Help! Need expert advice on foams for sofa cushions

[JosephineC]

We had our sofa reupholstered but we think that we have not been given the foam that we ordered. We asked for HR foams and the ones we got smell really really bad. I've been told that polyfoams smell but HR's don't. The foams have a serial number of 10962 -- does anyone know if this is a serial number for HR foams or polyfoams? Any advice or intel would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[wisejd]

From our experience we would not conclude that "HR Foams" don't smell. Any foam product, particularly if packaged since it was produced will smell when un-packaged. Some Foams give off an odor longer than others. I have no idea if "10962" is serial number, product code or even a zip-code. HR Foams can have numerous Numbers associated with their Resilience, Density, Tensile Strength, Tear Strength, ILD, Fire Resistance, etc., etc.

I don't think you should be all that concerned about getting something less than you paid for due to the initial odor. If you are able to you could ask the re-uphosteror what the specific characteristics/specifications of the HR Foam that was used are. Otherwise, I would just give the sofa a few weeks to see if the smell dissipates.

[JosephineC]

Thanks wisejd. I've aired it out for four weeks now. It still stinks. Also, aren't HR foams supposed to be yellow in color? Mine is white. I am concerned that I didn't get what I paid for because in addition to the foam issues, my upholsterer made a lot of mistakes on my sofa -- for example, one back cushion is much larger than the other, the seat cushion protrude out of the frame by a visible two inches, the piping's all crooked, just to name a few.

From our experience we would not conclude that "HR Foams" don't smell. Any foam product, particularly if packaged since it was produced will smell when un-packaged. Some Foams give off an odor longer than others. I have no idea if "10962" is serial number, product code or even a zip-code. HR Foams can have numerous Numbers associated with their Resilience, Density, Tensile Strength, Tear Strength, ILD, Fire Resistance, etc., etc.

I don't think you should be all that concerned about getting something less than you paid for due to the initial odor. If you are able to you could ask the re-uphosteror what the specific characteristics/specifications of the HR Foam that was used are. Otherwise, I would just give the sofa a few weeks to see if the smell dissipates.

[wisejd]

Sounds like you should indeed get back with the re-upholteror and see if the issues can be resolved or you can receive some compensation for the work that is unsatisfactory to you. As far as the "color" of the foam used, HR Foam can be a variety of colors including a wide range of whites and yellows (not to mention, blues, greens, and more).

[drcollie]

Most upholstery shops do not have access to high-quality custom-engineered cushion cores that are used in better furniture. It's quite common to get plain block foam when re-upholstering.