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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

How do I open a vacuum-packed cushion without cutting the fabric?

Also asked as:Any opening instructions?How long does it take to expand?

Put the box cutter down, friend. Between the blade and your new cover there is nothing but one skin of plastic.

Answered by

The Weather Man of Casco Bay · · Updated

Espresso brown linen-look tufted floor sofa corner with four back cushions and two bolsters on a jute rugSave
In espresso, the same corner layout feels warmer and more lounge-like.

The quick answer

Open a vacuum-packed cushion by hand, not with a knife: there is no protective layer between the cover and the plastic, so a deep cut goes straight into the fabric. Snip the plastic at an edge away from the cushion and tear the rest. The foam starts expanding at once and regains full shape in about 24-48 hours.

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Key facts

  • There is no protective layer between the cushion and the outer plastic.
  • Don't cut deep with knives or long scissors.
  • Snip the plastic at an edge away from the cushion, then tear it by hand.
  • Foam starts expanding immediately and regains full shape in about 24-48 hours.
  • Patting and shaking help the foam recover.
  • Transit damage is checked with the courier; in one past case a cover cut while opening was replaced at the buyer's cost.

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Have Callum’s workshop cut this for you

Tell them where it lives. Porch, deck or boat: the weather picks the fabric and the foam before anyone else does. — Callum

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
Foam starts expanding immediately and regains full shape in about 24-48 hours.
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

Opening it, in order

  1. Find a spot where the plastic runs past the cushion, at an edge or corner.
  2. Make one small snip there, well away from the fabric.
  3. Tear the rest of the plastic open by hand.
  4. Lift the cushion out, lay it flat, and pat and shake it as it rises.
  5. Give it about 24-48 hours before you judge its shape or thickness.

Leave these in the drawer

  • A box cutter or kitchen knife pushed into the bag.
  • Long scissors slid along the plastic where it hugs the cover.
  • The bag itself, for storage: don't keep foam compressed beyond 2-3 weeks, and never more than a month.

If the cover tears anyway

Send photos. The workshop checks with the courier whether the damage happened in transit, and transit damage is on them. A cover cut while opening is a different story: one buyer sliced a non-slip bottom cover on the way in and paid for the replacement.

A modular floor sofa arrives the same way, several pieces, each tight in its plastic, so open every one before you judge any. What do you reach for when a parcel lands on the porch? For the days after, read the first 72 hours and the note on vacuum packing.

Vacuum-packed foam starts rising the moment the bag opens and reaches full shape in about 24 to 48 hours; patting and shaking help it along.

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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Is there a guide for opening the vacuum-packed cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    Don't cut deep with knives or long scissors. Snip the plastic at the edge away from the cushion and tear the rest by hand. The foam starts expanding at once and takes about 24-48 hours to regain full shape; patting and shaking help.

  2. A common question

    Is there a protective layer inside the vacuum bag? I cut the cover opening it.

    The workshop's answer

    No, the cushion sits directly inside the outer plastic, so cut with care. The workshop checks with the courier whether damage happened in transit; one non-slip bottom cover cut while opening was replaced at the buyer's cost.

  3. A common question

    One cushion still hasn't puffed up after a few days. What should I do?

    The workshop's answer

    Take the cover off, shake, pull and pinch the foam, then wait a few more days. If a section stays flat or hard while the rest has recovered, send the workshop photos; in past cases replacement foam was shipped and the buyer moved the cover onto it.

Questions buyers ask next

Can I use scissors at all on a vacuum-sealed cushion?

A small snip is fine, made at the edge of the plastic well away from the cushion. What tears covers is a deep cut or long scissors run along the bag, because the fabric sits right against the plastic.

Why does my new cushion look flat and wrinkled out of the bag?

It spent the trip compressed. The foam starts expanding the moment the plastic opens and regains full shape and thickness in about 24-48 hours. Pat and shake it, and measure the thickness only after that.

How long does a vacuum-packed floor sofa take to fill out?

Unwrap every piece. Floor sofa foam fills out in 24-36 hours, reaches its photographed shape in about 36-48 hours and is fully firm after 3-5 days. If one piece is still flat after another 4-5 days, photograph it beside a recovered piece and send the photos to the workshop.