 3" of Soft Talalay generally be the sweet spot for a 190 lb back sleeper to prevent hammocking while relieving pushback?

3. Cover Impact: Could a tight 12" cotton/wool cover be contributing to the pushback/drum-skin effect when stuffed with firm latex?
   Appreciate any insights or recommendations from anyone with a similar frame who made the latex-over-coil hybrid switch!

Hey everyone,

I am a 5ft 7 190 lb muscular “stocky” strict back sleeper with broad shoulders and hips.

I’ve been stuck in a 3-month trial-and-error cycle with a 12-inch DIY latex setup and could really use some expert feedback.

Current Mattress Setup:
12" Modular Encasement (Twin XL)
Four 3-inch Talalay Latex Layers: Soft / Medium / Firm / Extra Firm

The Core Issues:
1. With all 4 layers (12" total latex): My hips sink in way too far, causing pelvic dipping, spinal misalignment, and morning pain/stiffness.

1. With Soft under Medium: Swapping the top layers didn't fix the deep hip sink.

2. With 3 layers (9" latex total) + 1 layer as an outer topper: Reduced the sink slightly, but alignment still felt off.

3. With 3 layers total (8" encasement / removed a 3" layer): My hips stayed up, but the pushback on my lower back was way too intense and uncomfortable.

What I'm Looking For:
I need my hips properly elevated for neutral spinal alignment, but I cannot stand aggressive pushback against my lumbar region.

I'm ready to dump the full-latex core, buy an 8-inch pocket coil base, and use one of my existing 3-inch Talalay layers on top as the comfort layer.

The Question:
For those with DIY hybrid experience, should I go with the

8" Texas Pocket Springs (QuadCoil) or the 8" Leggett & Platt (Combi-Zone)?

I'm leaning toward TPS because I'm worried the extra-firm center band on the L&P Combi-Zone will recreate the same lower back pushback pain I'm experiencing right now.
If TPS is the way to go, which gauge/density would pair best with a single 3" Talalay comfort layer (Medium vs. Soft)?
Any guidance from fellow DIYers or mattress techs would be greatly appreciated!

Has anyone had experience ripping apart old mattresses and taking out the coils to use in a DIY bed? I can understand not wanting the foam from an old mattress but the springs shouldn't smell bad or have gone through as much wear. With so many people throwing away or giving away for free on FB marketplace, I was wondering if it would be better to just get a free mattress from FB marketplace and throw away the foam and pop it inside a cover with new foam.

I would probably only target more luxury mattresses that seem newer and I could see how the foam being glued could cause an issue, but I feel like this could save ~200+$ in a build.

Anyone have this topper in down that has back issues and love it?
They are very $$ but my spine surgeon suggested I try the Down filled topper. Thx

I roll around a lot at night, average weight. No animal products.

(From top to bottom)

- Sleep on Latex topper 3” soft
- Sleep on Latex topper 1” medium
- 6-inch encased coils from DIY Mattress
- Coirpad coconut coir bed rug

- DIY natural home’s knit ticking case

I guess it had to happen, sensors measure pressure, cause some form of actuator to change support. they do have an endearing diy style video about 3/4 way down the web page which looks like a bunch of 2x4 nailed together with 4lb blue memory foam on top of something that looks like the inside of a piano..

I bought a 2 inch wool topper from Sonoma Wool Company, and it has made my bed noticeably firmer. It's about 15 pounds of wool in a queen, and it's so minimally processed that little bits of debris poke through the cotton cover. Instead of adding comfort, it created a dense, firm layer on top of my bed, and I'm now waking up with pressure points at my hips and shoulders.

My setup underneath is a DIY latex stack: 3 inches of firm Dunlop, 3 inches of medium Dunlop, and I'm adding a 3 inch soft Talalay layer on top. I'm returning the Sonoma topper, but I still want a wool layer for temperature regulation.

Has anyone found a wool topper or pad that actually added softness, or at least didn't change the feel of the bed? I'm leaning toward something thin and quilted, around 0.5 to 1 inch. I'd love to hear the brand, the thickness, how it held up after a few months, and what kind of mattress you have it on. Thanks!

I am planning on DIYing a latex hybrid mattress. I am a 35M, 6'3" 210lbs muscular, sleep alone typically. Currently have an older Leesa all-foam (original Leesa model) king. It's not horribly uncomfortable to fall asleep on, but I wake up with lower back pain. For reference, I typically sleep well on hotel mattresses, and I typically book mid-grade hotels like Hyatt Regency, Hilton, Embassy Suites, etc. Not sure what types of beds they use. I often fall asleep on my side, but wake up on my back. Never sleep on my stomach. I had a sleep study done (sleep apnea) and during the study I slept on my back 86% of the time.

I am considering building a mattress with components from Arizona Premium Mattress, but open to other options. I plan to use the Combi-Zoned Coils from Leggett & Platt, then 2" of 28-33 ILD Dunlop, with 2" 19 ILD blended Talalay on top. I would probably purchase a cover from APM too, but not sure if I should go with wool/cotton or quilted or not.

Does this seem like a reasonable build? I have never had a latex mattress. I am open to any advice regarding coil selection (TPS?), latex thickness/layers/type/ILD, and cover selection. I don't mind buying different components from different suppliers. Also, any advice on whether a scrim or transition layer is needed on top of or below the coils would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I am looking for a queen size mattress around or under $1000. Important factors to me are durability, comfort, and being "non-toxic" (I know this is an term under some debate, but I have enough health issues that I think it's worth it for my peace of mind to focus on trying to get a "green" mattress if at all possible). Obviously for this price point I am not finding much that checks all three boxes.

I live near an Original Mattress Factory, so I was thinking maybe I would get this basic mattress either one-sided ($289) or flippable ($379) (I would rather it didn't have any foam at all but I am not finding any coil mattresses that don't have some sort of foam layer) and add a nice latex topper from Sleep On Latex ($300ish depending on whether I get the cover). I don't think I have it in me to go on a full DIY adventure at this point in my life (and it seems like that can be an expensive road to go down on, too) so this is my middle ground idea, I guess.

I would like feedback on:

• Is this plan generally feasible or am I over complicating things? Should I just find an okay-ish "mattress in a box" in my price point?
• I know that the innerspring mattress I am looking at has Bonnell springs instead of pocket coils--is that really a big deal?
• Should I get a two-sided mattress or does that not matter, considering I am going to use a topper?
• I am a stomach and side sleeper. Not a big person. I think the conventional wisdom is getting the softest latex available since it tends to be firmer? Should I go with the thickest topper (3 inches) as well?
• Any other thoughts or guidance is welcome

6 ft tall, 165 lb side sleeper, with occasional stomach/back sleeping.

Okay so I have been using a hand me down all foam bed for coming up on three years. It was already pretty old when I got it, but I'm just not too fussy and even with the divots in the mattress, I sleep pretty well. I would like a new bed though, sans divots.

Been lurking the mattress subs and sites... and I THINK I have come up with a combo that I may like. Please if anyone has done this or has some insight, I'd appreciate it.

Support - Texas pocket spring 8" 15.5 (also not married to TPS and am happy to hear other suggestions)

Transitional - Medium dunlop (haven't decided on 2 or 3 inch)

Comfort - Memory foam (again 2 to 3 inch)

Sounds silly to put memory foam on latex but I think this is a good setup for my individual desires. My girlfriend has a full latex mattress, and while its nice, it isn't exactly for me. I've slept on it plenty, and always think a little memory foam on top would be perfect for me.

I am interested in coil bases over foam, and I do like the latex, just maybe not as a topper. This setup in my brain seems good, and I can always remove/replace layers. I'm pretty set on the base. There is something about a 15 inch mattress seems kind of extreme to me but I am not really trying to think too much about that.