The Quilted Mattress Top Story
“Our beds look exceptionally soft and puffy; therefore, they must be exceptionally soft and comfortable to lie on.”
Many of the most expensive mattresses on the market today achieve a luxurious look and soft touch with a quilted fiber top. I like the look. It’s pretty cool, but the filling material is not body conforming or pressure relieving.The material most commonly used in the quilted top is what they call “fiber.” It’s a polyester batting that looks luxuriously puffy, but takes away from the functional value of the mattress. Wool and silk are also sometimes used – usually as a small percentage in a blend with polyester.
When polyester fiber is quilted over the top of latex or memory foam, the pressure relieving properties of the foam is dramatically reduced. The fiber breaks down very quickly compared to the foam, forming body impressions and causing the mattress to feel much firmer.
Sometimes quiltable latex or memory foam is used as a supersoft top layer. This is a perfectly fine application and does add value. It makes the bed feel soft to the touch and is durable like the other foams used in the bed.
