Different Types of Polyester Wraps around a Foam Core

The most basic cushion construction is a foam core with a polyester wrap. The foam provides the support and lines up with the seams in the depth, width and boxing of the cushion. Foam is cut with a straight blade and is perfectly flat on all sides. It is difficult to have a cover be tight and wrinkle-free on a flat surface. To aid in the fit and to soften the appearance of the foam, we wrap it with polyester (and down/feather, but that is for another entry). The polyester pushes out against the cover which tightens it and eliminates wrinkles. Below is a discussion of two types of polyester wrap.

High Density foam w/ Dacron wrap, muslin tick

With use, all foam gets softer and all polyester flattens. High Density foam, which is available in five levels of firmness, resists softening the best. The best option for wrapping the foam is with Dacron. It's springy fiber stays fluffy and resists flattening best out of all the polyester battings. To hold everything in place we make a muslin lined jacket out of the Dacron and the foam core fits inside. The jacket is closed with a zipper at the back.

High Density Foam w/ bonded wrap, glued, no lining

Bonded polyester is the easiest, quickest batting to work with. It is cut to size and glued to the surface of the foam. Bonded polyester has the least amount of resiliency and will flatten the quickest. We have 4 different weights (thicknesses) of bonded polyester to choose from: 1/2 oz. , 3/4 oz., & 1 1/4 oz.

Curving Wedges

A recent project called for several wedge back cushions to follow the gentle curve of a built in bench. 

Recycling Foam

It's time to recycle all of the old cushion foam and off cuts.  These bags contain cut down foam that will go to the foam plant to be shredded, re-bonded, and sliced to make carpet pad.  

Slim, Sculpted Floor Seating

We were recently presented with some very pretty round covers with a knife edge (knife edge is two pieces of fabric sewn together, like a bed pillow) and asked to make very firm inserts so that the client could use them as floor cushions.  Unlike a sofa cushion which has a boxing panel sewn in which allows for the blockiness of a foam core, a knife edge seam doesn't fit a foam insert.  Our solution was to shave down the edge of the foam to make it sharp which will neatly fit with the cover's seam.  We then wrapped the foam with polyester which softens further the shape of the foam and takes the slack out of the fabric, tightening it and removing wrinkles.  Once the inserts are installed in the covers, a full, firm insert is ready for the home.

Fun with Foam Shapes

We recently cut this set of foam triangles.  Don't know how they are being used, but we like to line them up on the table in an obvious formation.

IN STOCK: Fire Retardant Free Foam

Update June 2015 - Fire Retardant Polyurethane foam is now available!

In the near future we will be able to offer our customers foam that is free of fire retardant (FR).  If you would like to be contacted when the FR free foam is available please send us an email.  If you would like pricing, send us the measurements of your cushion cover's (see diagram below) depth, width and boxing. We will get back to you with pricing and information about the types of foam that will be available.

Stuffing a Cushion Cover

New Foam Cushions

Switching out the old foam cushions for new ones always makes a difference.  The job pictured above was for a customer’s 20 year old sofa.  The cushions were flat, the covers loose and they were too soft to sit on comfortably.  Since he has teenage twins who love playing video games on this the primary sofa in the house, he needed to firm the seats up.  We measured the covers and as you can see from the picture, they were designed to contain a much thicker cushion than what they had become.  We fit the cushions with a firm High Resiliency foam that was wrapped with bonded polyester.  As you can see in these photos, the difference is dramatic.  

By the way, these cushions were High Resiliecy (HR ) foam, density 2.5lb, ILD 45, cut 24” x 24” x 5 1/2” thick with a bonded polyester wrap.

Send us an email if you need help with your project.

The Boxing Panel

The measurement of the boxing panel of a seat or back cushion is crucial in determining the thickness of foam that we will use.  Our approach is to use a thickness of foam that is the same dimension as the height of the boxing, i.e. 3" boxing on the cover gets a 3" thick foam core.  The foam is the firmest part of the cushion and we want the edge of the foam to line up with the seams of the cover and hold them straight.  The material that is wrapped around the foam, whether it be polyester, down/feather or wool, just adds to the total thickness of the cushion, which we call the "crown".

Poly / Down Seat Cushion

By Poly / Down we mean a seat cushion with a foam core that is inside a down/feather filled envelope (or jacket).  Old timers refer to polyurethane foam as "poly" and "down" refers to a down and feather blend.  Some common blends for cushions are 10% down/90% feather, 25% down/75% feather (pictured below) and 50% down/50% feather.

We used the original cover (at the top left) as a pattern for cutting the foam.
The finished boxing on the cover is 4" so we used a 4" thick High Resiliency
foam core.  The thickness of the foam is the same as the finished boxing
so that the edges of the foam to line up with the seams of
the cover to hold them straight and tight.

Our down & feather filled jacket is cut a little larger than the finished size
of the cover.  It also includes a crown allowance which allows finished
cushion to be very full and round.  We also sew partitions into the ticking.
This keeps the down/feather in separate channels which helps
the customer to maintain the cushion.  It also allows for the high
crown that is indicative of this type of construction.

A zipper at the back of the cushion makes it easy to access the foam core
for maintenance.

The foam core is inserted into the envelope.

Zipped up.

This cushion has a crown of about 8".  The foam is 4" thick.

The finished cushion ready to be covered.

Foam Puzzle Back Cushion

A stack of random foam?

Sort by shape.

Assemble

Glue pieces together

Wrap with polyester, line with muslin.

This project required a profile with a curve on the top front of the cushion with 90 degree angles on the back and bottom.  We broke down the finished shape into easy to cut pieces that we later assembled.

Recipe for Wedge Shaped Foam

Start with 1 block of foam.

Slice at desired angle.

Separate!

The angled cut always yields 2 wedges.

Note: If you need only 1 wedge shape, we cut the wedge from a block that is half as wide as your finished product. Then we glue the cut pieces side to side to create a shape that is the full width. For example, if we need one wedge that is 36" wide, we cut the shapes from a block that is 18" wide and then glue the two 18" pieces together to make 36".

Persian Ottomans and Foam Interiors

We often see customer's who have returned from a trip to North Africa or the Middle East with beautiful, but empty, ottoman covers. Usually the opening runs across the diameter which means that the best filling material is by hand with either cotton or wool. Recently a customer brought in these ottoman covers that she purchased in Iran.

They were made with a zipper at the bottom that went around the circumference (see below). This allowed us to insert firm pieces of foam cut to make the covers tight and the structure stable. By using foam instead of cotton or wool, the result was stronger and a more even in shape. The dozens of stripes around the side looked vibrant and neat.

This ottoman was the show stopper. The racetrack shape framed the colorful design and made for a unique shape that was the most comfortable of all.

Slouchy Back Cushions Get New Foam

Most back cushions are filled with polyester. With use this type of cushion starts to slouch, dent and look baggy in the cover. Usually we replace these misshapen forms with fresh polyester or down/feather. Sometimes we are after a firmer, more resilient cushion and that is where foam comes in.

The set of slouchy back cushions (pictured above on the left) for this job had an extra challenge. The seams of the cover were knife-edged. This means that we have to taper the edge of the foam so that it meets the single seam of the cover nicely.

We then wrapped the foam with Dacron 91 batting (very resilient to resist denting) and fit the form into a muslin tick. This will allow the customer to easily remove the outer cover. In these pictures, the new cushion sits beside its mate already fitted into the finished cover.

These cushions are going to look fresh and full for many years to come.

Polka Dotted Comfort

For this window seat cushion we used a firm High Resiliency foam for support and a sturdy Dacron 91 wrap to provide fullness against years of use. The brilliantly polka-dotted cover was expertly fabricated by Riitta Herwitz Design Support (riitta@riittaherwitz.com).

Spring Core Cushion with Down and Feather Wrap *

Start with carefully cut foam borders, topper and bottom.

Spring core fits inside, foam masks the edges of the springs.

Apply 3M Super 77 to make foam box with springs inside.

Wrap foam/spring unit with Dacron 91 sewn one side

like a birthday present. Finish edges with staples.

Fluffy, soft down and feather filled envelope fits

around spring/foam/Dacron unit. Zip it up.

High crown, super comfortable, fluffable,

the Spring Core/Down and Feather Cushion!

* please note that this type of cushion is very soft

Mid Century Modern Cushions - Keep 'em Flat

For seat cushions we usually wrap the foam core with a soft material such as polyester or a down/feather filled envelope. The purpose of this is to tighten the cover and eliminate wrinkles. However, some furniture styles require a leaner, flatter look, and because foam is cut with a straight blade and has perfectly flat surfaces, it can be a challenge to fill a cover with just foam and have the cover be snug in all directions.

The covers shown here have foam only inserts. To make the covers tight, we cut the foam about a half an inch thicker than the boxing panel on the cover. Not all covers will allow for this approach though.