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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

Why do outdoor cushions cost more than indoor cushions?

Also asked as:Are all the fabrics the same price?It's quite outside of our budget.

It's the cloth. Outdoor fabric is built to sit out in rain and sun, and cloth like that is premium. Here's when it earns its keep and when it doesn't.

Answered by

The Weather Man of Casco Bay · · Updated

Ivory box cushions on a gray wicker patio sectional with navy striped and coral pillows beside hydrangea bordersSave
Ivory seat and back cushions give a dark wicker sectional a clean outline, while navy and coral pillows carry the color.

The quick answer

Outdoor cushions cost more because the outdoor fabric is premium: water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant, so it can live outside. The surcharge is small; on one quoted 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) daybed set it came to under 10% over standard fabric. For a fully covered area, the workshop can re-quote in cheaper indoor fabric.

Get a quote for an outdoor bench cushion

Key facts

  • Outdoor fabrics are water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant.
  • Fabrics are not all the same price.
  • Cheaper indoor fabrics are not suitable outdoors.
  • The outdoor-fabric upgrade is a small surcharge over standard fabric.
  • On one 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) daybed set, water-repellent outdoor fabric added under 10%.
  • A fully covered area can be re-quoted in indoor fabric.

Have it made

Have Callum’s workshop cut this for you

Tell them where it lives. Porch, deck or boat: the weather picks the fabric and the foam before anyone else does. — Callum

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Outdoor fabrics are water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant.
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Pay for outdoor fabric when

  • The cushions stay out in open air, rain or shine.
  • The seat sits in direct sun for long stretches of the day.
  • Nobody will carry them in before every storm.
  • It's an uncovered patio, deck or outdoor daybed.

Where the cheaper cloth fails

  • Linen, velvet or chenille on an open patio: indoor fabrics aren't made for open-air use.
  • An uncovered bench that takes rain: the standard fabrics aren't waterproof.
  • A lounger in full summer sun with an indoor cover: it isn't built for UV.

What the surcharge actually buys

Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. Outdoor fabric costs more because it makes the stronger promise: water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant, made to live outside. Fabrics aren't all the same price, and the cheaper ones exist, but they aren't built for open air.

The upgrade is smaller than most people expect. If your porch sits under a solid roof, ask for a re-quote in indoor fabric; see indoor cushions on a covered porch first. For open decks, start with outdoor acrylic and the outdoor cushions atlas. So tell me, friend: does rain actually reach your seat, or only the wind?

A real project

One daybed set, priced both ways

A buyer in the US wanted water-repellent outdoor fabric for an outdoor daybed: a 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) set with a seat, two backrests and two armrests. The workshop quoted it twice, once in standard fabric and once in outdoor fabric. The water-repellent version came to under 10% more. At the time there were no finished photos of cushions in that outdoor fabric, and the workshop said so plainly.

Outdoor cushion fabric costs more because it is water-repellent and highly UV-resistant; on one 52 x 28 in daybed set, that meant under 10% extra.

Callum Reid
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Why do outdoor cushions cost more? Aren't all the fabrics priced the same?

    The workshop's answer

    No. The outdoor fabrics are premium: water-repellent and highly UV- and sun-resistant. Cheaper fabrics exist but aren't suitable outdoors. For a fully covered area, the workshop can re-quote in indoor fabric.

  2. A common question

    Is there waterproof fabric for an outdoor daybed, and does it cost more?

    The workshop's answer

    Water-repellent, yes, at a small surcharge. A 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) daybed set with a seat, two backrests and two armrests came to under 10% more in water-repellent outdoor fabric than in standard. Finished photos in that fabric weren't available yet.

  3. A common question

    Can I put linen, velvet or chenille cushions outside?

    The workshop's answer

    No. Those indoor fabrics aren't made for open-air use. Order through the outdoor listing instead: 100+ outdoor-rated, water-repellent, UV-resistant colors that resist moisture, mildew and mold, with any piping combination.

  4. A common question

    Can outdoor cushions be 6 inches thick, with ties and no piping?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Outdoor cushions are made to any size and thickness, including 6 in (15 cm). Piping is optional, and ties go where you want them, such as the two corners of a long side.

Questions buyers ask next

Is the outdoor-fabric upgrade a big jump in price?

No, it's a small surcharge. On one quoted outdoor daybed set, water-repellent outdoor fabric added under 10% over standard fabric. The exact difference depends on size and pieces, so ask for both quotes.

Can I save money on cushions for a covered porch?

Yes. If the area is fully covered, the workshop can re-quote the set in indoor fabric, which costs less. Seating that sees rain and direct sun should stay in outdoor fabric.

Is regular cushion fabric at least water-resistant?

No, the standard fabrics are indoor fabrics and aren't waterproof. For spill-prone indoor spots there's a water-repellent collection, and a separate outdoor range for cushions that live outside.