How to Cut Foam?

When you think of foam, what comes to mind? There are foam mattresses, memory foam, foam sheets for crafts, acoustic foam, upholstery foam and many other types. In this article, you will learn how to cut them all.

Things You'll Need

• Box cutter with new blade
• Heavy-duty scissors
• Yardstick or ruler
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Determine the size for the finished product. For example, let's say you have a king-size memory foam mattress topper that is 4 inches thick, and you want to cut it to fit a smaller bed. Lay the memory foam topper atop the smaller mattress and square it up. Lay it out so that one side is even with the smaller bed and is even along the top.

2. Lay the yardstick down on the foam pad where it overlaps with the smaller mattress. With the pencil, draw a straight line using the yardstick from the top to the bottom. It is better for the end-result pad to be slightly smaller than the smaller mattress (the sheets will fit better).

3. Gently pull the large pad away from the smaller mattress so that you can cut the foam and not the mattress.
   Using the heavy-duty scissors, cut the pad along the pencil line. You may need to help scrunch down the foam pad with your free hand to allow the scissors to cut evenly.

4. Cutting other types of foam, such as upholstery foam, egg crate foam or acoustic foam, is just as easy. There may be times when you may choose to use the box cutter instead of scissors--just make sure that the surface underneath where you're cutting is protected against the sharp blade.

5. Cut craft foam sheets with scissors. As long as you're cutting only one sheet at a time, any scissors will do; even blunt-point children's scissors work well.