Patio Cushions

5 Steps to Choosing Patio Cushions

Once you have selected outdoor furniture, you’ll need to think about choosing patio cushions to add style and comfort to your furniture to make the perfect garden seating area. Here are the 5 steps to making the right choice for your outdoor patio furniture.

1. Decide on a budget

Patio chair cushions vary greatly in price as well as quality. The cheapest outdoor cushions will probably not do much to enhance your patio furniture – they will cheapen it, no matter how much the furniture cost. But you don’t have to go overboard either. It’s unnecessary to spend a small fortune to have your sitting area looking good. Do a little browsing and then set a budget based on the typical prices you have seen for quality patio cushions.

2. Measure Your Furniture

Cushions come in all shapes and sizes. For a typical chair you need to measure the width and height of the back as well as the width and depth of the seat. For a lounge chair, you would just need the full length and width. And for a cushion pad, the size of the seat – diameter if round, width and length if rectangular. Also, think about what type of cushions will work with your furniture – a deep seat can take very thick cushions but they may not look right with your furniture.

Outdoor Cushions add comfort and color

Outdoor OCushions add comfort and color

3. Decide on a Look

If you are looking for a place to relax in natural surroundings choose a design for your patio furniture cushions in simple neutral and natural colors with a restrained pattern (if any). If you are going for a tropical pool look, then choose an outdoor fabric with a bright patterned design. If you are decorating your patio for fall choose rustic red, brown or green colors to help set the stage. Whatever look you would like to create there will be a design for patio furniture cushions to match.

4. Consider Fabric Type and Features

Do you need your patio chair cushions to be weather resistant and waterproof? This will affect the type of fabric you choose. If you leave them out in the rain (or have a poolside patio) be sure and choose a waterproof fabric. If you take the cushions in after use you can choose a finer fabric.

5. Check Out the Quality of the Options Available

Take a look at some cushions online or in your local store. When you have found something suitable you like think about the quality of the patio cushion covers.

  • Check whether the fabric is machine washable. This will help it stay looking good.
  • A quality cushion designed to withstand a lot of use will have reinforced seams, zip closure and piping to help durability.
  • Check also how the cushions are secured – do they have tie tabs for example?
  • Do the fabrics have a Teflon coating to resist moisture and spills?
  • Are the outdoor cushions UV resistant coating to prevent fading if they will be left out in the sun for long periods?
  • Are they thick enough to be comfortable without being too thick for your patio furniture?
  • How firm is the foam filling?
  • Will it withstand as much use as you have in mind?

Once you have surveyed the options available in your budget you can make a wise choice when buying your patio cushions and then all you have to do is wait for a sunny day, sit back, relax and enjoy your garden.

Where to Buy the Best Patio Cushions

There is a wide range of patio cushions to choose from these days – all types of shapes, sizes, fabrics and designs. You can find some cushions for your patio furniture in department stores as well as in specialist garden furniture outlets and budget ranges in general purpose stores. Rather than trooping around the local stores however I think it’s a great idea for many reasons to shop for patio cushions online these days. Here’s why…

1. Great Selection

Patio cushions take up a lot of shelf space in a store so you are unlikely to get a huge selection locally. It can be annoying to make the trip and then find they don’t have quite what you were looking for. Online you will find hundreds of patio furniture cushion suppliers and 1000s of designs in different sizes, styles and colors. Not even the largest outdoor furniture store can compete with that.

2. Convenience

You can browse online stores at any time of the day or year and they will always be open. You can shop for patio cushions whenever it is convenient and find just what you are looking for in a few minutes. There’s no hassle getting to the store and no expense, waiting or lines either. Ordering is secure these days from online stores – look for the secure ordering symbols to be sure and they also offer hassle-free returns services so you can try out your patio cushions at home. Online shopping makes the experience of buying patio cushions quick and easy.

Patio cushions for comfort

Patio cushions for comfort

3. Lower Prices and Discount Codes

Often you’ll find cheaper prices and discounts on patio cushions from online stores. That’s because they have lower overheads – just think of the costs involved in running a physical store. It’s easier to compare prices on similar patio furniture cushions online too so you can be sure of getting a good deal – you don’t need to go from store to store you can shop around from the comfort of your own sofa.

4. Help in making Your Choice

A few sites (like this one) offer helpful guides to making the right choice and measuring up when buying patio chair cushions – you are unlikely to find as much information in a local store.

5. Pressure Free

You can browse as much as you like without irritating the store assistant keen to make a commission. Make your choice without pressure. Spend several days if need be. Bookmark sites and go back to them after you think about it. No one will get upset.

6. Free Shipping

Many online stores offer free shipping for orders over a certain amount. Check the terms when ordering your outdoor cushions but in general, your new cushions can be delivered to your door completely free of charge!

7. Something Different

Online you’ll find many beautiful outdoor patio cushions which will lift the look of your garden furniture and patio and make your “outdoor room” the envy of your friends. These unique designs are just not available locally when it comes to patio cushion covers.

8. Easily Find What You are Looking For

Most sites have a search facility which allows you to hone in on exactly what you are looking for as well as a facility to browse their selection of patio cushions if you are still looking for ideas. You can quickly find the patio chair cushion which meet your needs for size, price, color etc and then spend your time considering the selection you are interested in.

9. Money back Guarantees

Online stores take the risk out of your purchasing online by offering no-hassle money back guarantees. Some local stores are more difficult about returns and even if they offer a full refund you still have to make the trip back to the store.

10. Custom Cushions

A number of online stores specialize in creating custom cushions which exactly met your requirements for size, material, shape, color etc. This is a useful service when you can’t find exactly what you are looking for among the ready-made patio cushions available.

How to Measure for Replacement Patio Cushions

When you measure for replacement patio cushions you can either measure the old cushions that you will be replacing or the furniture itself. Remember in all cases to use a proper measuring tape rather than try and struggle with an old ruler – that is bound to lead to mistakes.

Measuring from Existing Outdoor Patio Cushions

For patio chair cushions, measure the width and length of the back rest part of the cushion taking measurements from edge to edge (rather than seam to seam) for the width and from the top edge to the break or fold in the cushion (where the seat part of the cushion starts) for the length. This gives you the seat back measurement. Then take the length and width of the seat part of the cushion separately.

For a patio bench, chaise lounge or lounger cushion, measure the whole length and width from edge to edge.

For a seat pad cushion, measure the length and width edge to edge (or the diameter of a round cushion).

Finally measure the thickness of your cushion and note that measurement too. Thicknesses may not match if cushions have received uneven wear – just get a rough idea of a suitable thickness for your patio furniture cushions.

If your cushions have been well used, remember that they may have “spread out” a little and take this into account with all your measurements.

Measuring for Patio Cushions Using Your Outdoor Furniture

measuring for patio cushions

measuring for patio cushions

If you do not have the old patio cushions to measure, you can take measurements from your furniture itself. If existing cushions are well squashed out of shape this may also give more accurate measurements.

To measure for a patio chair cushion, measure across the seat of the chair – this will give you the width of the cushion. (If there are armrests in the way measure the width across the seat inside the armrests.) Then measure from the back of the chair where you would like the top edge of the cushion to finish, to the start of the seat (where the break or fold in the cushion would come) to give the back length. (Cushions may be the whole length of the back or stop a little short of it) Measure from the back of the seat (the fold area) to the front edge to give the seat depth.

To measure a garden bench or lounge chair you just need the width of the seat (take measurements as for the patio chair) and then the whole length of the chair.

To measure for a seat pad take the width and length of the seat (or the diameter in the case of a round seat).

To estimate the thickness of cushions for a patio chair, visualize how your cushion will look as various thicknesses. What would look too thin/too thick/just about right?

When looking at ready made cushions you are looking for the nearest match for your chairs. You should be able to find something not too different which will be suitable.

If there is nothing available however don’t despair, you can always try custom replacement patio cushions.

Patio Cushions : Fabric Choices

Which fabric is the best for patio cushions? It depends on many factors such as

  • How much wear your patio furniture cushions will get. Are they for every day or occasional use?
  • Whether the fabric needs to be waterproof. Some fabrics are OK to be used by a pool or can be left out in the occasional shower. But note that most patio chair cushions last better if they do not to get a repeated soaking. Waterproof fabric is mildew and mold resistant but they can’t protect against it completely
  • Patio cushion covers ought to be coated so that they are stain resistant. If they do not have this it is a good idea to use a protectant spray yourself.
  • If the cushions are going to be in full sun for a good part of the year, fabric needs to be UV (fade) resistant
  • How comfortable you want the fabric to feel against your skin – some patio cushion fabrics feel rougher than others
  • Your budget – some fabrics are more expensive than others

Patio cushions are commonly made from the following outdoor fabrics :-

Acrylic

Acrylic is durable and strong fabric that is designed for outdoor use. It is a soft cloth fabric which feels like soft canvas and it can be cleaned simply with warm water and detergent. The fabric resists fading, mildew and rot. Although more expensive than other fabric options acrylic fabric patio cushions are likely to outlast cheaper fabrics.

Poly/Olefin

Poly/Olefin is a synthetic fabric which is well known to resistant to fading as fiber is solution dyed before being woven into cloth. Cushions made in this fabric are also resistant to mildew and staining. Clean with warm water and mild detergent. Avoid contact with oils and lotions and wash if contact occurs to prevent staining. The material also feels like a soft canvas.

poolside patio cushions

poolside patio cushions

PVC/Vinyl Coated fabric

PVC or vinyl coated fabric patio cushions have a strong polyester fiber core which is coated with PVC and woven into fabric. They are weather resistant but you should avoid prolonged contact with suntan lotion and oil which cause deterioration over the long term. (Clean after contact with these substances to avoid this). PVC coated fabric is slightly less comfortable than acrylic fabrics as the material is stiffer and they have a smooth plastic feel to them.

Spun Polyester

Spun Polyester is a 100% polyester fabric with a soft slightly silky feel. The fabric generally has an open weave construction which stays cool and comfortable. Spun Polyester is generally treated for soil and stain resistance (but check this when looking at the cushions you like). Wash with water and mild detergent then rinse.

You will find a wide range of designs in each of these fabrics for your outdoor patio cushions online so you should be able to get the right cushions for the kind of look you have in mind. Of course you can also get cheap patio cushions which do not have much resistance to fading, weather and mildew made from simple untreated cotton canvas or polyester. Cheap patio cushions will not last but they may be a good option for you if you like to change your cushions frequently.

Buying anything usually involves a compromise between cost and quality and patio cushions are no exception. Browse the many patio cushions available online and then think about what will provide the best value for you.