How to Replace Sofa Foam

Sofas receive a lot of use in most households. While they are designed to withstand constant sitting, after a while the sofa cushions may sag and become misshapen. This is caused by the compression of the foam material, which loses its ability to bounce back as it ages. Instead of discarding the sofa, you can simply discard the old foam and replace it with new foam. Replacing the foam makes the sofa look great and feel great, too.

Tape measure
Upholstery foam
Marker
Long serrated knife

Instructions

- 1
  Remove all of the cushions from the sofa. Locate the zipper or other closure on the back of each cushion and open it. Remove the foam padding from inside each cushion.
- 2
  Lay each cushion cover flat on the ground and use a tape measure to determine the length, width and depth of each cushion. If the covers have piping, measure from the piping on one side to the piping on the other side. If no piping exists, measure from seam to seam.
- 3
  Add 1 inch to the width, length and depth of each measurement to allow for a proper fit.
- 4
  Purchase new foam at an upholstery store, or order it online. When purchasing foam, it is important to order the proper thickness, which corresponds to the cushion depth. The width and length can be cut later, but the depth is very difficult to adjust at home.
- 5
  Lay the new foam on the floor or another flat work surface and use a tape measure and a marker to transfer the length and width of each cushion onto the foam.
- 6
  Cut out the shape of each cushion from the foam using a long serrated knife.
- 7
  Insert each newly cut piece of foam into the appropriate cushion cover and place the cushions back on the couch.

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