Upcycled mattress nucleus of essential foam elements

A foam core mattress, comprising:

• a cushion layer comprising a foam having an IFD of between about 6 to about 18 and a density of between about 1.5 lb./ft3 to about 4 lb./ft3;
• a core that is coupled with a bottom surface of the cushion layer, the core comprising a matrix of rebond foam pieces that includes at least 35% foam pieces having densities between about 1.5 and 2.2 lb./ft3, at least 40% foam pieces having densities between about 2.2 and 3.0 lb./ft3, and at least 2% foam pieces having densities of less than about 1.5 lb./ft3, wherein the core has an IFD of between about 21 and 36;
• and
• a base layer coupled with a bottom surface of the core, the base layer having an IFD of between about 24 to about 45 and a density of between 1.5 lb./ft3 to about 2 lb./ft3.

A method of constructing a foam core mattress, comprising:

• combining a plurality of rebond foam pieces with a binder, wherein the plurality of rebond foam pieces comprise at least 5% foam pieces having volumes of less than about 0.5 in3, at least 40% foam pieces having volumes of between about 0.5 and 2.0 in3, and at least 20% foam pieces having volumes of greater than 2.0 in3;
• compressing the combined plurality of rebond foam pieces and the binder in a mold to form a loaf having an IFD of between about 21 and 36 and a density of between about 3.0 and 4.0 lb./ft3;
• applying heat to the loaf to cure the binder;
• cutting the loaf to form a core;
• and
• assembling the foam core mattress by attaching a base layer to a bottom surface of the core and attaching a cushion layer to a top surface of the core.