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In the past, we have contacted mattress stores to purchase their super-thick and dense foam for new cushions. It takes a little elbow grease (ie: serrated knife and some sewing skills) but our couch has lasted about 7 years now. Good luck!

it looks like you have a fabric with some stretch in it. that is probably adding to the problem. is that a linen?

If it's the fabric that is becoming baggy, maybe you can wash the covers to shrink them a little.

I agree with regular "plumping" of the cushions.

I'm not trying to be a downer, but a year old! I know this happens w/modern sofas (based on some previous AT posts), but I have a hand-me-down from my grandma and it still looks great.

Does anyone know why these new expensive sofas fall victim to this? Is it the fabric? Does anyone have a suggestion of a modern sofa that doesn't do this before the 5 year mark? Eventually I will want to replace mine and I definitely want the best quality for $1,500-3,000.

Contact Room & Board - you might be pleasantly surprised by the response. Ethan Allen REPLACED my friend's sofa when she had a similar problem.

I have the same problem with my 2 room and board sofas. I have washed the covers and the seat still looks a little saggy. I was thinking of going to the rubber and foam Canal and getting some strips of super high density foam to make the edges taut again.

Lizzard,
It is sometimes possible to "upgrade" your cushion foam when you're ordering, to get a denser grade of foam installed the cushions when the sofa is made. The cost of the upgrade is a heck of a lot cheaper than doing it after the fact.

First try removing the foam cushions and wrapping them with a layer or two of batting, available from upholstery supply places. This will plump them up and make the fabric covers fit more tightly.

If you want to do it yourself you can go buy batting and wrap the existing cushion and replace it. This will take up the extra space that is making the wrinkles and plump it up a bit. My mom reconstructed an old sofa and did this with the cushions. They were wonderfully comfortable. For you I would go with a thin batting. Measure the depth of your cushion and try to get it the same depth. Then experiment with the number of times you wind the batting around to get the desired fullness. With this style sofa you want to avoid the overstuffed look. Of course, this works best if you have zippers in your cushion covers. If not you can take the stitching out on the seam on the back and redo later by hand. If you are not feeling handy, you an take the cushions to an upholsterer and have them do it. Either way, it is a very fixable issue. No need to get rid of the sofa over it.

go talk to room and board. my sister had a similar problem, and i think they gave her the wrong types of cushions. either way they replaced them free of charge. she also had her couch for a little over a year.

I agree with Lizzard. I've got cheap JC Penney outlet sofas and they don't have this problem after several years. I'm saving up for a nice piece and if I spend a lot on an R&B sofa (which I WAS planning to do--now rethinking), I'd be ticked off if they looked this bad after a year. I'd be on the phone with the store complaining.

Oh my gosh - the same thing is happening to my RnB sofa which is also a year old. I'm going to call the store to find out what they say. Thanks for the feedback.

There is a foam store down on orchard street (not sure of the exact address but near Katz's deli). They will cut high density foam for you (sometimes while you wait) and stuff them for you.

Sigh, my R&B sofa is also saggy in the same way. Glad to know I'm not alone.

I used batting, just like Dandy did. It's inexpensive and works well.

I have an Ikea Kramfors sofa and the CB2 Annex sectional. The annex is showing wear in the back rest pillows and need to be plumped all the time. while the kramfors holds it shape very well (no back rest pillows, seat cushions are tight). If you ever want a cheap modern sofa, I highly suggest it, throw a couple of pillows on it and it's pretty comfortable.

Curious to hear if the poster or anyone got a response from Room & Board. We have the exact same couch with the exact same problem. I've been trying to balance the wear by sitting on different sides but in reality the couch should hold up better. What did the store have to say?

My R&B sofa started sagging after a few months (only on the most used cushion). My sofa is leather, though, so no way to wash the cover. After much re-fluffing/flipping/cushion switching, I am also going to contact R&B.

This happens a lot with chairs and sofas in the low- to medium-price range. It's because they use polyurethane foam instead of latex foam. Latex foam became popular in the 50s when it was used in place of coil springs wrapped in padding (yes, removable cushions actually had springs in them! they're called Marshall units), or down-filled cushions.

Unfortunately, latex foam dries out over time when exposed to air and/or light and/or heat. You can find fifty-year-old latex foam in good shape when it has been covered with vinyl the entire time, but most will be dry and crunchy.

Then polyurethane foam came along. It's less expensive to produce than latex foam and feels almost as good when it's new. But it breaks down way sooner than latex. It isn't as resilient to begin with and it loses what resiliency it has starting within a year or two of use. There are various grades of resiliency but even the firmer ones don't perform like latex.

You can get latex cushions cut to size from foamorder.com and a few other places. There is no need to buy mattresses and cut them up yourself! (Though if you do resort to that, an electric carving knife is the best tool by far. It cuts cleanly and quickly. Mark both sides of the foam and check the lines every inch or two to make sure you're cutting on a true perpendicular.)

Latex foam also comes in various degrees of firmness. Foamorder.com describes them pretty well.

All that said, I'd call C&B and see what they'll do. Ask about poly foam vs. latex foam. They need to know that their poly foam cushions do not hold up.

(oh, and adding batting will work for a little while but it will also compress a bit and will not be enough to compensate for further degrading of the polyfoam.)

There is no such thing as "maintenance free" furniture. The cushions should be fluffed and rotated weekly.
If you have been doing this, you should call the retailer and explain what has happened.
Another thing, not every piece if furniture holds up the same way in every living situation. It is best to choose based on your family's lifestyle.

I know this may sound harsh...but I think your only smart option is to replace it. I buy a new sofa at the start of every year and make it a point to only spend roughly $1000 on it. Sofas after the year mark I find do show wear and tear.

i work for a furniture manufacturer and typically when oil prices go up, you will see a difference in foam.

This was my question, you can call me Saggy for short ;)

Nice to hear that other people are also having the same problem with R&B. I had no idea it was such a common occurrence. I am defiantly going to contact them, might even run over at lunch. I will let you guys know what they say.

Problem with this sofa, the cushions are curved in the corners. So I can only swap them side to side, can't fully rotate them.

Since I emailed this to AT I decided to move, and might just try to sell it before I move - I want a different color now. The new sofa I have my eye on has buttons on the cushions, not sure if that would prevent this from happening.

I have a $2,000 sofa from Room and Board and after 3 months I noticed saggy sofa syndrome. After nearly a year, I see it big time and I fluff and flip them daily. It's very depressing to say the least. It's definitely the construction of the cushions and the fabric. I had to return my first sofa from them as it arrived with a broken leg and squeaky frame, so I'm not about to write to them to ask for a replacement for this one. I guess I just need to watch less television and sit on the floor!

this is very disappointing to hear about RnB sofas. i have been jonesing for one for years, and hoping some day to be able to afford one, even second hand. i would be very interested to hear what responses people get from them. i had a new ikea sofa that i bought 14 years ago. it got the sags, but it was a cheap one and didn't sag untill about the 5th year. and that included many naps and 12 year old boys using it for a trampoline. i did flip the cushions constantly, but clearly you can't do that. not good.

My wife and I purchased the Bantam sofa from Design Within Reach back in May of this year and we are having the same problem. I haven’t had a chance to contact them yet (we both have been working crazy overtime) but plan on it soon. It really makes my stomach hurt when I look at it. This sofa was not cheap and this is unacceptable.

This totally turns me off to R&B sofas, which I considered "safe" and in a reasonable price range. I just ordered a bunch of swatches, too, and I was disappointed at how thin and stretchy (in a plasticy-lycra kind of way) most of the fabrics were.

On the other hand, I was very disappointed in the cushions on a pricy outdoor sectional I bought from Frontgate a year ago, and they have just replaced them for upgraded foam cushions that I think will stand the test of time. I had to pay the price difference, but it was so worth it. And I'm glad I picked up the phone when I did, because my option to exchange the cushions was about to expire!

Good luck reaching out to R&B for resolution.

There's nothing wrong with the sofa - you need to flip your cushions!!!

louisw, buttons on the cushions won't help any if the foam inside is the same poly foam. Once the foam begins to lose resiliency, the fabric will look loose and rumpled no matter what you do. The foam slab doesn't spring back to its original dimensions after being compressed, so it no longer fills out the cushion cover. Buttons will keep the fabric from creeping but it will still look baggy.

I've had two Room and Board sofas and haven't had a problem with the cushions described here.

That being said, fabric choice is critical in relation to the sofa style and cushions. I chose a fabric for a single-surface sofa that was too tight and so after the first seating it puckered everywhere.

My current R&B sofa (two years old) gets minor fabric wrinkles liked those in the photo, but I just smooth them out after getting up or at the end of the day, and it is fine.

UPDATE:

I went to the R&B store on my lunch hour and told them my troubles. The woman was very helpful, but all she could do was create a service call where they would come out and inspect my sofa to see if it was "normal wear" or not.

I asked if it was normal to see this much wear after only one year and she said YES! She blamed it on the fabric being woven (so maybe you should stock better fabric).

She did say they used 1.7 poly for the cushions. Not sure what that is.

I will see what the service man thinks when they come to inspect it. I have a feeling they will blame it on wear, even thou it's only a year old.

Not impressed, and now double thinking my plans to buy a new sofa from them when I move.

I am curious how other people had such success getting them replaced.

Fabric stretches, cushions compress, there's nothing you can do about it. It doesn't matter how much you spend or who made it. Have the covers dry cleaned, (washing may fade them). Smooth them with your hands, rotate the cushions. If you don't like it, get a wooden or metal bench. No stretching or stretching out.

Is that comment serious about the person buying a new sofa every year? How wasteful.

Um, maybe it's just me and my lack of "modern" taste, but that really isn't that bad. It's not really sagging---it just looks like it needs to be plumped up a bit. Add some foam and call it a day. Fabric stretches when you do things to it.

Yes dmh my comment was totally serious. I buy a new $1000 sofa at the start of every year...what I failed to mention was that I always donate my "old" sofa to either Salvation Army or Housing Works. So I am not wasteful at all...Whats wrong w/ someone wanting a firm "new" looking sofa every year??

"She blamed it on the fabric being woven (so maybe you should stock better fabric). "

Um - Most fabric is woven...
...and last I checked - R&B offer a wide variety of fabric options.

Among the R&B fabric swatches I received recently, most of them seemed to be way too thin and stretchy to be upholstry fabrics. The only ones that seemed to have any durability were the polyester microfibers.

If you do manage to get the couch replaced, I'd suggest requesting swatches to see how thick/strong the different fabrics are, and then selecting something different (even if you have to pay to upgrade).

stt64, yes it does matter how much you spend and who made it, and no, foam doesn't have to compress and fabric doesn't have to stretch. Many quality upholstery fabrics have a backing that limits stretching. I have done a lot of upholstery myself and am speaking from experience.

Latex foam doesn't compress nearly as quickly as polyfoam. You should be able to get 10-15 years of life out of a latex cushion vs. 1-5 years out of poly foam.

Room & Board sofas are not high end. They're very solidly in the mid-range as far as price with some on the low end of that scale. Their fabrics look nice but overall are not particularly durable. You get what you pay for.

I have an R&B sofa and don't have this problem at all. Love my sofa, love R&B. They are a customer service busines first and foremost, so yes, I 5th ot 6th the motion to call and ask them if they can do anything about it.

UPDATE:

I just received the email below in response to my request for a service call.

"New cores are 148.00 each UPS 15.00
As a option one time only R&B would pay for one
You would pay for the other and UPS"

Nikokera, whats the name of the foam place on Orchard? I googled it but couldnt figure it out. Thanks

My sofa is at least 30 years old and while the cushions are past their prime, they're not in terrible shape. I had been thinking of replacing it with R&B sofa sometime in the future but this post is making me rethink that completely. I would be incredibly annoyed to spend over $1,000 on something that didn't even make it one year. Maybe I'll just get my sofa reupholstered.

Please keep us updated on the progress you make with R&B. Good luck.

@louisw

Wow. 1.7 poly foam is not that dense, really, and I'm not surprised it's breaking down so fast. Even if they replace it with another 1.7 poly foam, your going to see the same problem.

I was just in a foam supplier last week or so, and they were telling us about how furniture these days is being made with cheaper foam than it used to be. He said in part, it was because dense good quality foams were increasing in price these last few years. He steered me away from the cheap foams, as he said I'd be unhappy because it would break down in a year or so, and I couldn't afford the higher priced denser foams, unfortunately.

Here's a page w/ good descriptions of several types of upholstery foam:

http://www.foamorder.com/cushions.html
http://www.foamorder.com/custom_cuts.php#memoryfoam

Call Room &Board. I purchased a couch from there in 2005. After a year it began to show age, inusual wear in the fabric, structure, etc. I called Room & Board to see if they offered a slipcover for the couch. It turns out, they had a problem with the particular couch and had ceased doing business with the manufacturer. They replaced my couch for free last October. Nearly 4 years after I purchased it! I am a huge fan of R&B, they really stand behind their products and clearly have a lot of integrity!

louisw -

I see that you are interested in getting a button tufted couch. After this problem that you are seeing I just wanted to give you a heads up of things to be aware of ...

Button tufted couches are prone to losing buttons as they can easily get caught on pants/keys etc. and then accidentally torn off. If you really like the look, try something blind-tufted as the process buries the tufting deeper. Also, tufting doesn't remove the perils of saggy cushions. ;) My couch has somewhat less severe wear but it is still there.

I have the Gus Modern Rochelle sofa and have had buttons pop off about 10 times in under a year now. Most of those times the buttons did not even get caught on my clothing, they just sort of wore out I suppose. Luckily they were kind enough to replace the sofa and insist this is entirely abnormal. Even still I am considering an un-tufted version as I would hate to continue having this problem.

Good luck on your quest!

Sigh. I too have the Andre couch in the same fabric. I love the colors in the fabric as well as the design...and as the other readers noted, I also have cushion sag after one year.

I emailed customer service and got a prompt response. Hopefully they can replace the cushions or get better foam etc.

Perhaps R&B should discontinue the sofa given how poorly it holds up.

I noticed the same thing with my Case Study Day Bed by Modernica. I figured it's just normal wear combined with the type of fabric I chose (Kings Road = 100% olefin). Not much I can do about it since the bottom cushion cannot be flipped. It never occurred to me to call Modernica about this, though.

Any other CSDB owners with the same problem?

CVchica, What kind of response did you get from R&B? Did they offer to replace it free?

Trumystique The place "on Orchird" was Economy Foam & Futon. They moved, but I bought a big desnse cushion from them 6 or more years ago for about $75. I am sure they raised their prices.

In LA, you can get a 24x27x6" 2.5 pound sandwich cushion with dacron wrap for about 50 bucks each. In New York, it is probably double, if you look around.

Man that blows me a way that a $ 1,000 sofa would fall apart like that. As for a new sofa every year...no comment.

Michael Dumas - did you replace the cushion or just add foam/batting to your cushions? has it held up through the years?

We have returned two leather R&B sofas, both for showing unacceptable early sagging. In the first instance, since discontinued, we were told the line had had its share of problems. This emboldened us to try another, the Wells. It lasted even less time! Within a few months, the cushions looked like puddles.

No, we aren't fat, and no, we didn't shoot porn on the things. To its credit, R&B went out of its way to make things right, offering a new sofa entirely or a refund. We'd seen enough.

FWIW, we've had a DWR Theatre sofa floor model for two years that is holding up well.

louisw -
I do not know yet if they will charge for new pillows. Here is the response I received:

Thank you for your email. I'm sorry to hear about the troubles you are having with the cushion cores on the Andre sofa. Regular maintenance does require that you rotate and fluff your cushions often in order to ensure the best wear possible. That being said, I have also entered a service to find out about replacement cores for you. Our service department should be in contact with you within the next few days.

Wow. I just realized that the current couch is also button tufted! Please disregard my comments above ... (though I do think button tufting on the seat is more problematic).

Thanks everyone for the help. I am so surprised to see so much problems with R&B sofas. I would be interested to see if a company representative finds this post, and if they do please feel free to email buy (at) louis walch dot com