Mattress and furniture insulator pad

The present invention relates to separating barriers or insulator pads used with mattresses and upholstered furniture with spring support, including cushions and chair seats installed in motor vehicles and airplanes, and methods for making such barriers or pads. The present invention relates to mattress or furniture insulator pads that are placed between the coil springs and the cushioning material in mattresses or furniture, such as chair seats. Such insulator pads prevent the springs from piercing the furniture cushion and provide a bridge across the springs to more evenly distribute weight over the springs. The insulator pads according to the invention have three layers formed by sandwiching polyurethane foam between stiffening layers, preferably formed from polypropylene openmesh netting. Most preferably, a five layer insulator pad has the polyurethane foam sandwiched between stiffening layers and also has outer layers of polyurethane foam, applied adjacent to the stiffening layers, forming the top and bottom surfaces of the pad. Such outer layer foam sheets provide friction characteristics that retard relative movement between the cushion and the springs. The insulator pads have a stiffness modulus above 100 psi, preferably above 200 psi and most preferably above 300 psi.