Sofa bed salvage question

[SlocanValley]

Hello Good AS Folks,

My wife and I are at the beginning of a 1962 Trade Wind project, total gut. I am in the process of clearing stuff out to save and get rid of. I am for sure going to salvage the wooden sofa bed frame and drawers, as I feel it is the best use of space moving forward. The cushions are is horrible shape and the smell is unbearable. A few years down the road when the sofa is reinstalled and I am looking to buy or custom make the sofa is there anything I should know before I throw them out? Should I trace them out?

Can I buy new cushions somewhere or is this an on your own good luck project?

They are in a bin that we are renting for a home project. The bin is leaving tomorrow. Am I crazy to throw them out?
Thank you,

Aaron

[SeeMore]

Be sure to measure all the cloth dimensions of each cushion; seam to seam as the interior foam is actually larger to create a wrinkle-free surface. Label each cushion's measurements regarding placement and then store that information for future use.

When the time comes, you can purchase replacement foam and have new fabric sewn to fit. It is not an inexpensive endeavor so plan on a few thousand in your budget unless there is someone in the household willing to do the fabrication.

To see types and pricing of online foam sources today, check sites like these:
https://www.foambymail.com/MEAS.html
http://foamite.com/foam-grades/

[BIGED52]

SlocanValley, I would take the foam insert out of one cushion (if they are all the same size) and measure it! You can always take a cover to a dry cleaners and have it cleaned (to reduce the smell) most of the odor you are smelling is from the foam cushion material. Can you even imagine how many odors have been absorbed by it over the years? Then throw it all away except for the now cleaned cover. When you are ready to rebuild the sofa you can take the cover to a upholstery shop and have new covers made in your choice of fabric and color to work in your new interior scheme. That is what we did for our Safari. Hope this helps, Ed

[SlocanValley]

Excellent ideas. Thank you.

[SeeMore]

Be careful about the timing of when you take measurements and the washing/cleaning of covers. Measurements should always be taken before cleaning as shrinkage is different by fabric type. Natural fibers like cotton can shrink significantly after cleaning (or disintegrate) and that will result in a nice smelling fabric but worthless as a template.

[Atwebs]

Far easier to hand the old stinky cushions to a sewing/repair shop than to guess what you really need when the time comes. If not, be sure you have measured and also saved a photo or two of how they look and fit!

We had old cushions for a sofa in a cabin that were nasty -not even foam but horsehair and dirty pink nylon upholstery. They smelled like 50 years of fires and dust and were very uncomfortable to sit on.

A local upholstery shop used the original cushions to order foam to fit the wooden sofa frame and covered those new cushions with fabric of our choice, using the original placement of zippers and seams to make it work perfectly. It turned out very nice and is comfortable and no one had to guess the dimensions or anything else because they had the originals to use as a pattern.