Leather cushion covers - more poof and less comfort wrinkles desired

[baileyuph]

Noticed today, while working on leather cushion covers, that a well respected furniture manufacturer simply inserted a slab of foam with dacron faces into the cover.  

There was a lot of friction going on between the leather and filler.  Foam was dusting and the dacron was clinging and as a result bunching, due to so much friction.

Remedy?

Any of you prepare a muslin liner in a case like this, to reduce friction?

It would obviously minimize comfort wrinkles and most likely give more poof to the cushion.

Think the extra step of preparing a muslin liner would be worth the effort?  from what I saw, I do.

Doyle

[bobbin]

Doyle, I have a couple of wonderful books on upholstery and they always encourage the construction of a muslin cover to protect the innards from abrasion.  It certainly does add time and cost to a project, but considering the price of foam (prices just went up w/ my supplier) and the overall quality of the finished product I think it's well worth consideration in higher end projects. 

[gene]

There's a product called Cushion Ease. It's a very thin synthetic fabric that is used to help slide foam cushion inserts into cushion covers.

I use it sometimes on furniture when the new fabric is sticking to the cotton. This stuff is so thin that I can put it over the cotton and put the fabric over the Cushion Ease. This allows me to pull the fabric to where I want it and you cannot tell the Cushion Ease is there.

I also will sometimes wrap cushion inserts like the ones you are talking about, Doyle, with Cushion Ease. I then put a bit of spray glue to keep the wrap secure, and then insert the cushion insert. I do this instead of making muslin covers. This is really helpful when there are a lot of cushions to work with.

gene

[kodydog]

Sounds good Gene. I tried to google cushion ease and came up with all sorts of interesting products, but none like you mention. Also tried Cushion Eze with same results.

I wonder if this product would work to help slide stuffing into channels on channel back chairs?

I'm working on a channel back chair now that was stuffed with kapok. That was a first for me. When I unstuffed it, it just fell apart. Tried to re-stuff it but came out very lumpy. Ended up using cotton. I wrap it with a gauze-like material and pull it through with button twin tied to the end. Looks pretty good but I'm almost out of the gauze and cant recall where I got it. Sounds like your cushion ease would be the perfect replacement.

[sofadoc]

I wonder if this product would work to help slide stuffing into channels on channel back chairs?

I've seen some channels stuffed with panty hose leggings. The hosiery is stuffed first with kapok, then tie a knot in the ends, and pull it through.
I use the aluminum tins.
Here's another brand of cushion eze: http://www.rochfordsupply.com/shop/Textiles/Upholstery/Bondtex/index.html

[bobbin]

This is good to know.  In the shop I used to work for we had a bolt of something my boss used to call "silk".  It was very light, almost filmy plastic and it was used to wrap cushions to make stuffing them easier.  I suspect this is the Cushhion Ease you're referring to, Gene.  And I imagine is is a wonderful time saver for interior upholstery applications (like the panyhose idea, too!). 

I have worked in the marine field for close to 20 yrs. now and I don't like to wrap anything in plastic or anything that is non-breathable.  Water and moisture are facts of life in the marine field and wrapping anything in plastic means that all manner of nastiness will set up camp and begin to colonize the foam and the inside of the cushion covers.  I have hauled foam out of old cushions that is sodden and covered with green slime (really gross).  Whenever we're doing exterior cushions/upholstery and using vinyl we now strongly recommend the use of EZ Dri (reticulated) foam over the poly board plywood substitute. 

[gene]

Hey bobbin,

The plastic silk that you mentioned is what I call 'silk film'. It is a very thin plastic material that I use all the time. I wrap a cushion insert with silk film, put the shop vac hose to the end of the cushion insert, turn it on, and the foam shrinks down and it slides right into the cushion cover. I then pull out enough of the plastic silk film so the foam can 'breath'.

Cushion ease is what sofadoc showed in his link. It is a synthetic fabric, very sheer and you can see through it.

I have never used cushion ease on outdoor cushions. I do use silk film all the time but on outdoor cushions but I pull all the silk film out for the reasons you mentioned.

gene

[baileyuph]

Cushion Eze, from my experience serves a one time purpose, that of getting a cover over or inserting a filler in a cover.  It is very thin, as a result will tear in the installation.  If one inserted a filler with the material then, for analysis, removed that insert, noting how easy the material tears would be apparent.

I use a lot of Cushion Eze when friction is high between the cover and filler and to facilitate slipping a form into a cover evenly.  It works, for example installing auto headrest covers.  The covers are made tight and the Eze material enables slipping the covers over the form with less stress on the seaming and smoother installation.

For longer term utility, like a leather cover flexing over a high resistance base, foam for example, it's life would be very short.  It will tear a bit under stress and will bunch up under the cover as it slips around.  I have never glued the Eze to a piece of foam, therefore can't factor that in, except it would reduce slipping but at faster fragmentation of the Eze, since it can't slip as easily.  The major benefit of gluing the Eze is primarily during the installation of the insert.  Instead of glue, I use a small
hand stappler, clipper.  Gluing is probably a better idea.

As Bobbin's book suggest,  a muslin cover would add more cost with the benefit of durability.  I have done muslin covers with the old fashion  marshall spring units and cotton wrap, and during tear down, noticed manfactturers doing the same.  Some upholsterers have demonstrated the wrap and staple technique of using muslin as an interface to reduce cost.

Excellent discussion,

Doyle

[bobbin]

OK, so that's Cushion Ease (note to self:  check links that have been thoughtfully provided).  I replaced a horribly torn panel in a leather cushion this summer and the foam was wrapped in the remains of that stuff.  I like the idea of glueing it to foam better than staples (staples rust quickly here near the ocean).