Need help choosing a foam firmness for your sofa cushion or chair restoration project?
This video explains four factors that affect upholstery foam choice, and helps you choose between six different firmnesses of natural latex foam based on (1) personal preference, (2) body weight, (3) designated use, and (4) foam thickness. Watch the video, then download our FREE ‘Guide to Choosing Natural Latex Foam Firmness for Upholstery’ to find your perfect foam firmness!
Note: firmnesses mentioned in this video are slightly different than those available as of March 2019. Click here for an updated detailed explanation of latex foam firmness & density.
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Hello Carla,
I have a queen size 23-27 ILD (medium) 3″ thick natural latex slab that I want to cut down for to use for sectional couch cushions. I want the cushions to be 5″ high. As it stands, this foam feels way to soft for my purposes and I am thinking to wrap the foam with enough wool batting to achieve the height and the firmness I want. Would the wool batting add the firmness I need to get the cushion to feel more like an extra firm piece of latex? The cushion will be sitting on a solid piece of plywood when done.
Thanks a bunch!
Denise
Hi Denise,
I don’t recommend using wool batting to try to increase the thickness and firmness of your cushions, because:
1) the wool batting is meant as a cushion wrap to soften the edges, fill out the corners, and create a nice finished look – it does not lend much bulk, so you would need many thicknesses of the batting to even begin to increase the thickness of the cushion.
2) the wool would not add stiffness.
You might consider adding a 1″ thick piece of a firmer latex to each side of each 3″ cushion, which would increase the firmness and bring the thickness up to 5″. The foam would need to be glued together. You can check the shop for 1″ thick pieces to try it out.
Thanks for a great question!
I hope this helps,
Carla
Thank you for steering me in the right direction!!! I will do some experimenting since I will have a little extra from the cuts to play around with. I’ll make my dog a bed first!
Best,
Denise