Cut to size, any size
High-density foam cut to size in Kaneohe
A tired seat is usually foam that has gone flat under good cloth. John's cuts new high-density foam to any size at 46-138 Kahuhipa St.
Why a good cover still sags
Foam is the part of a chair nobody sees and everybody feels. Sit in the same spot for years and the foam under it compresses, loses its rebound and leaves a dip with a wrinkled cover on top. Heat, damp air and strong sun are hard on it too, and old foam can go crumbly at the edges.
That is why a new cover over a worn-out cushion rarely fixes the seat. The cloth looks fresh and the shape underneath is still wrong. When a chair comes to the shop on Kahuhipa Street, the foam is worth pressing before anyone talks about fabric.
Press the middle of the seat and let go. If the dent stays, or the cushion comes back slowly, the foam is finished, and a photo with the dimensions is enough to get a price on new.
Cut blocks of cream upholstery foam and batting on a workshop table
Cut to your cushion, any size
The shop cuts high-density foam to size, any size: a dining seat, a bench, a deep lounger back, a round stool. Bring the old cushion in, or send a photo with width, depth and thickness, and the price comes back before anything is cut.
Firmness follows use. A dining chair that gets sat on and left wants a firmer block that holds its shape. A deep lounger or a sofa back wants thicker, softer foam that gives. Ryan will talk it through when you call, and the answer depends on who sits there and for how long.
A common trade practice is to cut foam a touch larger than the cover and wrap it in batting, so the finished cushion sits full to the seams and the corners do not look hollow. His wife, the seamstress, sews the cover to that shape.
Looking after new foam
New foam keeps its shape longest when the sitting is spread around. Swap and flip loose cushions every few weeks, and rotate which seat gets the favorite spot on the sofa.
Keep cushions off wet floors and out of standing water, especially on a lanai or in a humid room, and let a damp cushion dry fully in open air before it goes back on the frame. Check the cleaning code on the fabric before using any cleaner.
Once the fabric is chosen and here at the shop, the average turnaround is one to two weeks.
John's Upholstery, Kaneohe: family-run since 1964. Send a photo with dimensions or call (808) 236-2218.
Under the cloth on these pieces
Every seat and back cushion on the two pieces pinned here sits on foam cut to the cushion's size. The sit comes from the foam and the look comes from the cloth, so the shop treats them as one job: pick the cloth from the designer fabrics on the sample wall, then cut the foam to match.
Foam on its own is cut to size, any size. Ask when you call (808) 236-2218 whether new foam is all the piece needs or whether the cover should be redone with it, as in cushions and pillows or full furniture reupholstery. A photo with the dimensions gets the price back first.
Cane barrel chairsPiped seat and back cushions
Koa-arm loungerPalm-frond seat cushion