Upholsterly foam re-usage???

[skintner]

Hi guys,
1987 Bayliner Capri 14' is the project... I am now to the re-upholstery part of this project... got the vinyl, creating the wood backing pieces as I go. I'm staining the plywood (after filling, sanding, and rounding the back edges) with an exterior deck water repellant stain (Thompson deck stain/seal).

I want to re-use as much of the old foam as I can, since foam is expensive as h*ll... I've been soaking it in a 1:3 mix of bleach and water to kill and remove all of the mildew and spores. Once it dries, it should be good to go.

Your thoughts/opinions? What about using a thin plastic membrane over the foam once the foam is glued to the wood backing but before the vinyl is stretched and stapled?

Thanks for your thoughts,
steve

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Upholsterly foam re-usage???

You can re-use foam as needed if it's in good shape... not fragmenting into powder, not moldy or can be cleaned.... if it's got dents in it from the old installation you can steam it puffy again.

If you need to fix a hole or join two pieces, use 3m spray adhesive.

I personally am looking for a way to slice foam into thin bits... I have a lot of foam, but it's all 2 inches thick, great for seats, not so much for gunwale padding.

Erik

 

[109jb]

Re: Upholsterly foam re-usage???

I re-used the foam on my project. Did the bleach solution thing and re-used it.

 

[skintner]

Re: Upholsterly foam re-usage???

Thanks for the replies.

The upholsterer in the van conversion shop I worked in (MANY years ago) used an electric carving knife to slice and cut his foam... they're inexpensive and easy to handle. If I were cutting/slicing foam for this project I would buy one... probably will anyway.

There are some "troughs" in the front cushion foam pieces... kind of like mouse burrows on the golf course after spring thaw... my lady thinks I should cover them (not that deep) but I think once I pull the vinyl tight for stapling the foam will compress a little and they won't be visible. To me, the foam is good enough after the bleach treatment to re-use.

I have some pics of this project... I will start posting them in another thread. It's been fun to this point, except for the bald faced hornet sting I got while cleaning the rotted wood debris from under the rotted decking... bumped their nest and broke it while reaching underneath. They paid me back for that mistake... 10 times worse than a yellow jacket sting, I was swollen from the stung finger up to my elbow for a week after... sheesh... ornery bastages!

steve