A leather sofa doesn't come cheap these days, and whether you buy one new or secondhand, somewhere down the line you are going to have flat cushions. Here's how to plump up flat leather cushions…
As leather cushions get old they sag and flatten, looking awful and becoming uncomfortable.As leather cushions get old they sag and flatten, looking awful and becoming uncomfortable.
As time passes, the foam cushion loses spring and bounce and the leather covering starts to fold and loses shape. By getting the cushioning fixed, you could add a few more years to your beloved couch. Here’s how…
Step 1
Fill the cushions with batting to pad them up so that you can accurately determine the length and width of the foam you need. Measure the cushion from welt cord to welt cord, in both directions and add 3cm to the length and width measurements. Measure the height for the cushion to determine the thickness of foam required.
Speak to the foam manufacturers and they will advise you on the best foam to use, which is normally a combination of high- and medium-density foam.Step 2
Unzip and remove the old padding and foam.
Step 3
Have the foam cut to size for each cushion.
Don't buy cheap foam for this project or you will soon have to replace it. Speak to the foam manufacturers and they will advise you on the best foam to use, which is normally a combination of high- and medium-density foam.
Use Alcolin spray adhesive to attach the batting to the top and front of each block of foam.
Step 4
Stuffing new inserts into cushion covers is not easy. You can try to fold them in two and work them into the cushion cover, or you can place them into a plastic bag and stick a vacuum hose up against the foam, holding the plastic around the hose. This will suck the air out of the foam, shrinking it so that you can slide it into the zipper opening easily. If you do this, try to pull as much of the plastic bag out after the cushion is in place.
Remember this, it’s perfectly fine to grab a handful of batting to fill in the corners. You want your cushions looking smooth and full.Remember this, it’s perfectly fine to grab a handful of batting to fill in the corners. You want your cushions looking smooth and full.
If you need to fix up the back cushions, open the zip to look at the filler inside. More often than not, these cushions are padded with a combination of batting and foam chips. Be sure to have a large plastic bag handy to collect the filling.
You can buy cushion filler at most fabric stores, which should be packed back into the cushion. If you are handy with a sewing machine, make a muslin bag for the padding to make it easier to fit and easier to adjust into shape.
Article courtesy of www.home-dzine.co.za.
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