$19.99Buy It Now watching | View DetailsCondition:NewTime left:21d 15h 16mItem location:South CarolinaIn yesterday’s post, we outlined 4 Important Foam Terms to Know and how those attributes are important to different foam applications. Now that you can talk about foam’s properties and features like a pro, it’s time to take a look at specific types of foam and which of those features they bring to the table. When choosing foam for your next outdoor project, be sure to consider your application and determine which properties are most important for the environment your cushion will live in. This is not actually foam, but rather densified polyester batting that creates an effective foam alternative. Compressed polyester will not disintegrate or yellow like traditional foam, but it will compress over time. An example of this is Nu-foam Compressed Polyester, which is mildew resistant and non-allergenic. Nu-foam is washable, and will easily air dry after getting wet. This foam alternative is an inexpensive option and is best used for occasional seating, like patio cushions.
Like Compressed Polyester, Polyester Fiberfill is not truly foam, but rather blown polyester fibers. An affordable option, it is a common stuffing for pillows and deep seating back cushions. Generally, Polyester Fiberfill is stuffed inside a pre-sewn cover of Spun Bonded Pillow Protector Fabric, which is then inserted into the cushion or pillow fabric to give support and shape. Fiberfill is non-allergenic, and resistant to mildew. It is machine washable, but the fiber can bunch up in laundering. Use your hand to smooth it back out. A more traditional foam option that often contains a biocide treatment, Polyurethane foam is affordable, has a medium firmness, and is suitable for seating and mattress applications. If polyurethane foam gets wet, the cells will soak up the water. The biocide treatment is important because it prevents mold and mildew growth that can occur when wet foam dries out. It is a good idea to use polyurethane foam in locations where it won’t get wet or to wrap the foam in plastic before inserting it into the fabric.
Brands of polyurethane foam include Reflex and Sailrite’s Anti-Microbial Polyurethane Foam. Reflex foam is the most common marine cushion foam. An open cell reticulated foam has open pores that allow water and air to flow through easily. Open Cell foams make a comfortable and cool seating cushion or mattress. Dry Fast is a high quality open cell foam. Dry Fast foam is formulated with an antimicrobial agent to prevent mold and mildew. It is a more expensive foam, but you get what you pay for. When paired with an outdoor cushion fabric or Phifertex Mesh, open cell foam creates a virtually maintenance free cushion in sun, rain, and snow. Dry Fast is a popular, user-friendly open cell foam. Due to its popularity, there are knock-off versions on the market. To see if your foam is high quality Dry Fast foam, pour a cup of water on it. The water should run straight through the foam and drain out the bottom. If the water runs off the sides of the foam, this is an imitation Dry Fast foam.
Also known as floatation foam, Closed Cell foam does not allow water to run through, making it buoyant. This foam is made from PVN and is 3 times firmer than Polyurethane foam. It is also a more expensive option. Closed cell foam is great for flotation applications like floating cockpit cushions and life vests. It is also a good choice for commercial boat seating, or other seating that will be used as a step for getting on and off the vessel. This foam has no water absorption, so you can safely cover it with any type of fabric. Thin sheets of closed cell foam are often glued to the bottom of other foam, adding additional support for the cushion, like a box spring to a mattress. When used with Dry Fast Foam, cut holes in the closed cell foam for drainage. As you can see, there are a lot of foam options out there so it should be no problem to find one that is just right for your next project. Check back tomorrow for the third and final installment in the foam series, Anatomy of an Outdoor Cushion, to see how to wrap and protect the foam inside the cushion.
Custom foam cushions are the ideal solution for upholstery, camping pads and mattresses. Whether you need the perfect cushion for a boat seat, a custom foam cushion for an RV, new latex cushions to restore an old sofa or chair, or just a custom foam cushion cut to size using your template, FoamSource is happy to meet your needs with a variety of customization options. You are able to Price and Order Custom Cushions Online.Want to learn how to upholster the seat of your dining room chairs? I have a fabulous tutorial for you today….. a step by step picture tutorial on how to upholster dining room chairs! upholstering dining room chairs actually a lot easier than i thought it would be. this was my first hack at any sort of upholstering and i think more upholstery is in my future. i thought it was really fun. and the chairs turned out perfect! oh and i guess using pretty fabric helped too. haha this is davis and i scored a nice dining room table with 6 chairs on craig’s list. very sturdy with great lines.
but i really had my heart set on having soft dining room seating and really wanted some color on the seats for a change….. so we decided to upholster the chairs. and yes, davis helped me. we like to work on bigger projects like this together. makes for some fun memories!! {i.e. a paint fight, water war, etc} -1″ high density foam {you can also use cotton batting} -staples {you’ll need a lot} -foam adhesive {must be rated for foam. i used a spray foam adhesive found at the craft store} 1. first remove the seat from your chair using a screw driver. {be sure to put the screws in a place where you can find them later!} 2. using your chair seat, create a cardboard template that is 1/4″ bigger on all sides. if your chairs are squarish, mark which is from and which is back. with mine, it is pretty obvious so i did not bother marking front and back. 3. using your cardboard template, trace and cut foam for each chair. *TIP: a turkey carver works great to cut foam!
i could not find a turkey carver in stores yet {not quite turkey season yet!}, so i used scissors. 4. we applied adhesive to the top of the seat and to one side of the foam. you will want to follow the instructions on your adhesive and apply accordingly. it may be different than the one we used. NOTE: I will admit, I tried to skip the adhesive . {commitment phobia. what if the upholstery didn’t turn out? then I’d be stuck with glue all over my seats….} but I found out the hard way that it is loads easier to adhere the foam to the seat….. it stays in place and makes the next steps so much easier! so learn from my mistake and don’t try to skip the adhesive. 5. as per our adhesive’s instructions, we allowed the adhesive to dry for a couple minutes before placing the foam on it. this gave us a permanent bond. be sure to follow the instructions on your adhesive. 6. determine what size of fabric you’ll need for each seat: measure the width of your seat across top and sides including the foam.
{basically measure from the floor up over and across the width and down to the floor on the other side.} then measure the front to back of the seat including the foam and the seat thickness. add 4″ to each measurement. TIP: make sure you know which measurement is for the seat’s width and which measurement is for the seat’s length. this helps when cutting fabric with a pattern or design. 7. cut your fabric in the size that you determined in Step 5. i cut mine to be 28″x30″. TIP: be sure that you cut your fabric pieces with regards to the fabric print so that your design will be in the correct direction when you’ve applied it to the seat. 8. grab that staple gun and get ready for some fun! lay your fabric on a clean, flat surface and place your seat on top with the foam side down. start on one side and fold fabric over the seat. pull firmly, but not too tight. then place one staple between your fingers {be sure not to get your fingers!} so that you don’t get “staple pulls”.
TIP: do not staple next to your fingers. because when you take your fingers away, there will be lines or “staple pulls” in the fabric. {yes, we had to pull out a few staples…} 9. place one staple on the opposite side. 10. and a staple on the 3rd side. 11. and a staple in the 4th side. then go and fill in each side with staples. each time you place a staple, place one on the opposite side. {sorry for the shoe in there. G-man decided the shot needed a shoe in it! lol and i didn’t see it until i was editing my pics. 12. staple the fabric until you have staples about every 1-2″. it should look something like this. 13. using your scissors, snip off the excess fabric in the corners leaving about 2″ to fold over to finish your corner as shown in the next step. 14. fold over your corner fabric and play with the pleats until you like how they look. then place 2-3 staples to hold in place. TIP: make a mental note of how you did the first corner so that you can do the remaining corners the same.
there will be pleats in your corners no matter how you do it, the key is to make all the corners look the same. {ok, so that’s easier said than done. i doubt no one will notice if all your corners are a little different. like mine.:} 15. staple the other 3 corners in place.16. flip over your seat and ta-da! you have a beautifully upholstered seat. and adjust any sections with more staples as needed. {turning over that first one was scary and exciting. what had i done? did it work??} 17. reattach the seat to the chair with your screws and screwdriver and you’re done! way to go on upholstering your dining room chairs! that was easier than you thought it would be, right?? and if you have kids/pets, you may want to do this one last step…. i applied 2 coats of scotch guard fabric protector to the newly upholstered seats to help prevent stains…..because my boys do stains and messes real well! {i got my fabric from The Ribbon Retreat.} now for a quick sneak peek at my dining room in my new house………i still have to finish a few things {and add a rug, etc} but its almost done!