{"id":60443,"date":"2025-12-02T17:53:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T16:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/?p=60443"},"modified":"2026-02-04T17:07:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T16:07:24","slug":"the-truth-about-upholstery-foams-whats-really-inside-your-chairs-and-sofas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/the-truth-about-upholstery-foams-whats-really-inside-your-chairs-and-sofas\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truth About Upholstery Foams: What\u2019s Really Inside Your Chairs and Sofas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Info, expert advice and opinions on different types of foam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Demand for custom sofas has been growing at the workshop<\/a> lately, and the question of ecology systematically comes up in conversations with my clients. “What natural options do you have?”, “Is it possible without petroleum?”, “And latex, is that good?”. Legitimate questions that deserve honest answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But beyond our clients, it’s also us, furniture professionals, who are concerned by these questions. As an upholstery artisan, I have my nose in these foams all day long. I cut them, handle them, breathe their dust. When a foam gives off strange odors, it’s my workshop that reeks for weeks. When it emits VOCs, it’s my lungs that suffer. This toxicity question isn’t theoretical for me \u2013 it’s a workplace health issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I went out to get a complete overview of the foams that are actually available to us for upholstering a custom sofa today<\/strong>. From the lowest to the highest quality, including so-called “ecological” alternatives. Guess what? The more ecological it is, the more expensive it gets. But more importantly, I discovered that the “all natural” promise in sofa upholstery often amounts to marketing fantasy.<\/p>\n\n\n

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But by the way, what is foam?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before diving into the details, a basic reminder: foam is air trapped in plastic material<\/strong>. Period. All the magic (and all the chemistry) lies in the way we create and stabilize these millions of tiny bubbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three main foam families<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Polyether foam<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Polyether foam is the most basic, the lowest quality<\/strong> and the cheapest. It has a closed-cell structure (the bubbles don’t communicate with each other), which makes it poorly breathable and not very resilient. It “dies” quickly \u2013 meaning it loses its ability to recover its shape. You find it in discount sofas, decorative cushions, and packaging. Density generally between 16 and 30 kg\/m\u00b3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polyurethane foam<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Polyurethane foam<\/strong> is more elaborate. It exists in standard version and HR version<\/strong> (High Resilience).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The difference?<\/strong> The size and structure of the cells. HR has larger, open cells (they communicate with each other), which gives it better ventilation and above all a superior ability to recover its shape after compression. This is THE foam of the professional market. Density from 24 to 50 kg\/m\u00b3 depending on use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viscoelastic foam<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Viscoelastic foam (memory foam): a polyurethane foam enhanced with additives<\/strong> that make it thermosensitive. It reacts to body heat and perfectly conforms to contours. NASA invention, popularized by Tempur. Dense (50-85 kg\/m\u00b3) but not very reactive \u2013 it takes time to recover its shape. I almost never use it for sofas: too soft for seating used daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is it made?<\/strong>
The basic polyurethane recipe:<\/p>\n\n\n\n