Types of fillers for sofas
Regardless of whether you are a buyer or designer, or, perhaps, a manufacturer of sofas and armchairs, this article will be useful to you. In today's article we will tell you about the difference between good and best materials for filling furniture. After this article, you will know exactly which filler to choose when buying new furniture or how to provide the desired level of comfort to your customers, and justify the choice.
Let's start with the fact that we take a look at the pillow in the section filled with polyurethane foam (PU foam or furniture foam). We have prepared for you a special infographic, which combines the possible options for fillers, ranging from a more rigid seat design, ending with a softer one.
Polyurethane foam (PPU)
After you have read our infographics, let's take a couple of minutes to figure out what polyurethane foam is and how it is made. Polyurethane foam is a by-product in the processing of crude oil. It consists of two main chemical components: polyols and isocyanates. When these two substances are mixed together and baked in special chambers, they rise like a loaf of bread and form a substance that we know as PPU.
PPU has two main properties that are important to consider when choosing a quality material: density and rigidity. You can choose the optimal performance, specifically for your sofa model and specifications, to get the desired degree of softness and comfort. can be adapted to your exact requirements in order to get the level of comfort that suits you.
Let's take a closer look at what these indicators mean.
The density of the foam is a specific measurement of how much weight a foam can support per 1 cubic meter. This indicator indicates the density of furniture foam rubber. The higher the value, the longer the sofa will last. Before buying a sofa or mattress, be sure to find out the density level of the PU foam - a seat with a rating of 28-30 kg / cubic meter will provide not only comfort, but also durability of soft furniture elements. The backrest should have a density not lower than 22-25 kg / cubic meter, and armrests - 20-22 kg / cubic meter.
However, this is not the only factor that affects the durability and comfort of furniture.
ILD or IFD is a measure of stiffness, which indicates how hard or soft polyurethane foam is. The higher the score, the stronger the material. It also reflects how much weight the foam will bear before it starts to deform.
When you buy an inexpensive sofa, for 5-10 thousand UAH or so, even if it looks amazing, as a rule, low density PU foam will be used for filling, because it reduces the cost of the product. Not having the proper knowledge and ability to look inside, the buyer chooses furniture only on the basis of external characteristics, and then resents why the sofa quickly became useless.
To avoid such an unpleasant situation, you should always ask for certificates of quality materials used for the manufacture of your furniture. They must be not less than the established norms.
Due to the fact that recently the issue of ecology has become increasingly important, we cannot but touch on the topic of safety for the outside world and the health of such material.
In West . Therefore, we want to tell you about possible alternatives today.
Undoubtedly, refined petroleum products are not the best choice for human health. Therefore, we consider it our duty to pay attention that today on the market there is a choice of PUF made from soy-based polyols. Such foam rubber will have less environmental harm compared to oil-based polyol foam.
The advantages of PPU include relatively inexpensive cost, high elasticity, a comfortable fit and good elasticity.
Latex
What about latex?
Furniture filler made from 100% natural latex with a spring core wrapped in a mixture of down and feather in a 50:50 percentage ratio - the best of all possible options, which is used to produce high-quality and luxury furniture, since this material has high elasticity, instantly restores its original shape , non-toxic, hypoallergenic and has a long service life.
However, there are a few caveats about latex.
For starters, let's see what it is?
- Some people are allergic to latex.
- Latex - heavy material, respectively, and the finished product will be heavier than with any other filler. This is important to consider if the furniture is chosen by an elderly person, it is possible that it will be a lot of work for him to move such a chair. In addition, the cost of transporting furniture will be significantly higher due to the weight of the products.
- Latex is not a highly elastic material, therefore it is used for furniture that does not have bends. While polyurethane foam bends easily and takes any desired shape, it is not always possible to use latex for designer furniture.
- Latex is a fairly rigid material, so we recommend using it as a core, which should be wrapped with a softer material, such as a down or a mixture of feather and down.
What other options are there for filling pillows?
Down and feather
For example, you can make a sofa with a filling of 100% fluff or a combination of feather and fluff.
What are the nuances? Down pillows should be beaten regularly to maintain their shape. In addition, they should be sewn, so that feathers and down do not cling out. Also, it should be noted that such a seat will be very soft, which may not be comfortable for older people. And some may be allergic to fluff or feather.
Nevertheless, there are models of sofas that look very nice and cozy, thanks to such volumes.
Artificial down
An alternative to natural down and feather can be artificial down - an artificial down, consisting of 100% polyester. Advanced down has a number of advantages, such as the ability to quickly restore shape and a long service life, increased softness, elasticity. He is not afraid of water and does not roll. Most often sintepukh is used for backs of chairs and sofas, and also as a filler for decorative pillows.
Holofiber
For other alternatives, can be attributed holofiber. In appearance, it resembles fleecy balls formed from polyester spiral fibers. The advantages of holofiber include hypoallergenicity and environmental friendliness, the ability to keep shape well and recover quickly, as well as high hygiene and hygroscopicity. Due to this, he is able to compete even with PPU.
Sintepon
One of the most used fillers for furniture is a synthetic winterizer. Because of its low price and availability, it is often used to fill the budget class sofas. Of the advantages of this material can be distinguished quite good elasticity and softness, environmental friendliness, hygroscopicity. However, it has a significant drawback - rapid wear. With active use, the furniture very quickly loses its original appearance, forming dents and cavities.
Foam rubber
If you want even cheaper, then choose foam rubber. However, today, using foam as a filler for furniture is a relic of the past. Since it is the cheapest of all the above materials, foam rubber is of the lowest quality. He very quickly comes into disrepair. This sofa will serve you 4-5 years and it is not very active use. The only justified option of using foam rubber to fill furniture is couches or puffs, which are used infrequently.
The average service life for different furniture fillers is as follows:
- Latex - up to 20 years;
- Down and feather - 10-15 years;
- PUF - 5-8 years;
- Hollofiber, sintepukh - 5-10 years;
- Foam rubber - 3-5 years and that, in case of the very careful attitude towards it.
Well, after you decide on the filler, do not forget about the upholstery. In our catalog you can find a wide selection of furniture fabrics that meet any needs and wallet.
We hope we have been helpful to you today.