When your home and garden are sparkling and ready for those relaxing summer evenings, is it time to spruce up your outdoor cushions for your patio furniture? There are so many options available to add comfort and style to your outdoor living space.
Outdoor cushions are made up with totally different material to the scatter cushions inside your home. The materials used for patio furniture are normally weather resistant to rain and sunshine. Most outdoor cushions are also machine washable and fast drying, so they stay fresh and clean.
When choosing outdoor cushions consider choosing a neutral palette for the primary cushions. Scatter cushions can add a pop of color to match your mood. You can also easily change out the scatter cushion covers to match your season or holiday, without costing a fortune.
Patio Cushions
Materials Used in Cushion Fill
Most outdoor cushions are filled with polyester fill, clustered polyfill or polyurethane foam..
Polyester fill is soft and fluffy and probably best suited to throw cushions as they don’t offer much support and will compress over time.
Clustered polyfill maintains its structure and will not clump when washed. It is durable and will not sag or flatten easily and you could have many years worth of use of the material filling.
Polyurethane foam comes in two forms. The open form and the closed form. The open form is a medium to firm structure and best suited to dryer climates and is a good general use outdoor foam. Open cell foams are water resistant and not waterproof. Water resistant means the water can run through it however it is not waterproof. Most open form foams come from the factory pre-treated with an antimicrobial resistance. It does wear off eventually so you do need to apply water resistant sprays which work effectively.
The closed form suits wetter climates and is more dense, hence it is firm, comfortable and more expensive than open form. Because of the density of the foam they are generally more waterproof. High density closed form cushions can last 5-10 years. To keep the cushions in good shape and extend their life span, it is always advisable to store them away in a deck store or perhaps in airtight containers and bags
How to Measure Your Patio Furniture
With such a wide variety of patio furniture to choose from, be sure to measure your furniture accurately for new cushions.
Chair Seat
- Stand in front of your furniture item you are ordering new cushions for.
- Width: How wide is the seat – so left to right
- Depth: How deep is the seat – measure all the way from the front of the seat to the back of the seat
Thickness of the cushion – measure how thick you would like the cushion
Chair Back Cushion
- Stand in front of your furniture item you are ordering new cushions for.
- Width: How wide is the seat – so left to right
- Depth: How deep is the seat – measure all the way from the front of the seat to the back of the seat
Thickness of the cushion – measure how thick you would like the cushion at the back
Storage
It is important, when considering the costs we all face today, to choose a good quality outdoor patio cushion. The price tag may be more in the beginning, however the longevity of the product will save you money and heartache in the long run. To save your cushions, consider the storage aspect when they are not in use. You may want to store in sealed bags or air tight containers or even add a lovely storage bench or trunk to your seating area. Put a tray and decor on it and let the storage trunk of storage bench be your table top for entertaining.
Conclusion
Whether you are looking for outdoor cushions for your chair, bench, porch swing, sofa, dining table and chairs, or a new cushion for your ottoman, be conscious of the use of the product and the environment it will be in, before you buy. Remember your patio or porch and outdoor dining set is your relaxation area – so when choosing outdoor cushions for patio furniture, be mindful that it is a place to be calm and relaxed.
Thank you for writing such an interesting piece about patio furniture cushions. It’s understandable that the material of the cushion is important. Polypropylene was one of the first marine fabrics because it was more UV resistant than other fibers. While doing research online, I came across your website, which got my attention in getting creative with my outdoor space.
Thanks Rosie – send some pictures and show me what your outdoor space looks like when you are finished!
This is actually a great post. I have been looking for these out door cushions for a long time. In your post you have explained about them in detail. Also I have to get a sealed bag if I buy them. I knew that because of your post. Thanks so much for posting like this. I will definitely be sharing this. Thank you very much.
Hi Pasindu,
Thanks for sharing and I’d love to know which patio cushions you chose ultimately and why.
Hey!
Thank you for sharing about outdoor cushions for patio furniture.
My parents back home have a beautiful patio, but they’re chairs aren’t covered so overtime, the cushions have deteriorated. I believe they are made of polyurethane foam.
This is very informative and maybe i can give them tips and how to take better care of them. Thank you!
Hi Lorenz, Thank you for your comment. I am so glad the information about patio cushions has proved useful to you. Let me know what your parents choose – I’d been keen to know!