High Density Foam

[Ocean Girl]

I bought 3″ of firm lux (50Lb), 1″ of medium (36Lb) and 1″ of super soft foam(12 Lb). In my research, I found layering different densities of foam, firmest on bottom, will give you a nice comfy seat, no numb butt 😆

Oh and I mis spoke earlier, my 3/4 batting material was from sailrite, it is far superior IMO.

Cheers,
Erika

[hellosailor]

Jack-
Home Depot does the same thing that WalMart does. Attract you with the sales and aisle caps, then skin you for all you are worth on the stuff you can't shop around for as easily. Although, IF they aren't cleverly using custom bar codes, you can use a smartphone comparison shopper and HD will often match the lower prices you find elsewhere. PITA to do that all the time, but it is often a 15-20% difference.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

I bought 3″ of firm lux (50Lb), 1″ of medium (36Lb) and 1″ of super soft foam(12 Lb). In my research, I found layering different densities of foam, firmest on bottom, will give you a nice comfy seat, no numb butt ��

Oh and I mis spoke earlier, my 3/4 batting material was from sailrite, it is far superior IMO.

Cheers,
Erika

+1

If you're doing the cutting yourself, in addition to an electric carving knife, a VERY sharp, thin bladed, filet knife can come in handy.
Also, I, personally, am a fan of using Velcro if I'm doing new cushion covers. For me, it's a no brainer as compared to zippers. Especially as it gives you a bit of "fudge factor", if the cover size is a small bit off.
Though there are good, plastic zippers nowadays, unlike the horrid metal OEM ones on cushions from the '70's.

Oh, & somewhere on here there's at least one sub-forum dedicated to sewing boat items, including; drogues, various covers for things out of sunbrella, and?

[weephee]

Thanks for all the replies. A lot of good information. I checked out The Foam Factory and their prices are a lot cheaper than what I can find here in Canada so I am going to order from them. My wife will be doing the sewing and getting fabric will be the next big step.

[HappyMdRSailor]

weephee,

The prices are the nature of the beast... This is a petroleum product... Prices went THROUGH the roof after Katrina, and rebumped during the BP fiasco....

Supply was so bad I had clients shipping entire containers of foam from Asia...

1. Layering densities as Ocean Girl spells out is how you go from a "ho hum" cushion to "Oh my God" comfy... Night and day friend...

2. Re the toxic flammability scenario mentioned earlier... Just ask your source that your foam be CAL Tech Bulletin 117 compliant... This foam has a flame retardant in the chem makeup, and has passed testing to prove it... You can't manufacture furniture in the US with foam that isn't... Ask 'em for a copy of the certification...

Sounds like you're well on your way to an awesome interior makeover... GOOD LUCK!

[oldragbaggers]

I am so glad this thread was started because redoing all our cushions is on my winter project list this year and a lot of very good information has been posted here.

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

I bought 3″ of firm lux (50Lb), 1″ of medium (36Lb) and 1″ of super soft foam(12 Lb). In my research, I found layering different densities of foam, firmest on bottom, will give you a nice comfy seat, no numb butt 😆

Oh and I mis spoke earlier, my 3/4 batting material was from sailrite, it is far superior IMO.

Cheers,
Erika

This is a great suggestion and one I am definitely going to use. Thank you for posting it. I also use batting from Sailrite, and I agree, much better than anything you will get at a place like JoAnn's.

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Also, I, personally, am a fan of using Velcro if I'm doing new cushion covers. For me, it's a no brainer as compared to zippers. Especially as it gives you a bit of "fudge factor", if the cover size is a small bit off.
Though there are good, plastic zippers nowadays, unlike the horrid metal OEM ones on cushions from the '70's.

+1 on the velcro.

I order it on the 25 yd. spools where you get one side of it on each spool. There are places where you can order it in colors. It is much more forgiving than sewing with zippers and gives you a chance to adjust the fit of the cover just a bit if you need to. Buying it this way is also much cheaper than sewing with zippers. I use either 1" or 1-1/2" wide depending on the thickness of the cushions.

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

If you're doing the cutting yourself, in addition to an electric carving knife, a VERY sharp, thin bladed, filet knife can come in handy.

I have done the serrated bread knife, the filet knife, and the electric carving knife (cheap and expensive models) and while they will work, I have never been completely pleased with the quality of the cuts. Of course you can't tell they're not perfect once you get the batting and covers on, but I know. I have decided to bite the bullet this time and purchase a foam saw from Sailrite. I wish I had done it several boats ago.

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

2. Re the toxic flammability scenario mentioned earlier... Just ask your source that your foam be CAL Tech Bulletin 117 compliant... This foam has a flame retardant in the chem makeup, and has passed testing to prove it... You can't manufacture furniture in the US with foam that isn't... Ask 'em for a copy of the certification...

This is excellent information and after I read it I went back to Foam Factory's site and checked the technical specs on each foam. Here is what I found:

Lux HQ (high quality)= Fire Retardant Classification Contains NO PBDE's, FMVSS-302 and Calif. TB #117

HD-36 HQ = Fire Retardant Classification, UL900, Class 2, Non Fire retardant

Super Soft = Fire Retardant Classification, UL900, Class 2, Non Fire retardant

So only the LUX HQ, which is the firmest, meets your fire retardant specifications. I may check a few other online foam vendors and see how theirs stack up in this regard and what the price comparison is. Of course, I am hoping the boat never burns up, and so far our track record is pretty good, nearly 35 years and no boat fires. (I am looking for a big piece of wood to knock on right now.)

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

Sounds like you're well on your way to an awesome interior makeover... GOOD LUCK!

I think I am on my way to one also thanks to all the great information on this forum.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

I have done the serrated bread knife, the filet knife, and the electric carving knife (cheap and expensive models) and while they will work, I have never been completely pleased with the quality of the cuts. Of course you can't tell they're not perfect once you get the batting and covers on, but I know. I have decided to bite the bullet this time and purchase a foam saw from Sailrite. I wish I had done it several boats ago.

This is an educated guess on my part, but try test cutting an unimportant/scrap piece when it's cold. And when I say cold, I mean like fresh out of the freezer/underneath of a piece of dry ice cold (literally).

I know that on some of the other real low density foams which I've had to cut, this trick worked. As the cold makes the foam stiffer. And thus easier to cut evenly. Particularly with an electric carving knife.

Although given that cushion foam is low density, it takes very little time for it to warm back up. Enough to the point where the foam's not far enough below room temp. to make a difference (enter - pieces of Dry Ice).

Also, with some foams, again, if you get them cold enough, you can clean up a raggedy looking cut (gently) with a belt sander. Assuming that you have a cool hand (no pun intended).
Though trying this is another one of those items which I'd test out first on a piece of scrap, & see how it turns out. Plus get in a touch of learning some of the tricks of shaping foam this way.

Ocean Girl made mention of buying some 3M Spray Glue earlier, & here are a few of the "whys" behind picking it up, & a few pointers on using it. With it, you can reattach some foam to a cut which you goofed on, & have another shot at getting the cut right. Which can save you some serious $, as you don't have to go & get another piece of foam, & completely start over.
Or you can use it to glue 2 smaller pieces together, to create a piece big enough for some other cushion.

And while I've not done this as yet, though I'm told that having the foam layers glued together is a semi-necessity if you want to use more than one layer, & or density. As with the Spray Glue, you can take the various layers, & use it to make them into one monocoque block.
A thing which I'd figure to be essential for cutting a multi-layer & density, cushion, smoothly.
Plus, of course, having all of the layers glued together when you're putting your foam into it's cover, things go a little easier.

[oldragbaggers]

You're absolutely right about the 3M, and I use it. I have glued pieces together to make longer settees and it works very well and it's like it was one solid piece of foam.

As for working in the cold. Nurts to that, I hate the cold. I'm buying a foam saw.

[JPA Cate]

weephee,

The sewing projects thread is so hidden it's a wonder anyone can find it at all. It is called the Sewing Group, and is cached under "Our Community".

For those of you who like Sunbrella, it is a trade name for acrylic canvas. They are not the only manufacturers. All of it is woven up from very small threads, which is why it lacks abrasion resistance. Our mainsail cover was made from some acrylic canvas that was made in Germany. Pity the Aussies quit weaving it in Melbourne.

Ann

<edit>

Uncivilized, I understand about velcro allowing you a fudge factor, but for boat cushions, you shouldn't need it. Having made cushion covers and mattress covers both ways, I like zips better, they lie smoother, go around corners better, and therefore it's easier to replace the covers when they've been off for washing, and I don't like struggling with foam. YMMV

[weephee]

I found it Ann Thank you

[Bluemansailor]

Just brought new Fiberfill Wrap 4" firm foam for the bottom of my salon cushions from Welcome to Foam Factory, Inc..

Great service fit perfect and oh so comfortable!

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

I am so glad this thread was started because redoing all our cushions is on my winter project list this year and a lot of very good information has been posted here.

+1 on the velcro.

I order it on the 25 yd. spools where you get one side of it on each spool. There are places where you can order it in colors. It is much more forgiving than sewing with zippers and gives you a chance to adjust the fit of the cover just a bit if you need to. Buying it this way is also much cheaper than sewing with zippers. I use either 1" or 1-1/2" wide depending on the thickness of the cushions.

For others reading... Best tip on CF... Makes a dummy like me make an OK fitting cover...

This is excellent information and after I read it I went back to Foam Factory's site and checked the technical specs on each foam. Here is what I found:

Lux HQ (high quality)= Fire Retardant Classification Contains NO PBDE's, FMVSS-302 and Calif. TB #117

HD-36 HQ = Fire Retardant Classification, UL900, Class 2, Non Fire retardant

Super Soft = Fire Retardant Classification, UL900, Class 2, Non Fire retardant

So only the LUX HQ, which is the firmest, meets your fire retardant specifications. I may check a few other online foam vendors and see how theirs stack up in this regard and what the price comparison is. Of course, I am hoping the boat never burns up, and so far our track record is pretty good, nearly 35 years and no boat fires. (I am looking for a big piece of wood to knock on right now.)

Here's the crux of it... WE HOPE (knock-knock-knock) we don't ever need to thank the foam for the fire retardant properties... BUT... Man... I couldn't imagine waking up at 2AM to a smoke filled saloon, and not being able to breathe, see, or find the source...

I spouted Cal 117, cause it's the go to for furniture manufacturing, the most common, and the most commonly cited in gov requirements... There are of course thousands of flammability test standards... FAA has some top notch requirements obviously... As it's like a boat saloon crammed with 300 strangers flying at 30k and 500kts... There's about 20 test parameters, some not so important to me... like mass loss v time etc... What is to me is: Ignition source (direct flame), smoke opacity, smoke toxicity, flame spread, and flame self extinguish time...

I would be absolutely happy to investigate any actual spec if you find something you'd like to buy, but are unsure of...

The UL 900 class you cited is absolute junk... pass fail parameters are the number of "sparks" you observe in an air duct with a flame source no where near the test sample...

I think I am on my way to one also thanks to all the great information on this forum.

I think we're all going to be jealous is what I think!

Here's to HAPPY BOTTOMS!!!