Sliding off the sofa

Hi Duane,
I'm so glad I found you! I've learned a lot. Here's my question:

We just moved out of our RV home into a rental after eight years of travel. We're in our late 60's and not sure if this will be a permanent home for us. So we've tried not to invest a lot in furniture even though we could afford it. We purchased a Bauhaus USA sofa and chair from craigslist for $340 (The style is sold at Macy's as "Devon"). I love the shape and the color, but the seat cushions sort of tip me forward. It's very uncomfortable. They are polyurethane foam wrapped in polyester fiber and online reviews complain about them breaking down. Turning them around (zipper showing) doesn't help much.

I can see from reading here that replacement innards are over $100, so for 3 cushions on the sofa, I'm making a commitment to this sofa. I'm almost frustrated enough to just start over with something new, but I hate giving up on it just yet because I love the look. Considering what we paid, would replacing the cushions be a good option and do the trick? Or could there be another reason for this problem that new cushions wouldn't fix.

We are going to ditch the chair and get two recliners to coordinate. Once we do that, the sofa will mostly just be for guests (more show than go), but I'd like it to be fairly comfy.

I'd appreciate any words of wisdom you have.

Many thanks,
Liz

That's hard to say, Liz. Certainly the seat cores are probably the place to start if you want to 'save' the sofa and keep using it. Look around on-line for someone who will sell a Dupont Qualux Poly Dac and go with a 21 oz density if you choose to do this. Perhaps try just one core first before you replace all of them. Good luck!

Thanks Duane. I appreciate your input. That's a great idea to replace one core and see if it helps.

Liz

Liz,

Here's a quick cheapie fix for your uncomfortable sofa that leans forward:

1. Measure the length of the sofa legs. (I'm pretty sure they will be screw-on legs.)

2. Get 2 legs that are 1" longer than your current legs and replace the front legs only. This will correct the back pitch which is your biggest immediate problem. If you or others who sit on the couch are particularly tall you might want to use new front legs that are 1 1/2 - 2" taller.

3. If you can't find the right legs locally just let me know and I will send you some at no charge.

Jeff Frank
Simplicity Sofas

Jeff, Thanks for your idea and kind offer. The legs are visible, as there isn't a skirt on this sofa, but I will try putting something under them to raise them up and see what that does. If it helps, I will see about replacing them. I have a woodworking friend who could probably make nice duplicates an inch or so longer.

It's really strange, because the seat cushions look nice and puffy. But when you sit on them, the front edge seems to collapse, and I feel like I'm being pushed forward by the back cushions. We've tried building up the cushions by putting padding underneath them, but, of course, it shows and doesn't seem to help much. I'm short, so it's very uncomfortable. But I'll keep trying for awhile anyway. :-)

Liz

No matter how puffy your seat cushions are or how you build them up, if the back pitch is tilted forward too much your sofa will not be comfortable.

Jeff

Try putting an area rug in front of the sofa with the front legs up on the edge of the sofa. That will raise the front legs just a little bit. Or .. . . open the cushions, take the cores out, turn them around and put them in backwards. Could also help. Just ideas.

Thanks Jeff and Julia. The front feet of the sofa are on a pretty thick area rug already. I will see if building it up more helps. It doesn't appear that the back is pitched forward, but it may not be that visible. I've already tried turning the cushions around so the zipper faces out (easier than re-stuffing them), and it isn't much help. I will keep at it, as I do really like the sofa. It's probably good enough for guests. LOL Thanks again for your input.

Liz

I suspect the front edge of the suspension is broke down. Personally I'd not put any more money into it - that's a major repair and likely why it was put up for sale.