Expert: Mark H. Miller - 12/6/2007

Question
I have a Stickley chair and sofa that are a little over 1 year old. The cushions on the back are loose and not attached. After a month of having it the cushions for the seats had flattened out. They replaced with firmer cushions, both for the seats and the backs. Now the seat cushions have flattened out but the back cushions are still firm, so you feel like you're being pushed off. What's wrong with these cushions? They are foam. Should they be something else? These pieces are now extremely uncomfortable and no one wants to sit on them. What should I do? Thanks for any help you can give me.

Answer
Hi,  the foam used in your cushions is of an extremely poor quality, cheap junk.  There is a white law label attached somewhere on your cushion,  see if it states on the label what is actually in the cushion.  

There is very little you can do if you received what you paid for.  So first I would try to reason with the manufacturer or retailer and tell them that you had expected more than a life expectancy of just a few weeks.  And that you intend to file a complaint with the Bureau of Furniture and Bedding in your state Capitol.  That you will ask for an inspection.  They may give you something better just to get rid of you.

Otherwise your next option is to replace the foam with a better quality foam yourself.  Doing that isn't very difficult,  remove the existing foam and measure it accurately, then order a replacement filler from Foamorder.com ask for HR (high resilience) medium firm foam for the seat,  that will solve your problem.  

Don't worry about the back cushion since the pressure from sitting there is less than for the seat, and a firm cushion is not comfortable in the back.

I hope this information helps.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance,  I know it may give you little comfort but you are the one who is right and has been sold inferior quality merchandise.

Mark Miller.