What is Latex?

Latex is a premium solid core mattress material.  Latex offers superior comfort and durability when compared to Memory Foam and other mattress foams.  Further more its incredibly durable with some examples of Latex beds being 40 years + in age and still offering support and comfort!  Latex is a derivative of the rubber tree and, in its true form, is the premium natural foam alternative. This in turn makes it a more expensive material. Latex is not heat retentive like some other foams and has a rapid response rate; this means it returns to its original shape very quickly.  It is often classed as the top end mattress foam material.

Latex is by nature hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial and dust-mite resistant.  With the exception of Latex allergies it is a prime choice for those who have sensitive skin or non-Latex allergies.

The key to quality Latex lies in its construction method which will usually be anything from completely synthetic, chemically reproduced Latex equivalent, to 100% Natural solid Latex. The latter being the premium material.

Tricks of the trade: One key fact to bear in mind is the depth of Latex and construction method used. As Latex becomes more and more popular bed retailers are including it in their ranges, but not always for your advantage. Due to the high price tag adding a Latex component can allow retailers to increase their prices without necessarily increasing the benefits to you over other foams.

For example a retailer may have a ‘Latex’ bed in their catalogue. You may believe that this brings you the full benefits of Latex. Upon further investigation you find it is a 2cm top layer of completely Synthetic Latex, sitting on top of Memory Foam or a pocket spring unit. Our previous posts on Memory Foam have established that any layer of foams less than 5cm have no practical use as the accepted compression amount is 2cm on most mattresses. This means that when the mattress compresses, which all foams will and this is natural, your Latex 2cm layer would become completely unusable. Therefore you would have been better buying a Memory Foam mattress or cheaper equivalent with 5cm of foam! Although the mattress contains a premium material the application of it completely removes the benefit. Though you’re still left paying the price tag for it. Confusing isn’t it.

Another example is where a manufacturer claims their bed is Latex when in reality it only contains partial Latex, especially in mattresses that have perimeter support, where cheaper foams are used around the edges to firm up the bed. So although it contains Latex again its not a consistent application of Latex. Other sales tactics will claim Latex filled toppers, again which are 2cm or use 100% Synthetic Latex rather than Natural Latex. Some even contain only Latex byproduct materials, which could be shredded or mixed with other fibers! The one lesson here is not all Latex is the same and you need to apply the same rules of depth, density, quality to your list of must know questions!

Manufacturers may claim 100% Latex, implying its 100% Natural but this is false.  The ‘100% Latex’ label usually is 100% Synthetic so make sure you ask the right questions.  Again the retailers version of ‘Natural’ Latex is usually 60% Natural and 40% Synthetic, at best!  We have also found Natural Latex mattresses that are only 20% Natural Latex and 80% Synthetic!!

Stop the confusion!:  All of our solid Latex beds however are solid core Latex, so the confusion can end here. We only offer two types; An 80% Natural 20% Synthetic blend and a 100% Natural Latex variety.  They can be turned rotated and flipped like a traditional mattress.   We only recommend solid core as its consistent and so you know exactly what you’re getting for your money, no hidden surprises!

You may have guessed by now that there is no one standard type of Latex and there are many different guises that a Latex label may hide!  Read on to get better acquainted.

Our Latex Range Below: