How to Fix Sagging Couch Cushions
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How to fix sagging couch cushions (including an easy-to-follow video). Try this quick and easy fix using your vacuum cleaner and a new foam cushion insert.
When the hubs and I got married and bought our first house, we were excited when the time came to buy new furniture.
Like most newlyweds, we needed everything to furnish our home and that included a sofa.
Neither one of us had ever purchased furniture before, and we were young and broke, so we went for cheap.
We eventually learned that when you buy a cheap couch, it doesn’t last long.
So, when it came time to buy our next sofa, we did a little research first and spent a little more.
Long story short, we gradually worked our way up to a well-made sofa that would last many years.
Fast-forward to the present day and our Pottery Barn sofa (similar one, here).
We’ve had it for 13 years now and it’s moved with us, from Florida to Illinois and now to North Carolina, and has held up very well.
Recently though, I’d noticed that my back was hurting when I sat on it.
Our couch has gotten a lot of use from our family and the result was sagging couch cushions.
The back cushions were in good shape but the seat cushions…not so much.
I guess it’s only natural when there’s 13 years of butts plopping down on it.
Once I figured out it was actually the seat cushions, I knew it was time to look into getting replacement.
Can I replace the foam in my couch cushions?
Absolutely!!!
Of course, being the cheapskate DIYer that I am, I wanted to try to figure out a way to do it myself.
I’m so glad I did because it turned out to be a really easy fix.
One thing I did discover was that the original couch cushion foam was wrapped in a down cover.
I am always pulling feathers out of the cushion so I decided to go with a batting wrapped foam couch cushion.
If you’ve ever bough new upholstery foam then you know it can be expensive but new down replacement inserts were outrageously expensive.
I researched and looked at a lot of websites and once I settled on a shop that I liked, I made exact measurements from the sofa cushion covers and had the foam cut to size and wrapped in batting.
How much does it cost to get new foam for couch cushions?
Buying new foam actually turned out to be a bit more expensive than I had thought.
I ended up spending $173 for two cushions, but I got a really good quality foam that should last years.
Plus, it was a lot cheaper than replacing the whole sofa, or having a professional fix the saggy cushions.
Supplies for replacing couch cushions
- painter’s plastic
- new batting wrapped foam
- vacuum
So, how did I get that big, cushy piece of upholstery foam in the cover you ask?
Painter’s plastic and a vacuum.
Yup, that’s it.
20 seconds and the foam was in the cover.
I figured that a video would show the process better than photos so, with the help of my trusty assistant we made one. Don’t forget to check it out, here.
If you’d rather have a blow by blow, here is how we did it.
Step by Step Instructions: How to Fix Sagging Couch Cushions
- Take a sheet of painter’s plastic and spread it out.
- Place the foam on half of the plastic and pull the other half over to cover the couch cushion completely.
- With your hand, push the air out and tuck the plastic around the cushion.
- Next, take your vacuum and put the nozzle under the plastic against the cushion. The cushion will quickly compress.
- Remove the vacuum nozzle and quickly place your compressed cushion in the sofa cover.
- As the cushion inflates, work at getting it in the cover so there are no lumps or bumps.
- Pull the plastic out, it will rip and tear but it will all come out.
- Zip up your new couch cushion.
Voilà!
Two new and firm cushions for a sofa to replace the 13 year old flat couch cushions that had no life left in them.
I think they even look professionally done.
Can you believe how quick that was? And super easy, too.
The cushions look like new again and will last for years.
Looking for more furniture ideas?
How to Fix Sagging Couch Cushions
How to fix sagging couch cushions the easy way to make your sofa feel new again.
Materials
- new sofa cushion foam
- painter's plastic
Tools
- vacuum
Instructions
- Spread painter's plastic on floor or bed
- Place the new foam on half of the plastic.
- Pull the other half over to cover the couch cushion completely.
- With your hand, push the air out and tuck the plastic around the cushion.
- Take your vacuum and put the nozzle under the plastic against the cushion. The cushion will quickly compress.
- Remove the vacuum nozzle and quickly place your compressed cushion in the sofa cover.
- As the cushion inflates, work at getting it in the cover so there are no lumps or bumps.
- Pull the painter's plastic out. It will rip and tear but it will all come out.
- Zip up your new couch cushion.
- Repeat process for second cushion.
I just bought a used couch that I’m looking to fix up and resell. I might try to find a little cheaper foam, but other than that I am stoked to give your project a try. I’ll be honest though, I am hiring out a deep cleaning from a professional. I figure it will be worth it to know that the couch is completely cleaned and sanitized before getting it up on the market. Thank you for sharing.
When did you purchase a new sofa? Was it before or after you updated the pillow foam? If it was after, how long did the new foam last? Why did you decide to buy new instead of living with the updated foam sofa? Just curious since I am at the same crossroads. My sofa is about 17 years old and has loose back cushions which have flattened. The seat is still in great condition.
Thank you. Love your blog.
Hi Judy. I purchased my new sofa about a year after I updated the sectional. There weren’t any issues with the new cushions, we just moved into a new house and the old sectional didn’t fit in our living room. I ended up keeping the sectional and moving it into our sunroom. It’s been roughly 4 years and the newer cushions are holding up well. I don’t sit on it as much as I used to but we definitely use it. I’d replace old cushions again in a heartbeat if the rest of our sofa was in good condition. It was a good change for us. Thanks for reading and I hope this helped.
I’m getting ready to try to refresh the cushions of our two PB Basic slipcovered couches and I was delighted to find your post!! It actually gives me much-needed courage to jump in. However, what happened to the “Video” of you stuffing the foam back into the covers? Would love to view that. Tks!
Hi Leslie! I’m so glad that you found my post before you tackled your cushions. I couldn’t find anything when I did mine so I thought it would be helpful. I refreshed mine four years ago and they still look great! I’m so glad that I went ahead and did them. The video is in the post, right after the first photo. You have to give it a second before it loads but it is there. If you still can’t see it you can view it from my YouTube channel (it’s my most popular video). Good luck with your refresh.
What density foam did you order?
Hi Sandy! I’m not sure if this is helpful but I bought a high density foam. It’s 6 inches thick, the firmness is 33 lbs., and the density is 24.
Hope that helps.
May I ask- how did you handle the height measurement of the DIY upholstery foam cushion? Did you use exactly the height of the existing down blend cushion when ordering the foam- or adjust in some way? Thanks~
Hi Diana! Ordering the foam was nerve-wracking for sure. It was on the pricey side and I knew that if I got it wrong, it would be a waste of money. With that said, I ordered new inserts that were the exact size of the old ones. Hope that helps.
I am SO glad I found this post! I have the exact couch you do (PB Greenwich upholstered, right?) with the exact same issues and the cushion insert fabric has practically disintegrated on the chaise, leaving me with a bag of feathers. PB Customer Service has been less than helpful thus far, sending me links for furniture restoration companies, build your own chaises from their other lines (not the same size) but the DIY Upholstery Supply looks amazing. Thank you!
Thanks so much Diana!!! Yes, it is the PB Greenwich sofa and I love it but the cushions really needed a refresh. It’s been 2 years and they have held up well. I hope that you are able to fix yours. I’m so glad that you found us. 🙂
Excellent I have a chair I paid a small fortune for and my hubby falls asleep in it and it needs help.
That’s great, Valerie. So glad you found this little tip useful.
Amazing. Brilliant and neat!
Thank you so very much.
Angela
Awwww, thanks so much Angela! 🙂
you just saved me over $700, I’m doing this as soon as I find the material!!!
That’s great, Priscilla! So glad I could help!
The plastic and vacuum is absolute genius! Thanks for such a great tip.
Thanks so much, Cathi.
I agree. have cushions on a couch, love seat, chair set in my sunporch that every year need to be washed (dogs). I have to time it to when my brother visits, because he’s the only one that can fold the foam in place and hold it with one hand while slipping on the cover with the other. Next time, I’m trying this. Hope it works with old foam — don’t see why it wouldn’t. Thanks so much! Norma (I piggy backed on this post — hope no one minds!)
No problem with piggy backing a comment, Norma. I appreciate your visit and comment. I think that you could definitely do this on your own. It was really easy to do and only took a few minutes. Let me know how it works out for you.
FABULOUS idea of using the vaccuum! Pinned and will be featuring tonight on Inspire me Monday!
How exciting! Thanks so much, Kim.
That is a great idea. We just got new cushions for our sofa. I am saving this for when I have to get new ones again. Instead of wasting money I can do this. Thank you.
Yay, thanks Betty. Love to hear that you’re willing to do it yourself. 🙂
I wish I knew this when I had my camper. New cushion were very expensive. How did you seal the painters plastic around the cushion?
No seal around the cushion. We just made sure the air was out and pushed the plastic against the cushion. The vacuum formed, well…a vacuum in the plastic and compressed the cushion. Amazing and it worked like a charm.
Hi Kristi,
Thanks for the video! How did you get the plastic to seal around the edges so you could use the vacuum? I’m intrigued! It worked brilliantly though!
Thank you, Cheers, Liz.
Hi Liz. We didn’t do anything to seal it, just pressed the air out and made sure that the plastic was snug against the cushion. The video is pretty accurate on exactly what we did. It’s amazing to see it work like that, and that it was so simple. Hope this answered your question.
I never would have thought of compressing with a vacuum! I have a large chair that has down cushions and it also sags. I will try your method. Thanks!
I’m so glad that you’re going to give it a try. Good luck!
Where did you find the foam inserts? I have no idea what to look for when purchasing cushions.
Thanks
Lou Ann
Hi Lou Ann. I had no idea when I started looking. I just kept researching and looking at different kinds of foam. I knew that I wanted something that would last so that’s what I concentrated on. At first I looked into down cushions/inserts, but once I saw the prices, I changed course. I would suggest you just read up on the different types of upholstery foam and zero in on the firmness that you want and a price range. I ended up buying mine at DIY Upholstery Supply. Hope this helps.
I tried this with my old Bassett sofa. The cushions were just awful, and when I chose new foam cushions I overcompensated for the sagginess and they ended up as hard as a rock. I’m sorry you have to get rid of your sofa, it’s beautiful!
Thanks, Anne. I’m sad to see it go but it’s just too big.
So sorry that yours didn’t turn out the way you had hoped. I was nervous about that very thing but I think it’s good. They are definitely firm compared to what they were, but I think it’s comfortable.
I appreciate your visit.
What a great idea–and your helper was super efficient. LOL
Did you sell the couch yet?
Yes, my helper is very efficient. I haven’t sold my sofa yet. I’m just getting ready to list it on Craigslist. Do you want to buy it? 😉
Thank you so much for this post! I have a 5 year old sofa that I paid a lot for and it is stuffed with down. However, it is always loosing feathers and the cushions always look so messy. I love the sofa and do not want to get a new one, so I’m going to try this. Thanks so much for the great tutorial! I hope that you have a blessed day and a wonderful week!!!
Thanks Shannon! I thought I would love the down but, you’re so right, it looked messy and there were always feathers popping out. I don’t miss them one bit. 😉
Thanks for stopping in.
You said that you had the cushion cut to the size of your old cushion cover but the foam that you bought looks a lot bigger or thicker than the original cover. You even had to take the air out of it to get it to go inside. So didn’t you get maybe a little bit thicker cushion when you purchased it from the seller? I really need to know because I don’t want to buy it too small. It’s a lot of money to waste and find out That I should’ve gotten it thicker. Thanks a lot for your help.
Hi Tammy. The foam looks a lot bigger because the old foam is really saggy. With that said I measured the side of the cover, from seam to seam to get a measurement for the thickness. In my post I emphasize that it’s important to measure correctly so you get the size you need so measure the top from seam to seam (width and length) and the side (thickness). Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Genius! Love the video too! Question? Where did you buy the foam? Did you have to cut it on your own?
Thanks Vel. I shopped around and ended up ordering my foam from DIY Upholstery Supply. I made exact measurements from the sofa cushion covers and had it cut to size and wrapped in batting. Hope that helps.