Cushion Foam Recomendations

[heron237]

Anyone got any thoughts on the buying, forming and specs on foam for interior cushions? Like how you run a wire between the two posts on a soldering iron to cut it etc....

[GordMay]

Foam is sold by Density (determines the general quality), and Compression (from soft to hard), stated in pounds per cubic foot.

I recommend a 2.1 - 2.25 pound density, with a 34 - 35 pound compression mildew-resistant foam for bunks/berths & inside seat foams. The cheapest foam is only 1.5-pound density.

For sleeping, you want a minimum foam thickness of 4" (10cm), or even more, if you have the berth height. Where headroom is limited, use a better quality 3" (7.6cm) foam with higher compression.

Settee Backrests normally have the same foam as the bunks or seats; but a super-soft foam could be an option (as long as it doesn't comprise part of a pull-out convertible bunk mattress).

For seating you should get the thickest foam that doesn’t raise your bum up too high (feet comfortably on floor) - best test & measure, rather than assume.

Upholstery foam is often cut with a serrated double bladed saw, rather than a hot wire knife (which is more often used on rigid foams, like Styrofoam). An electric kitchen carving knife can function as an upholstery saw. A razor utility knife, with the blade extended, is adequate for smaller jobs.
Compress the top of the foam, with a scrap of plywood (whatever), when cutting.

[iiii]

Any high density foam can be cut quite easily with a frozen food knife.

[GordMay]

I suspect a conventional Serrated Bread Knife, might cut upholstery foam as well as (or better than) a Saw-and-Racker Frozen Food knife.

Types of Kitchen Knives:
Types of Kitchen Knives: Easy How-To Cooking Tips & Advice: RecipeTips.com

[bwindrope]

I just replaced the foam in one of my cushions and so can share that experience. I bought the foam online from Foam Products, Sound Proofing Foams, Seat Cushions, Memory Foam Pillow, Mattress Toppers, Pads and liked the information they provided online and the price and service were fine. I was replacing the foam that is most used on my boat, right at the navigation table. The old foam was dead, and I would bottom out any time I sat down there. It was 20 years old so no complaints.

I really wanted firm foam in that spot, so I went with a high quality Lux foam with a 2.8 density and 55 ILD. This is firm stuff. I worried about cutting it, but since all my cuts were plain vertical cuts with no fancy shaping, I did it with a sharp filet knife. It cut like butter and no problems, but again, these were straight cuts.

After wrapping it in dacron and stuffing it back into the existing upholstery, it worked great. I am very, very happy with my new cushion!! I took it back to Aeolus and sat down and it is firm but friendly. I would not use this particular foam firmness for other places necessarily, but for here, where it gets a ton of use and abuse, it will work wonders.

Hope this is helpful to someone.

[Allan S]

Great link...Thanks....Allan