Upholstery Techniques- Group A

Upholstery Techniques

 Foam cushion replacement project 

Sofa foam cushion replacement project

This particular foam (in green) is 5" thick and is the exact thickness needed to duplicate the existing sofa/couch cushions. We took the sofa measurements to a local fabric store and the clerks were very helpful in determining which type of foam would work best for our replacement cushion project and how much to purchase. Once we brought the foam home it was time to pull the covers off, remove the netting (netting holds the batting in place), peel away the batting (batting is a soft pillow-top liner for the foam cushions) and trace our outline of the old cushion onto the new 5" foam.

 

Following the line we made with a colored marker, we used ( recommended by the experts ) an electric knife, the kind your mom used to use to carve the turkey or ham. I've always said to do any job correctly all you need is, " the right tools and a little bit of time". The electric knife cut through the foam like "butter", not to mention how easy it was to keep the knife at a near perfect right angle for the sides of the new sofa cushions. 

 

Here is a shot of the old and the new foam (left) cushions side by side. 
 

Next I took the batting and wrapped it around the top, front, bottom, and back of the new cushion. Then I trimmed off any excess so it was the same size as the foam piece. 
 

The original netting I used again to hold the batting in place. I assume this is for two reasons. The first is that it will be easier to put the cover back on if the batting stays conformed to the cushion. The second is that the batting, over time, could move around as you use the sofa or chair creating lumps in the cushion if it weren't for the netting to hold everything in place. 
 

Notice how the netting controls and conforms the edges and corners from their original right angle cuts.

 

Tucking the cushion into the fabric sleeve was not as easy as I thought it would be, but with a little effort.... The trick is to have the cover inside out and start with the extension of the seat cushion first and work the cushion to the back. As you are inserting the foam, adjust and even out the batting as you go. 
 

Before you zip it up, butt the two ends of the batting together and adjust the netting for an even finish.
 

Compare the old with the new. First the old. This sofa needed the cushions replaced. 

Not a huge visual difference, but when you compare the two by sitting on each of them, you can feel a major difference. The total time spent on the three cushions was about an hour and a half. Here's the finished product. 

 

-Jodi