How to replace upholstery foam

Upholstery foam in couch cushions becomes lumpy over time. Instead of purchasing a new couch, you can replace this foam, which will make the couch look like new again. Purchasing foam is much less expensive than the cost of a new couch and it is not that hard do to. All you need is some new foam, a tape measure, an electrical carving knife.

Remove the cushion covers

- Unzip the cushion covers.
- Compress the upholstery foam inside of the cushion cover and pull it out.
- Flip the cushion inside out to brush off any old residue and foam dust inside. Make sure all of the old foam is removed from the cushion before continuing.
- Place the couch cushion seat side down on a large piece of newspaper or large piece of plain paper.
- Use a pen or marker and trace around the cover, and then cut out the pattern with a pair of scissors.
- Use a tape measure to measure the depth of the cushion.
- Place the tape measure against the seam connecting the front and side panels.

Purchase upholstery

- Purchase the upholstery foam from an upholstery supply shop or a craft store.
- Match the slab thickness to the depth of the cushion.
- Arrange the newspaper or paper patterns that you cut out on the foam slab.
- Trace around the pattern using an ink pen directly onto the foam padding.

Cut the foam with an electrical carving knife

- Cut along the ink lines and snip ½ inch off the corners of the foam cushion, which eliminates clumping when it is placed inside of the cover.
- Slip cut foam into the cushion covers and then zip them closed.
- Arrange the cushions back on the couch. You can also do these same steps to replace the upholstery foam from any type of foam covers, such as a chair or even floor cushions.
- Once you get the new foam into the cushion covers, you may need to rearrange it and push it around until it is in place correctly to remove any lumps that may be there.
- If the cushion is not thick enough, you can always add more foam to it. When you are finished, the couch will look as good as new.