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Cutting upholstery foam isn&#;t a super common DIY project, but it&#;s also one you may find yourself needing to do on occasion. So it&#;s worth learning the quickest and easiest way to do it right! Today, I&#;m breaking down my favorite way to cut upholstery foam&#;and it&#;s all about using something you probably already have in the kitchen!
Why Would You Need to Cut Upholstery Foam?If you are a hardcore furniture transformer or dabble in reupholstering, cutting upholstery foam is a common part of the makeover process.
But even if you&#;re just a home decor lover (like myself!), it&#;s actually something you might find yourself needing to do more than you realize!
Why?
Well, for one: swapping out old, squished, and maybe even smelly cushions is one of the best ways to breath fresh life into old upholstered furniture or even extend the life of something you&#;re not quite ready to replace.
But also&#;foam is actually a really easy-to-use medium that allows you to make your very own items such as ottomans, benches, seats, stools, mattresses, and more.
So whether you&#;re updating something old or creating a brand new item, it&#;s valuable to learn how to cut foam&#;quickly and easily and with precise results!
(Because when you get it wrong&#;it can be unsightly to look at and expensive to fix!)
Our Dining Room Chair CushionsA little while back, I showed you our &#;new&#; dining room chairs.
These were very inexpensive thrifted chairs that were a dated, dingy mess. And while I could most certainly see their potential, there was one very important feature that had me loading these chairs into the car almost immediately: they had cushioned seats.
My husband doesn&#;t make many home decor requests, but cushioned chairs was one of his more emphatic ones.
Cushioned dining chairs aren&#;t the easiest to find&#;especially ones that lean more modern in style. Since these seats were completely removable, I was confident swapping the original covers would be a fairly easy endevour.
But when we removed the exiting fabric, we discovered that the foam was significantly compressed, dingy, discolored and deformed.
I instantly knew the foam on all 5 chairs should be swapped out. And although a bit unexpected, it was likely for the best.
Not only would fresh foam give the chairs a more comfortable seating experience and freshen them up aesthetically; but thicker foam would also raise their (seated) height just a bit, which was actually better for our table height.
So we cut down a brand new sheet of 2&#; foam to fit the existing seat shapes&#;
&#;and after wrapping in fresh batting and fabric, the seats are now fresh, firm, higher, and mighty comfy!
Supplies NeededHere is what I recommend using when cutting your own upholstery foam:
Depending on the thickness, you can indeed successfully cut foam using a good, sharp, long-blade scissors. Despite its high density, foam is very easy to cut through; and when your foam is thin (less than 2&#;), you will likely be able to achieve clean cuts and straight lines.
However, using a scissors with foam gets harder the thicker it gets. As such, I recommend using an electric kitchen knife for any foam over 2&#; for the most reliable cut. The cerated blade(s) is perfect for cutting through soft foam; and since you can keep the blades in constant motion, you won&#;t end up with the jagged edges that are common with scissors.
That said, using an electric cutting knife can feel a bit scary and fast. So if you are able to, build your confidence by practicing on scraps or un-needed edges/corners before starting on your actual project.
TIP! Yes&#;an &#;electric cutting knife&#; is exactly what you use on a turkey or ham. Mine stays in my craft room, and is used only for cutting foam. If you do a lot of furniture projects, it can be worth investing in one so you can be sure it&#;s always clean and ready for crafting!
Want more information on grey moissanite? Feel free to contact us.
Brand new upholstery foam can sometimes be the most expensive part of any furniture update. Especially for foam 2&#;+ thick and longer cuts for a bench, ottoman, patio furniture, headboard, sofas, or multiple chairs.
Below are my best recommendations for getting foam at a reasonable price:
With your foam and electric knife in hand, it&#;s time to cut your foam down for your project!
In order to cut your foam cushion into the exact size and shape you need, you&#;ll want to create clear cut lines. Do not use an existing cushion since it can be squished and deformed.
Do this instead:
You might be tempted to use a pencil or pen to mark the foam, but I&#;ve learned they don&#;t quite make a visible enough line. Instead, reach for a marker that will create a nice bright line to follow with your cutting tools.
When deciding how and where to trace on the foam itself, I always recommend using the edge of the foam whenever possible. (See how my seat front runs along the edge of the foam?) This not only gives you one less edge to trim, but ensures the front-facing edge of your cushion is perfectly crisp, clean, and straight!
Next, use an electric cutting knife to slice the foam along your lines. Cutting off larger sections (2&#;+ inches) is much easier than making thin slivers, so do your best to get your cut right the first time through.
Sometimes, the pressure you exert on the foam (for the knife blade to cut through) can compress the foam and make it hard to see where you&#;re going. Create tension by using one hand to pull the foam upward (my left hand, below) as you press the knife downward (my right hand, below).
With the larger sections cut away, use either the electric knife or a large-blade scissors to trim out notches, grooves, or other details. While I don&#;t love scissors for cutting long, straight lines, they are sometimes easier to manipulate for smaller details.
Don&#;t hesitate to shave or carve away at jagged edges and corners until you have the exact shape you need!
With your foam cut down to size, you can then proceed with wrapping it in batting and fabric or even a custom-sewn cover. If you need help, here are some follow-on tutorials with more information:
Cutting down high-density upholstery foam to update cushions, chairs, stools, ottomans, or even RV mattresses may feel complicated and intimidating, but I assure you it&#;s not! By taking your time and using a trusty electric carving knife, you can easily cut down foam into any size, shape, and dimensions you need.
So if there&#;s a cushion update project you&#;ve been needing to tackle, here&#;s your encouragement to finally do it. I promise you it&#;s not as hard as you think!
See You Soon!
Megan
There is no denying foam is a versatile material with tons of applications. If you are working with polyurethane foam for the first time in creating a custom project, you may need a little help. There are a few things to know about how to cut polyurethane foam. Let's take a close look in detail at how to cut foam cushion the right away for the best end result.
Before you learn the best way to cut polyurethane foam, you need to gather the right supplies for the task. You will need the sheet of foam you ordered, the modified cushion measurements made during the How to Measure step, a tape measure, a long straight edge like a yardstick and a sharp carving knife or electric knife to cut your custom foam cushions. To make complete cuts, make sure the blade of your cutting tool is longer than the foam is thick.
One of the most important elements is to make sure you have straight lines. Before we get into how to cut foam straight, you should plot the outline the right way. Using the adjusted measurements you created during the How to Measure step, plot out the dimensions of a square or rectangle on your foam that represents the greatest length and width of each cushion. This can be done easily by cutting out sections of newspaper to the cushion's greatest dimensions. Putting these templates on the foam will give you an easy way to visually assess how much room to leave between cushions without running out of room. It will also ensure you orient your cushion in the right way; cushions may fit on the foam side-by-side, but they may not if turned and stacked end-over-end. When these are situated, make a small mark on the edge of the foam to mark the rough boundary for each cushion.
With the modified measurements you recorded during the How to Measure step, begin to mark the shape of your foam within its designated boundary area. When possible, use the outer edges of the foam sheet as one of the edges for your cushion to reduce the number of cuts that need to be made. For square or rectangular cushions, this means you can have a cushion with two sides already squarely machine-cut. Do not plot out cushions to share a cutting edge. This strategy may reduce the number of cuts you have to make, but a single mistake can ruin both cushions, while leaving buffer room around each can make a mistake salvageable.
With the edge of the foam facing you serving as the cushion's rear edge, begin to mark the cushion's dimensions using a straight edge, as seen to the right. Make tick marks with a marker, spaced apart at a distance you feel comfortable with. Do not draw complete lines just yet, in case a mistake in measurement was made.
Check that the marks you made are straight, within each cushion's boundary area, and that they match your measurements. When these things are confirmed, connect the dots using the straight edge. Be careful to not tear into the foam with the marker tip. These lines will be what you cut along as you form the cushion.
Before you cut foam, always make sure your work surface is flat, stable and won't be damaged by cutting through the foam with the knife. If you choose to use a carving knife, use a gentle back-and-forth sawing motion and let the blade work through the sheet. Do not compress the foam and try to make quick cuts through the condensed foam. A softer foam will compress more easily during cutting. Minimizing pressure during cutting will result in cleaner edges. Medium and firm foams can resist pressure slightly better during cutting, but this is not a reason to apply extra force. The less the foam is compressed during cutting, the more control the user has over making straight cuts and flush edges.
The picture to the right illustrates the ease with which a sharp blade can cut the foam without compressing it. If you use an electric knife, do not force the blade through the foam. The slower you pass the knife through the foam, the more control you maintain. A good way to think of it is to cut the foam like it's freshly-baked bread. Forcing the knife tears through the foam, leaving a sloppy cut. With either method, start cutting from an outside edge of the sheet.
Previous: How to Measure Your Cushion
To adhere two pieces of foam to create your cushion, go to How to Glue Foam Together
To wrap the foam in polyester fiberfill, go to How to Apply Fiberfill Wrap to Your Cushion
To use a foam-only form for your cushion, skip ahead to How to Stuff Your Cushion
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