Expert: Mark H. Miller - 1/24/2009

Question
A few years back I had some reupholster an old mohair couch.  I had new upholstery on the outside but requested to keep the cushions with the original "horse hair" intact.  Now the cushions have become uncomfortable and the springs are popping.  I am not sure if I should replace the cushions with new foam or have someone professional or myself re-tie the springs.  Also, I don't know which will last longer. Please advise or give direction on how to do myself as the cushions have zippers and it wouldn't require new upholstering.  Thanks, Jo

Answer
Hi Johana Olson,

You should replaced the cushion cores with what is currently in them which is called a spring cushion.  Eventhough there is a zipper it may still requires a cushion machine to push the filler into the covers.  So I highly recommend that you have the job done by a professional upholsterer.  

Here is the reason I make that recommendation,  the life-span of a spring cushion or a foam core cushion is almost identical.  your furniture may be designed for spring cushions,  changing to foam may change the seating comfort of the sofa in a negative way.

Cushion covers are specifically cut for what they will be filled with,  for example if I were to cut a seat cushion I would first determine what the cushion is filled with, such as down and feather,  foam and dacron, or as in your case a spring cushion,  each of those cushions has a different height or loft - in the trade called the crown,  so, cutting a cushion for spring and then filling it with foam may cause the cushion to not fit properly.  

I also understand that if you were to change to foam your costs will be much lower and you can easily do the job yourself.  If you still decide to change to foam, be certain to purchase an HR foam (high resiliency) or similar quality and then wrap that foam with dacron batting to duplicate the crown of a spring cushion so that the outer dimentions of the cushion remain the same.

I hope this information helps you,  please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further pointers.

Mark Miller.