A sagging cushion is one of the most common complaints about an older sofa — and one of the easiest to actually fix, once you know what's causing it.
Why cushions sag in the first place
Foam compresses and loses its structure with repeated weight over years of daily sitting — this is completely normal wear, not a sign of a badly made sofa. Feather and fibre-filled cushions sag differently: the filling simply shifts and clumps rather than the material itself breaking down, which is why they respond so well to regular plumping.
The frame and webbing underneath matters too
Sometimes it's not the cushion at all — it's the support underneath. Webbing straps (the crisscrossed fabric bands under the seat) stretch and sag over time, which makes cushions feel like they're sinking even if the cushion itself is fine. Pressing down firmly on an empty seat area tells you quickly whether it's the webbing or the cushion.
Fixes by cushion type
- Foam cushions: a replacement foam insert cut to size, or a foam topper placed underneath the existing pad, restores firmness without replacing the whole cushion.
- Feather/fibre cushions: daily plumping (squeeze and reshape by hand) redistributes filling; topping up with extra feather or fibre filling revives an older cushion cheaply.
- Webbing sag: replacing the webbing straps underneath is a straightforward upholstery repair and fixes the support issue at its source rather than just masking it with a firmer cushion.
Prevention going forward
Rotating and flipping reversible cushions regularly spreads wear evenly, so one spot doesn't take all the compression. Plumping cushions daily (yes, actually daily) makes a bigger long-term difference than most people expect.
Already too far gone?
If a sofa's structure genuinely needs restoring rather than a quick fix, that's the kind of full refurbishment work we specialise in at Revived Sofas — frame, webbing, and cushion fillings all properly restored, not just topped up. Browse our fully refurbished sofas, each one checked and rebuilt where it needs it before sale.