TheSamba.com :: View topic - New foam for bench seat and rear cushion. Upholstering soon

Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:03 pm

Hey Everybody,

So van is going in for paint this weekend and i am starting to organize interior bits and pieces.

We have original foam in the rear of the van. It is hard and uncomfortable. My wife can't sleep on it without waking up to a horrible back pain. We have already tried different inflatable mattresses which made things a little better, but are a hassle. Have memory foam for the kids up top, but don't really want to store anything else. (Want to cut down on accessories)

Has anybody purchase new foam and has been able to make the existing Z-Bed comfortable? I though about going an inch thicker in the back cushion and then possibly and inch thicker on the back rest and seat of the bench.

(This would have to be shorter to accomodate increase in height, but maybe a strip and be carried an upholstered right behind the seat and used when the bed folds out.

I would like to keep all the upgrades in the seat vs extra things to carry around.

Any suggestions?

Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:53 pm

You don't need more thickness. If you change thickness of the seat foam very much it affects how bed pieces come together because the hinges are designed for that particular thickness.

The foam is just too hard. You can buy a cheap one or two inch topper and roll it up/stow it during the day. Some people take the upper mattress and lay them over the lower bunk to sleep but they don't fit quite right and I haven't found that an acceptable solution. You could get softer foam for the top bunk mattresses and use them over the lower bed at night as a topper. Or you can replace the foam for just the rear cushion and sleep head towards the hatch. Replacing the bench seat foam on the later model contoured foam seems more involved but I imagine an upholstery shop could do a good job. I'm going to replace just the rear cushion and see how that goes.

If you go for a cheap topper like from Walmart, I'd just get a thin one like 1-1.5". Memory foam is very soft, so I don't think you would benefit by having 2" over the existing cushions, and it feels a little funny climibing onto the bed with a lot of loose foam.

You can get a cheap memory foam topper and cut it with an exacto knife to fit into the top mattress covers. I think the 1.5" thickness would work.

You can get poly foam rather than memory foam which is probably better suited to camping (personal preference thing), but it is much easier to find memory foam locally. Foambymail.com you can get whatever you want.

This is one of the toppers I made. Folds in half and just stows in back and doesn't obstruct the cabinet door. Looks nice too.

Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:33 pm

When I got mine re-upholstered I got them to add a 1 inch soft foam on top. I still found it too hard to sleep on comfortably so ended going the same route as Dave. A duvet cover works good to put the memory foam inside if you don't want to do a bunch of sewing.

Mon Jul 20, 2015 3:26 pm

We use 1" memory foam and a fitted sheet over it and the mattress. The foam and sheet fold back when the rear seat is up and duffels etc are piled on top of it.

Apart from being simpler than adding thickness to the mattress, using a topper give you more flexibility if you don't get it right the first time.

Mon Jul 20, 2015 4:15 pm

You can go to an upholstery shop or foam store and have them make up a combination of foam that comes out to the same thickness as stock but can be different layers. Foam comes in a lot of different densities (stiffness) too. You could layer 3" of regular foam with 1" of memory foam or any combination you like. Be prepared though, foam isn't cheap.

Mon Jul 20, 2015 4:28 pm

That is sort of what I am going after PDX. Was just looking at the sew fine replacement foam costs and boy is it expensive. I was thinking maybe somebody found a combo that works for them that i could put together.

Thank for all the input so far

I

Mon Jul 20, 2015 4:31 pm

WandS wrote: That is sort of what I am going after PDX. Was just looking at the sew fine replacement foam costs and boy is it expensive. I was thinking maybe somebody found a combo that works for them that i could put together.

Thank for all the input so far

Sourcing it locally will save you a lot of money on shipping costs as well.

Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:35 pm

If you have a foam supply place near you there are various densities of replacement foam available. The place near me is a fabric supply store that specializes in upholstery. They have a bunch of foam options and cut to it to size. It isn't cheap but it isn't that costly either considering how much use we give our campers. Don't waste your money on the cheapest foam.

http://www.ufofabrics.com/upholstery-foam.html

Mark

Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:05 pm

This topic is interesting.

Our foam is old and new (better?) foams exist.

If one were to ID the foam mix/match makeup and comfort types, this could be a huge niche market for someone clever.

New bed foam......... Hmmmmmmm

Dave

Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:22 pm

crazyvwvanman wrote: If you have a foam supply place near you there are various densities of replacement foam available. The place near me is a fabric supply store that specializes in upholstery. They have a bunch of foam options and cut to it to size. It isn't cheap but it isn't that costly either considering how much use we give our campers. Don't waste your money on the cheapest foam.

http://www.ufofabrics.com/upholstery-foam.html

Mark

X2.

Go into an upholstery shop and talk to them about what you want. You can get that back cushion real comfortable, without a topper. But you will pay for good foam, and it is worth it! (yes, you'll need to sleep with your head to the rear, but I have to do that anyway at 6'4". :D

Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:45 pm

We always sleep with our feet to the rear because the kids are always on the top bunk so its easy to find a site and just make sure the van is slightly elevated up front. (helps with my wifes acid reflux too)

But ultimately i want to see if i can get it comfortable enough so that i don't need to bring any extra toppers. There is enough stuff in and on the van with bikes, paddle boards, skateboards, etc. My girls are pretty active and are 16 and 13. They have a foam topper for the upper bed.

Going to try and find a good upholstery shop near me to talk to.

Mon Jul 20, 2015 11:28 pm

I had to make my own mattress extension for the rear of my GL. It has the Z-bed, which I borrowed from an '86 parts van. I thought about the upholstery shop route, but then one day, I was passing by Mattress Firm and decided to drop in. I ended up buying a twin size foam mattress that they marked down to $40 because of the extreme rains we had here in TX earlier in the year. Water came across the warehouse floor and it got a little wet. You wouldn't know it by looking at it. It was a 4" foam mattress, and the Z-bed is closer to 5", so I grabbed some thick Fiberfill batting from Walmart and some ticking material. I removed the factory ticking and cut the foam to fit the rear of the van, then had my Mom wrap the foam in batting and sew the cover for it, using the new ticking material. Then I picked up a 2" King memory foam topper from Sam's Club and am going to cut it to fit over the entire bed area. I also have a quilted moving blanket that happens to be almost the exact size of the complete bed to put over the memory foam topper and before the sheet. I'm looking for better absorption (of sweat) and something I can wash. An Olympic Queen sheet is the correct width (66") but a bit long. I'll just tuck it under. Hard to believe a full sized Vanagon bed is larger than a standard Queen in width!

Tue Jul 28, 2015 1:28 pm

I mentioned I was going to try just doing the back cushion. Here is what I got for $79.99 and free shipping from foambymail.com I'll have to cut it, but I can use the leftovers.

This is the LUX-HQ foam with an ILD (hardness) rating of 50. I was on the fence between this is and the HD36-HQ which has a 35 rating. They are both high quality foams that should last a long time.

This 50 rated stuff is a little bit softer than the Westy stock foam. You can feel it if you go back and forth. You sink in just a bit with this vs. the Westy your kinda just lay on top of it.

If anyone is wondering what softness to get, I would say 50 is good if you didn't think the Westy foam was all that hard. It will be somewhat softer, but not enough that if you liked the Westy foam, you would mind. The HD36 is noticeably softer and I think most people that want softer foam would think this is about right being used as both a mattress and a seat cushion. As a seat cushion, it would not have the furniture like feel of the Westy foam. I think it would work fine but you would notice the difference as your butt would sink in more. Comparing to memory foam, both the 36 and the 50 would seem firm, but memory foam would not work as a seat foam. So if you are thinking memory foam softness is what you want, the 35 rated poly foam may not be soft enough. If that is what you are after, I think a separate topper is your best bet because super soft foam isn't going to work as a bench seat any better than the memory foam would.

I guess I got the 50 over the 35 because I didn't want to feel a huge difference with my upper half laying on the rear cushion and my legs on the seats. I'll have to camp with it a while and see.

http://www.foambymail.com/foam-types-for-seats-and-cushions.html

I've also tried some 39 rated stuff from a local place. I liked that too. I don't recall any difference from how that felt compared to the 35 but it would have been 10% firmer based on the rating. Anyway, a range of 35-50 is what I think most people would want who are redong westy cushions. HTH.

Dave

Tue Jul 28, 2015 1:36 pm

I did this for the upper bunk bed foam:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7549393#7549393

You could easily buy multiple types of foam, cut to the same dimensions, and make a compound foam cushion for the lower bed cushion. This is the approach I would take for that cushion.

kourt

Sat Aug 01, 2015 8:43 am

When I redid the back bench/bed (in Scooby) I went to a little mattress company and my comfort level was second to none. Firm but forgiving. Not as expensive as going to an upholester and the mattress maker covered it for me. I went with the original 4 inch but 3 would have been good too. When I needed a new mattress at home I went back to that company and just bought the foam for a new bed. Really comfortable.

Wed Apr 05, 2017 3:14 pm

davevickery wrote: I mentioned I was going to try just doing the back cushion. Here is what I got for $79.99 and free shipping from foambymail.com I'll have to cut it, but I can use the leftovers.

This is the LUX-HQ foam with an ILD (hardness) rating of 50. I was on the fence between this is and the HD36-HQ which has a 35 rating. They are both high quality foams that should last a long time.

This 50 rated stuff is a little bit softer than the Westy stock foam. You can feel it if you go back and forth. You sink in just a bit with this vs. the Westy your kinda just lay on top of it.

If anyone is wondering what softness to get, I would say 50 is good if you didn't think the Westy foam was all that hard. It will be somewhat softer, but not enough that if you liked the Westy foam, you would mind. The HD36 is noticeably softer and I think most people that want softer foam would think this is about right being used as both a mattress and a seat cushion. As a seat cushion, it would not have the furniture like feel of the Westy foam. I think it would work fine but you would notice the difference as your butt would sink in more. Comparing to memory foam, both the 36 and the 50 would seem firm, but memory foam would not work as a seat foam. So if you are thinking memory foam softness is what you want, the 35 rated poly foam may not be soft enough. If that is what you are after, I think a separate topper is your best bet because super soft foam isn't going to work as a bench seat any better than the memory foam would.

I guess I got the 50 over the 35 because I didn't want to feel a huge difference with my upper half laying on the rear cushion and my legs on the seats. I'll have to camp with it a while and see.

http://www.foambymail.com/foam-types-for-seats-and-cushions.html

I've also tried some 39 rated stuff from a local place. I liked that too. I don't recall any difference from how that felt compared to the 35 but it would have been 10% firmer based on the rating. Anyway, a range of 35-50 is what I think most people would want who are redong westy cushions. HTH.

Dave

Hey Dave,

Have you slept on your new foam pads? What do you think about them? Would you get thicker/firmer or vice versa next time? I need to replace my foam in the back and figuring out my options.

Thu Apr 06, 2017 1:06 pm

I have a blue one and a HQ LUX 36 and I am using the blue (stiffer one). I like that it is pretty close to the stiffness of the bench seat. After sleeping on it, I got more used to the firmness but I usually put a thermarest pad down.

I think a well crafted topper like this is the cats meow. This one is 1.5" and a stiffness of about 36. 1.5" is nice if you have a rear cabinet bacause you can still access it with it folded over. But you could do 2" and that work well too. Foambymail only sells in full 1" increments.

This cover is made out of sueded cotton blend that FoambyMail sells. It folds in the middle and this is 46x36 sections with zippers on each end. I forget how much it cost, but you would need to get the measurements for yours and just call them. It seemed about what you would pay a local seamstress but they cut the foam and put it all together and shrink wrap it and ship it for free. That fabric is really nice. http://www.foambymail.com/AllColors.html

Hope that helps.

Sun May 12, 2019 12:10 pm

Hi thanks for all the info. My rear cushion burned a while ago in an engine fire.
I guess I’ll have to make my own but if anybody has the original would love to purchase it.

Fri May 17, 2019 1:09 pm

I washed all my covers and need to replace the foam. Does anyone know the size of the cushions? I measured mine, but don't trust my measurements.

I have the following:
Top cushion 45w x 24 1.5 inches thick
Top cushion #2 46w x 34.5 2 inches thick
Over engine cushion 47.5w x 48 2 inches thick

Is this correct? If you've replaced your cushions, where did you purchase (in US)? I'm in Missouri.

THANK YOU!!!

Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:23 am

Lots of pillow talk today! Hey van season is approaching (or it's here!) 👍🏽👍🏽

Toppers have been great comfort for old foam, but interested in the possibility that the bed needs "no topper".
To save cargo space and reduce the amount of 'stuff'.

I kinda think the foam has become a little too hard for sitting too.
But if you choose the bench foam for sleeping, is it too soft as a chair?

That's really great that DaveVickery put up some numbers.
We sleep head-forward, and wonder of it's OK to change just the seat/bench foams.

And how do you discern the difference between
Quality foam
and
Junk but same price as expensive foam?