How To Glue Foam: Helpful DIY Foam Tips
DIY projects are more popular than they have ever been, as people look for ways to stretch a dollar, find a new hobby, or take greater ownership of the things in and around their lives. With this trend, people aren’t only taking on more of the typical at-home projects, they are also expanding their efforts into areas formerly reserved for trade workers or craftsmen.
Soft eggcrate can be glued to a firm or water-resistant base
With more than 30 years in the comfort and support industry, The Foam Factory has seen the evolution and progression of many trends in home furnishing, and the development of DIY in recent years is one that has staying power. Things people used to replace or purchase without a second thought are now being fixed or built at home with customization potential beyond anything that can be bought in stores.
As the scope of projects people are willing to take on widens, custom seating cushions have become one particularly popular endeavor. Whether it’s to replace worn out couch cushions or for padding a chair for the perfect feel, making your own cushions from The Foam Factory’s open-cell foam is surprisingly doable. However, the hurdle that slows many people after they buy foam for a project is when they realize it can’t be created using just a single piece of material. The surprising solution to this problem is as simple as gluing multiple pieces together.
The idea of gluing something as soft and flexible as foam may sound strange, but in actuality, it has been a standard industry practice for decades. The best news for do-it-yourselfers is that it’s a very simple process that can be done at home. Armed with a few tips to keep in mind when it comes time to glue, you can put together a top-notch end-product.
When bonding pieces of foam together, the adhesive used makes all the difference. With the different chemical formulations that make up foam, some glues aren’t able to form a strong bond, and in a worst case scenario, the wrong adhesive can cause a physical reaction that results in a breakdown of the material. Fortunately, there is glue for foam designed specifically for use with all different varieties, and they are readily available from many retailers. The Foam Factory stocks adhesives designed for bonding open-cell foam, closed-cell foam, and even polystyrene, which can break down when the wrong adhesive is used.
Adhesives for foam are specially made to function in products used for comfort and support without changing their qualities. Sold as aerosol spray, this application method assures even distribution across large surfaces. These glues are also very strong while remaining flexible. This prevents the forming of an uncomfortable hard seam in a cushion. Instead, the foam is allowed to flex and compress without tearing. While a significant part of DIY is using on-hand materials, spray adhesives are the right tool for the job and perform in ways white glue or brush-on paste can’t.
Spray glue on both foam faces that will be bonded together
Once you’ve gathered the materials you need for a project, there’s the matter of knowing the right way to bond the separate pieces of foam. When gluing foam, apply adhesive to both surfaces evenly, and wait a few seconds for the glue to get tacky. Once you’ve properly aligned your cut foam, compress it together as firmly as possible. With foam’s absorptive nature, this pressure works the glue deeper into each piece. Instead of a thick and rigid glue line that would be present if the foam was gently compressed, tightly squeezed foam seams create gradual bonds that make cushion pads stronger and more flexible.
This gluing method is easy when dealing with items like smaller cushions or throw pillows, but sometimes extra-large pieces of foam are difficult to glue together. When the foam pieces are too large to squeeze together from both sides, there is another technique to ensure you get the strongest bond possible. Using two fingers and your thumb, pinch the seam being glued, firmly holding for a few seconds before moving down the foam. It’s important to not to tear the foam’s edges while pinching, but by being careful, you can get a strong bond on even the largest cushions. Don’t forget to gently turn the cushion over and pinch the bottom edge as well, before declaring the project complete. With The Foam Factory’s quick-drying adhesive, just minutes after finishing your pinching, even larger cushions should be ready to be re-covered and relaxed on.
With these tips on gluing DIY cushions, you should be able to create cozy seating all through your house, for only the cost of glue and foam!
Tags: Couch Cushion, DIY, Foam Cushion, Open-Cell Foam, Spray Adhesive
Posted in DIY
Thanks for the information, am curious about best adhesive for pipe wrap foam if I am gluing it to itself. Thanks in advance!
3M Super 77 is suggested to glue foam to itself.
What adhesive can I use to glue 2 pieces of eggcrate foam together?
3M Super 77 is suggested.
What glue can be used to glue together the color foam squares for kids play areas?
We suggest our 3M super 77 spray adhesive for your application.
Hi, can this work on a 6*6 rebonded Matress that has been cut in half and needs to be glued back together, and which glue can I use in that case?
Thanks.
The 3M Super 77 can be used for this application.
What type of glue do I use to glue two foam cornices (each 3 1/2 feet long) together?
3M Super 77 is suggested for your application.
What kind of glue would work best to bond open-cell egg-crate foam to polypropylene (i.e. a Pelican case)?
We suggest our 3M super 77 spray adhesive for that application.
Would this bond stay in place when a cushion cover is periodically removed to wash ?
Yes the glue should hold when the cover is occasionally removed and replaced.
Which 3M Super 77??? There are several versions.
Link to our product page for the 3M Super 773M Super 77
I am making a dinette cushion set/mattress for a camper. I need to glue a 3” gel foam topper piece to a 3” natural latex rubber on the bottom. Would the 3M Super 77 adhere to both these types of foam? Is it compatible with both pieces?
Yes, that should work.
Can i glue styrofoam to plastic with this adhesive
We would suggest our Camie 373 spray adhesive for your application.
I’d like to glue closed or open cell foam to the inside of a bass drum case, which is made of rigid, molded plastic.
3m super 77 spray adhesive is suggested for your application
Looking to glue foam insulation board to itself, Aluminium and Balsa Wood. Any recommendations?
3M Super 77 spray adhesive can be used for that application.
I would like to glue two closed cell seat cushions, the kind used by hunters, what is the best spray adhesive should I use?
3M Super 77 spray adhesive can be used for that application.
I need to glue magnetic strips to seat cushion/foam pillow type foam. what king of glue should I use.
You could try our 3M Super77 spray adhesive for that application.
Hi I wanted to fix a 1/2″ thick piece of reconstituted foam to a circular section of same foam so it forms a semi circle round the back of the main piece. Is there a glue will do the job? Thank you.
The 3M Super 77 will work for this application
Thanks so much for the information. I have some dark grey high density foam which I think was purchased from an upholstery company – can you tell me if this is open called foam?
I’m guessing if it is that the 3M Super 77 is the glue to use, is this correct?
As long as the foam you have is not a Polystyrene based foam, then the 3M Super 77 spray adhesivewill work. If it is Polystyrene based, then we suggest the Camie 373.
Hi I was using 77 to glue wood to foam board does not work it melts the foam. what am I doing wrong
If the foam board is Styrofoam or Polystyrenefoam, then you would need to use the Camie 373adhesive to avoid melting the foam.
Cani use adhesive spray Loctate to glue foam ceiling crown molding to my wall/ceiling. Can’t use nails on polystyrene.
Certain adhesives will melt Polystyrene foam. For this application, we recommend our Camie 373 spray adhesive. This adhesive is safe for use with Polystyrene.
hi what kind of glue i needed for me to attached my 2pcs king sizes foam
i bought them separately but now i wanted them to be attached
For your application, we would recommend out 3M Super 77 spray adhesive.
Hello I have a sponge foam dense enough to make a foot stool seat. I’m using a vinyl ( faux leather ) to cover it. I don’t sew. What kind of glue would you suggest. Please.
For your application, we would recommend our 3M Super 77spray adhesive.
The foam on my ski goggles is lifting off the plastic frame. What kind of adhesive can I use that will adhere the foam to the plastic frame but will stay keep the foam pliable?
thank you
The adhesive that we recommend for this application is the 3M Super 77 spray adhesive.
Can I glue 4 -3 x 24” foam seat cushions together to make a 48” cushion for the bottom of a child’s teepee? What kind of adhesive.
Thank you
For this application, we recommend the 3M Super 77 spray adhesive
Hello,
My name is Thomas Smith, We are looking for a supplier for the following
materials:
(1) HOLT MELT GLUE PELLETS, Book Binding Application ———- QTY 20,000 LBS
I want to know weather you have this iterms available and if so, how much per LBS would cost.
Please revert back to me with all relevant information, options, and suitable alternatives.
Note: In addition to the above,Our company standard Payment terms is Net 30 from the date of supplier with your supplier Invoice.Kindly Send your company credit application form alongside with the quote price for the product above.
Thanks,
Thomas Smith
Veritas Technologies LLC
Procurement Dept.
500 East Middlefield Road
Mountain View CA 94043
Phone: (657) 306-4732
Please Contact Usdirectly regarding your inquiry!
my molded seat (top and bottom) on my gravely 260 z has detached from the bas. The covering is still in perfect condition. I just need to reattach the molded foam cushion to
the metal base. Could you tell me what to use? thanks
For this application, we would recommend the 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive.
What sort of adhesive can I use to glue foam to the back-or non sticky side- of foam tape? The other question is what can I use to glue foam to virtually anything else, wood, metal, glass, plexiglass , etc Thank you.
For your application, we would recommend the 3M Super 77 spray adhesive.
Great article, really helpful. What glue would you recommend for a memory foam knee pillow that has split down the middle? I was going to throw it away, but having read this, want to mend it instead.
For your application, we would recommend our 3M Super 77 spray adhesive.
Hello,
I am considering for piecing memory foam to high density foam for daybed cushions. Is it best to glue together? How does the memory foam affect the ILD number of the HD foam?
Yes, we would recommend gluing these together with spray adhesiveso that they do not shift around on each other.
Could you please advise me on what to use to glue a piece of foam to a piece of plywood? Thanks
If you are gluing Polystyrene foam, then we would recommend our Camie 373spray adhesive. With any other foam type, you could also use our 3M Super 77spray adhesive.
I have a closed cell floating foam mat that has a sizeable tear in the middle of the mat. What adhesive can I use that is waterproof and will permanently keep the tear becoming longer.
We would not carry any adhesive that would work for this application. To get the best product for your needs, we would recommend calling the 3M Helpline at 1-800-3M-HELPS.
I have a plastic kayak. It has existing closed foam thigh pads. I would like to glue another piece of closed foam on top of it to make it thicker. It would also extend several inches beyond the existing pad and need to adhere to the (plastic kayak). What adhesive is recommended. And would it be advisable to “rough up” the surfaces prior to applying glue?
Please Contact Usfor further information regarding your application.
I have 4 inch high density polyurethane foam originally cut for futon. Now I would like to glue the sides back together to use for double bed. What type of glue would do the job? Thanks
For this application, either of our Spray Adhesivesshould work.
Thank you for responding to my question, much appreciated!
Have trouble visualizing the instructions for gluing and compressing large pieces of foam together. Using “two fingers and the thumb to pinch the edges”. How would that work on the center section of a larger piece? Thanks!
Typically, the center will weigh itself down enough to cause the adhesion naturally if the spray adhesiveis strong enough. The sides, however, need a little more help to be sure they are lined up appropriately.
I am trying to glue foam pieces together to make custom campervan cushions. I have a Tempurpedic Memory Foam Mattress Topper that I have cut to shape and want to glue open cell Firm High Resilience Foam pieces underneath the mattress topper. What kind of adhesive do you recommend?
For this application, either of our Spray Adhesiveswill work.
My couch cushion has 1″ thick pieces of foam that cover all sides of the 6″ thick foam cushion. The 1″ edges of the foam are then glued together to form a nice rounded edge. The seam holding the 1″ pieces of foam has come apart in several places. I tried to re-glue the 1″ seam per the above instructions and it looked like the glue held. Then 1 week later when I went to put the cushion cover back on I see the glued seam did not hold. Will new glue stick to the old glued seam? Did I not use enough glue? How do I get the glued seam to hold?
Please Contact Usdirectly for more information regarding your inquiry.
I have glued foam cushion pieces together in the past and there is always a “hard line” that can be felt from the top of the foam. What should I use/do to avoid this from happening?
For this application, we recommend our 3M Super 77spray adhesive.
I want to glue polypropylene plastic with sponge foam. What do you recommend?
For this application, we would recommend our Camie 373spray adhesive.
Would this work for soundproof foam? Would it stick to sny other material? Thank you
For our Acoustic Foam, our Spray Adhesive will work. It is recommended to apply a light layer of the adhesive to both the foam and the surface you will be adhering to. Give them around 15 seconds to become tacky, and then put the pieces together. Feel free to Contact Us for further information.
i want to glue two pieces of polyurethane foam together. what adhesive is the best?
The best spray adhesive for this application is our 3M Super 77
What is the best adhesive to use for open cell foam of a similar density to charcoal regular to both itself and HDPE/UHMW plastics?
I don’t mind using multiple products if neccesary.
The Adhesivethat we would suggest for your application is our 3M Super 77.
What would be the best way to glue a foam cushion to a seat wooden board ?
Using our Spray Adhesive, we would recommend spraying the foam and wood with a generous cover on the sides you would like to adhere. Let the adhesive get a bit tacky, then apply the two sides together. For more information, please feel free to Contact Usdirectly.
Hi. I asked some foam manufacturers and foam mattresses producers and all of them said that there is no need to glue layers together and a cover alone is enough. What is your opinion on this? Thanks.
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to The Foam Factory via our blog.
We agree that it is not completely necessary to glue multiple mattress layers together if you purchase a cover to encase the foam. Most of our foam types have a texture that grips well to the other foam layers, so the foam does not shift apart when inside of the cover.
For all future questions, please contact us.
I need to adhere foam rubber (cushion foam) to Styrofoam to make a puppet. Please
Thank you for reaching out to us via our blog.
Per your questions, we unfortunately are not glue experts, but below is the 3M hotline and they will have more information on what glue to use!
1-800-3M-HELPS (1-800-364-3577)
For all future questions, please contact us.