Educate me please: cushions on outdoor furniture

12 years ago

We will be purchasing a new dining table and chairs for our deck- nothing too expensive because we have a short season and it doesnt get a lot of use.
I looked at the big orange box store, and I figured I should eliminate sets with cushions because I figured you didnt leave the cushions out all the time in the summer you needed to store them somewhere. Is that right? I dont mind storing for the winter but I dont want to have to have a storage box on the deck and I dont want to be pulling off and putting on all the time either.
If you do leave them out, how long do the take to dry after it rains or in the morning from the dew? Will I be able to have my coffee on the deck or will I go to sit down and then have to re-change for work?
I really just have no idea, thank you for helping me.

Featured Answer

moonshadow

12 years ago

We use covers I got from Lowes, I don't recall the brand but tend to think it's the Garden Treasures line. Ours are a tan, canvas-like material, elastic sewn in at the bottom + rope ties. I have a glider and rocking chair with cushions. Every evening, or when not in use, we put the covers on and tuck the elastic under the legs of the glider to secure it down in case of wind. For the rocker we loop the rope to the legs to help hold it, the rocker cover is actually for a chair so the fit at the bottom is a little funky. Never had a cover blow off, never had soaked cushions. Sometimes cushions might feel damp due to humidity from rain and in that case exposing to air & sun (while still on the glider or rocker) gets rid of that really fast.

I didn't pay a lot, I want to say around $25 for the larger glider cover, a little less for the chair cover. Well worth it, we've been using them for about six or seven years now. I saw in one review someone sprays scotch guard on theirs at the beginning of every season. A good idea that I might do this year simply due to age in order to help boost effectiveness. No rips or tears, even despite a giant pup who likes to sneak a nap on the covered rocker when he thinks no one is watching ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Furniture Covers

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Comments (9)

busybee3
12 years ago
i don't bring my cushions inside during the summer... what i have found is that the sun can do alot of damage to cushions.
i have never bought very expensive cushioned outdoor furniture, but the moderate priced and less expensive cushions i've had seem to do much better if they don't get full sun. they dry quickly in the sun and dew has never been a real issue on the cushions, but i have never sat outside in the early morning in nice clothes!
i would keep them outside and would bring a beach towel in and out to sit on if they were dampish
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no_green_thumb
12 years ago
We purchased a new set last year - short season here as well. In fact, I wish it would start this year already!
We have cushions - Sunbrella. I don't worry about the fabric (although the sun will ruthlessly fade it) --- I am concerned about what is inside. There are cushion inserts you can buy where the water is supposed to pour right through - I am sure these are not them - and I would think it would take an awfully long time for them to fully dry out.
I know you don't want to take the cushions off and on - but we do. We just made sure that the chairs can be used without cushions and that is how they are most of the time. We put the cushions on when we have guests for a cookout. Other than that, we use the set without them.
But many sets cannot be used without cushions - so you would need to be sure of that.
User
12 years ago
I would never get cushioned outdoor furniture. it's more to store when not in use; it can get moldy; can take a long time to dry after a rainÃ¢ÂÂ¦

I don't see any benefit to them, esp. when where is such great stuff now, namely sling, which is very comfortable, lightweight, stacks to store, dries quickly, easy to cleanÃ¢ÂÂ¦.
localeater
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for all the feedback. It sounds like I can leave them out, but it is best not to. That is what I was thinking.....
I will probably go the sling set which we liked for dining and then maybe next year a cushioned conversation set.
Best of both worlds eventually!
Oakley
12 years ago
My cushions are in full shade and never get moldy if the rain blows on them. Mold will grow if there's no air circulation from what I've experienced.

Mine stay on the chairs all year and so far they've held up. Not sure what the material is, but they do dry pretty fast.
User
12 years ago
We bought a set one year and left our cushions out one summer (long summer here) and by the end of the summer they were fairly faded. We stored them over the winter and by the end of the second summer, they were beginning to disintegrate. They never molded though. I couldn't find replacement cushions with the same shape and bought replacement cushions from Orange. They didn't fit as well and we keep them in the garage unless we want to sit in a chair. They spend more time in the garage than in the chairs, but after 2 years, they still look good. I kept the original cushions in case I ever decide to recover them because I still like them better.
cat_mom
12 years ago
We store our deck chair cushions in a Rubbermaid deck box year-round (FWIW, we're in southern NYS). Our cushions have a Sunbrella fabric, but we keep in them in the deck box when we are not using them--we put them on the chairs when we are going to sit/eat out on the deck, and pop them back in the deck box when we head back inside for the night. We have a total of six chairs.

The deck box keeps out rain, snow, dirt, and the cushions don't smell musty at all when we take them out to use them.

We got our set at Fortunoff a couple of years ago (cast aluminum table, chairs). They have some really good sales events, and the store manager was really helpful. We purchased a furniture cover from them as well. We take down the umbrella, and cover the set in late fall, leaving it in place on the deck. Our umbrella is made from the same Sunbrella fabric as the cushions. We know taking it down and storing it for the winter will keep it in good shape for many years to come as well.
PRO
Modern Style Outdoor Furniture
7 years ago
At Modern Style Outdoor Furniture we sell all our sets with Sunbrella as this can can withstand the sun and rain, it comes with a 5 year antifade Warranty, it is important to get quick dry foam with a textilene base on cushion this helps it dry very quickly