Doing it Right This Time

After going to all the trouble of restoring our old cushions we ended up buying another set from another 420 owner who had decided to change his out for leather.  These were in like-new condition and were dark blue with gold specs, giving the main salon a really beautiful, new look.

These "new" cushions lasted us about two years before we realized we weren't using the main salon as much as we should because it just wasn't comfortable for lounging around.  The cushions were fairly hard and the backs were too straight.  We ended up going to a local seamstress and having custom cushions made.  Cheri picked out a nice heavy floral fabric and a matching solid color for a two tone look.  The new foam is not as firm and is thicker.  The back cushions are two inches wider at the bottom which gives a nice angle for comfort.  We also had four bolster pillows made that serve as armrests which really adds to the comfort.  On the port side settee we had the center back cushion made so it flips down and becomes a table with single seats on either side.

Now we spend more time in the main salon.  It's a nice place to hang out and when we have guests over it's much more comfortable for everyone.  This is, after all, the equivalent of our living room.  The new cushions really made a big difference.  The price we paid for these, using the best materials, was about half the price of new cushions from the factory.  I liked that part the best!

What We Did....

When we bought the boat she was already 9 years old and had spent time doing duty in the charter fleet.  Part of the wear and tear from that showed up in the cushions from the Main Salon.  They were drab looking, probably impregnated with suntan lotion and sweat (gag!).  They sagged and drooped and looked pretty tired.  When we checked into replacing them we found the cost ($5150) to be out of reach for our quickly dwindling "refit budget".

We took the cushions to our friend Vicky at Galesville Canvas to see if they could be saved. She pulled one apart and showed us how to use a clothes steamer to fluff up the foam cushion.  Running the steam across the sagging foam, it instantly puffed back to it's original shape. She explained that it would behave like new since the foam was in good condition and we would still get many years of use from them. She also showed us how to replace the batting to give a good rounded shape on the edges and corners. Finally, she showed us how to re-stuff the foam into the fabric covering. With our "cushion class" fresh in our minds we raced home to see what we could do.

We went to Bed Bath and Beyond and picked up a Rowenta 1400 watt steamer for $50. After stopping at the local fabric store for some batting and spray adhesive we got to work.

We pulled the foam from each of the bottom cushions. They're the only ones that have zippers (the back cushions are stapled to a plywood form and had to be cleaned with a spray cleaner. This worked out OK because the backs were in better shape than the bottom cushions). Once we had the foam pieces out we washed the covers about 7 times until we felt that they were truly clean. We stripped the old batting off the foam and then fired up the steamer. This part is soooooo cool. The foam grows back to it's original shape before your eyes and it only takes a few minutes to go over each piece. Once we had steamed them we put all the foam in a room with a dehumidifier for 2 days. Next we sprayed them with some Fabreeze deodorizer. We cut out new pieces of batting and attached it with a spray adhesive (3M Foamfast 74). We also inserted a couple of anti-static dryer sheets to keep things smelling sweet. Then we jammed the foam back in. This was definitely the hardest part of the process.

We found that folding the foam into a V shape helped. Then we just slid our hands in between the outer cover and the foam and pushed and pulled until things were in place. We worked on a few cushions each evening after work and before too long had them all finished.

The fabric covers look much better than before and the cushions themselves have a nice shape to them. Considering that we only spent about $75 for everything, instead of $5150, I'd say we came out OK.  Now we can put the extra $5075 towards that new headsail we've been salivating over.