If cared for properly, quality patio furniture should last a long time. In fact, you may find that your cushions wear out long before the frame, leaving you to wonder whether you should replace the whole set or rejuvenate your tired looking patio furniture cushions instead. It’s not that the cushions aren’t made from quality materials. Like any other material, the fabric on your cushions will eventually show signs of wear and tear. Dirt, grime, stains, weather and daily use can cause the fabric to eventually give out, no matter how well you maintain them. Thankfully, it’s not that hard to recover patio furniture cushions. And even if they’re not worn out, you may want to consider recovering them as a way to give your patio a facelift without spending a lot of money.

When deciding how to recover patio furniture cushions, you first want to make sure that the underlying padding is still good. Remove the current covers and see that the underlying padding is still in good shape. If it is, recovering them will be relatively easy. Start by measuring the existing cushions. Be sure you leave a little extra in the measurements to cover seams, overlap and waste. When you shop for fabric at the store, look for outdoor rated fabric. Usually, a fabric store will have a selection of fabrics specifically designed for outdoor furniture. Don’t bother buying a pattern you love if it’s not made for the outdoors. You will be quickly disappointed in the results.

Once you have your fabric, it’s time to create a pattern. Take your existing cushion cover and use it as the base. Lay it out on a piece of butcher paper or brown wrapping paper. Be sure to add in the seam allowances. Fold the fabric in half once on the horizontal and plate the patter on top of the fabric. Pin the pattern to the fabric and cut through both layers of fabric. Once you have the pieces cut out, it’s time to start sewing. Flip the pinned pieces inside out. Use a heavy grade thread to sew the pieces together. A poly blend will last longer than cotton in the outdoors. Be sure that you don’t sew all the sides closed. You need one end open to add the cushion. Some cushions are made of three or more pieces of fabric, not one. In these cases, take the current cushion cover apart using an X-acto or seam ripper and use the different pieces to create the pattern. If you do this, you don’t need to add any extra seam allowances as the existing pieces you use as a pattern already have them.

Adding a closure allows the pad to be removed so you can wash the covers in a washing machine. If you’re not an experienced sewer, you may find that adding a zipper is a daunting prospect. But if you still want to make them removable, you can always use Velcro instead. Velcro is a lot easier to work with, but you do need to remember to leave a little extra material on the closure so the two sides of the Velcro can stick together. Before you put your recovered cushions back into service you’ll want to add a light coat or two to the fabric to make them water repellent. You can purchase a spray can of it at most home improvement stores. This will help keep your newly covered cushions looking new and help prevent dirty and debris from staining them. That said, you’ll still want to take precautions with your new cushions. For example, suntan lotion and oils can permanently stain some fabrics. Before you ever sit or lay down on your new cushions, be sure to lay down a towel to absorb any excess lotion. After all the work you’ve done to recover your patio furniture cushions, you don’t want to deal with the unpleasant surprise of suntan lotion stains that won’t come out of the fabric no matter what you do.

Author Bio: Jesse Akre owns Edenvale Shoppes and hosts numerous furniture and furnishings for any home whether it be indoor bench or end tables styles and designs.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: indoor bench,outdoor benches,hall bench,garden benches,entryway bench,hall tree bench