Upholstery - how close to edge should I put foam

[ax1lla]

Hi all,

I haven't posted on here for years (since I first got my boat). The tips on here were invaluable to me. Among them, were how to do some simple upholstery on my boat seats and backs (bow). However, since it has been such a long time....I need a refresher on something. I am going to glue my foam to my board. How close to the edge should I put the foam? btw - this is for the sides of the boat (not the seats). If I remember correctly, there was a certain distance in from the edge that I should cut the foam....

On a similar note.....how much extra vinyl should I cut (that will give me plenty of room to wrap)? An inch on all sides?

Note: my foam is half inch thick.

I'm pretty sure there was a good thread somewhere on here that walked me through step by step...but I couldn't find it.

Thanks!

 

[fhhuber]

Depends on the appearance desired.

For most purposes take the foam right to the edge or even a little sticking past the edge of the board.

Note that its easier to cut off excess than add more on once you've glued the foam to the board. Tack an edge of the vinyl down and pull around the edge and see what you've got...

Similarly for how large to cut the vinyl, its easier to trim excess than to add on if you cut it too small. I like the size of the board + the thickness of board + foam + 2 inches all the way around... and a little more. In theory that's the 2 inches + a little more available for the staples/tacks. Plenty to work with.
But that's for smooth vinyl. If diamond tucking you need up to 4 times the size.

 

[Woodonglass]

1/2" bigger all the way around for foam. 2" allowance all the way around for vinyl. The extra foam makes for a nice rounded and padded edge.

 

[Corjen1]

What that guy ^^^^^ said....I always go a bit bigger than the base for foam. For the extra vinyl, typically 1.5 - 2 inchs. Sometimes less if its a sharp outside corner (less material to deal with when tucking and wrapping)(more if its a sharp inside corner)

 

[ax1lla]

Thanks guys. When you state that the foam should be 1/2 inch bigger than the board....is that because the foam should be wrapped around the sides of the board as well. I wasn't planning on doing that, but....if that makes more sense (aesthetically), I will.

 

[Twainer]

We used some thicker foam (1-1.5" thick) for areas we wanted more cushion but just about everything else we used a thinner approx. 1/4" foam that we wrapped around the edges before the vinyl. I feel this helps to hide any imperfections in the edge of the wood as well as helps to keep the vinyl from tearing when you stretch tight.

 

[Woodonglass]

Thanks guys. When you state that the foam should be 1/2 inch bigger than the board....is that because the foam should be wrapped around the sides of the board as well. I wasn't planning on doing that, but....if that makes more sense (aesthetically), I will.

Exactly!!! If you want your job to really look "Pro" then use spray adhesive and 1/4" Scrim Foam. Spray the foam and the vinyl with the adhesive and then place the vinyl on the foam and smooth it out. Then cut your pieces out. This padding, as Twainer suggests, helps hide any "Lump-Bumpies" that would show thrue without the extra padding.