Goods and Services

Get Long-Lasting Public Seating with Durable Foam

Public seating requires the greatest degree of durability out of all comfort industry products. Not-so-lightly-used furnishings like restaurant booths, bar seating, and church pews are expected to last for years with minimal maintenance and maximum use.

While the outer fabrics take the most aesthetic abuse, the padding inside is what really determines when a seat is beyond use. If a seat doesn’t look great but still feels good, people won’t mind too much. But if things like bar stool pads or pew cushions are worn out and uncomfortable, it doesn’t matter how fancy they look; people won’t like them. For this reason, it’s important to get durable, top-quality seat padding for public seating applications.

When brand-new, any foam product is going to feel responsive and resilient, whether it was designed to be soft or firm. But the quality of foam varies by design, from materials made to be turned into affordable but occasional-use products, to high-density and high-quality cushioning materials. An example of this is open-cell bonded foam, made from shredded remnants of scrap or recycled foam and kept together with adhesive. This is a very firm foam and durable as well; hence its use as carpet padding underlayment. This material is excellent under vinyl covered, water-proof custom bench cushions in bars and restaurants, as well under soft fabrics for church pews.

Another option for even more durability is closed-cell foam, like gym rubber. These materials don’t have as much softness as open-cell foam, but still provide cushion while offering the most durability. These materials are perfect for bar stools, where most people aren’t going to be demanding a luxury comfort experience. Whether open or closed-cell foam is better for the application, picking high-quality and durable foam padding for commercial and public seating is an investment that will save you money by holding up for years of use and abuse.