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The Cutting Table · compared on the table

Some of my sofa cushions are still flat after unboxing. What should I do?

Also asked as:Two pieces have not expanded the sameThe middle section is completely flat

Compressed foam runs on its own clock, not the courier's. Here's the schedule, and the point where patience ends and a replacement begins.

Answered by

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit ·

Sage green and cream velvet floor sofa with a sage-faced bolster, beside a wooden stool with a white vase and a jute rugSave
A calm, nearly bare corner where sage velvet, raw wood and a linen curtain carry the look.

The quick answer

Give a flat foam cushion more time: compressed foam can keep expanding for another 1 to 2 days, and full recovery can take up to a week. Take the foam out of its cover, shake it and pull it from both sides, then re-cover it. If a piece is still flat, dipped or lumpy after several days, send photos for replacement foam or extra filling.

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Normal recovery, or time to send photos?

What you noticeWhenWhat to do
Pieces not equally fullFirst days out of the boxWait: foam can keep expanding another 1 to 2 days
One piece still softerAny time in the first weekUncover, shake and stretch the foam
Pouf chair seat sinks more than its ottomanAny timeYes Normal: the seat is made to let you sink in a little
Corner bolster still soft in the middleAfter 3 daysPhotos; a replacement was sent
Flat, dipped or lumpyAfter several daysPhotos with the cover off, for replacement foam or filling

Key facts

  • Compressed cushions may need 1 to 2 extra days to recover.
  • Full expansion can take up to a week.
  • Taking the foam out of the cover and shaking it helps it expand.
  • Photos of the uncovered foam are forwarded to the foam producer.
  • Replacement foam or extra filling is sent when a piece stays under-filled.
  • A pouf chair seat is softer than its ottoman by design.

Have it made

Have Nate’s workshop cut this for you

Every edge and both diagonals, to the nearest 1/4 in. If the numbers do not close, the workshop will say so on the call. — Nate

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
Taking the foam out of the cover and shaking it helps it expand.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Helping a slow piece along

  1. Unzip and remove the foam

    Take the insert fully out of its cover.

  2. Shake it, then pull from both sides

    Grip opposite edges and stretch gently so the foam can expand, then put the cover back.

  3. Wait, then compare

    Check again after a few days. The first 72 hours pattern covers unpacking.

Why the photo should show bare foam

A cover can hide a dip or exaggerate one. Bare foam can't. Photos of the uncovered insert go to the foam producer, and when a piece really is under-filled, the workshop sends replacement foam or extra filling.

Keep the tolerance in mind, partner: a modular floor sofa seat and a pouf chair are built to feel different, and foam recovery is measured in days, not hours. How many days has yours been out of the box?

If a foam cushion is still flat, dipped or lumpy after several days, photograph the bare foam with the cover off; that photo goes to the foam producer.

Nate Kowalski
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Some cushions are still flat or softer after several days while others are firm. How do I fix it?

    The workshop's answer

    Wait a little longer, then take the foam out of the cover, shake it and pull it from both sides so it can expand, and put the cover back. If a piece still stays flat or dips, send photos, ideally with the cover off, for replacement foam or extra filling.

  2. A common question

    One L-shaped corner cushion looks lumpy and less full than the other. How can I make it fuller?

    The workshop's answer

    Give it more time, because the foam can keep expanding for another 1 to 2 days, and work the foam out of the cover. When a corner bolster was still soft in the middle after 3 days, the workshop sent a replacement.

  3. A common question

    The seat of my pouf chair sinks much more than the ottoman. Is it underfilled?

    The workshop's answer

    Not necessarily. A pouf chair is meant to let you sink in a little, and full expansion can take up to a week. When one seat stayed soft past that, extra filling was sent.

Questions buyers ask next

How long should I wait before asking for replacement foam?

Several days. Foam can keep expanding for 1 to 2 extra days and take up to a week to recover fully; if a piece is still flat, dipped or lumpy after that, send photos.

Should the cover stay on while the foam recovers?

Take it off to help. Remove the foam, shake it and pull it from both sides, then put the cover back on.

If extra filling is sent, how does it go in?

By hand, at home. In one case the workshop sent extra filling for the buyer to add to a pouf chair seat and sew closed.