CushionGuide
Get a quote

The Cutting Table · a common question

Can you tuft my bench cushion with buttons, and add piping too?

Also asked as:Are these able to be tufted?Could you do it tufted in corduroy?

A button pulls the top of a cushion down into the foam and holds it there for good. That's the beauty of tufting, and the one catch worth knowing before you ask for it.

Answered by

The Elder of High Point ·

The quick answer

Yes, a bench cushion can be tufted with buttons free of charge, and tufting can be combined with piping. Write that you want it tufted in the personalization box, and the workshop sends a photo of the buttoned design. The craftsmen set the button count by cushion size. Tufted covers are stitched through, so they aren't removable or washable.

Sage and white striped cushions on a teak bench along a fence in a narrow garden path beside a red brick houseSave
In a slim side garden, a teak bench with sage striped cushions turns a path along the fence into a place to sit.

Get a quote for a bench cushion

Key facts

  • Standard bench cushions have a flat, untufted top.
  • Tufting is free of charge and requested in the personalization box.
  • Piping can be combined with tufting.
  • The craftsmen set the button count by cushion size.
  • Tufted covers are stitched through, so they aren't removable or washable.
  • Plain piped covers are removable and washable.
  • A photo of the buttoned design is sent after ordering.
  • Bench cushions are 4 in thick as standard; a tufted cushion can't be made as thin as 1 in.
  • A fully tufted cushion can vary by 1-2 in from the ordered size, a little more than a plain one.
  • Tufted covers are spot-cleaned by hand; plain zippered covers machine wash at 86°F (30 °C) max.

Have it made

Have Harlan’s workshop cut this for you

Old upholsterers will tell you the real cutting happens in the conversation, long before the shears come out. Tell the workshop what you sit on, and they will talk it through with you. — Harlan

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
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Piping can be combined with tufting.
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

Flat top, or buttoned

Standard bench cushions leave the workshop with a flat top: no buttons, no divots, and a cover that comes off for the wash. Ask for tufting and the craftsmen stitch buttons through cover and foam, spaced to suit the size of the cushion. Piping can run along the seams either way.

A seam is a promise, my friend, and a button is a bigger one. Once it's stitched through, the cover stays on for good, so a tufted cushion isn't removable or washable. The tufted or plain Pattern lays out both sides, and tufted cushion care covers the upkeep.

So where will your bench sit: by a muddy back door, or under a quiet window?

Tufted or plain, side by side

FeatureTufted, with pipingPlain, with piping
TopButtoned, stitched throughFlat, no divots
Extra costNone; tufting is freeNone; piping is included
CoverStays onRemovable
WashingNot washableWashable
Button countSet by the craftsmen for the sizeNo buttons

How to order it tufted

  1. Choose size and fabric

    Order the bench cushion as usual, with your exact measurements.

  2. Write 'tufted' in personalization

    Add 'with piping' and the piping code if you want both.

  3. Check the photo

    The workshop sends a photo of the buttoned design, sometimes very soon after you order.

Tufting a bench cushion is free and piping can go with it, but buttons stitched through the foam mean the cover no longer comes off to wash.

Harlan
Share on X (opens a new window)

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Can I get button tufting with piping on a bench cushion, and is the top flat otherwise?

    The workshop's answer

    Standard bench cushions have a flat top with no tufting. Buttons can be added and combined with piping, but they're stitched through, so a tufted cover isn't removable or washable; plain piped covers are. The craftsmen decide the number of buttons from the cushion size.

  2. A common question

    Can your bench cushions be tufted?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, and tufting is free. Write that you want it tufted in the personalization box, and the workshop sends a photo of the buttoned design, sometimes very quickly.

  3. A common question

    Can I see real photos of a finished cushion before I buy?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Ask in messages and the workshop sends real customer photos and videos, including close-ups of details, or links to similar finished cushions.

Questions buyers ask next

Can I choose how many buttons go on my bench cushion?

The craftsmen set the button count from the cushion's size, so the spacing suits the length and depth you order. You see the layout in the photo of the buttoned design.

How is a tufted cushion cleaned if the cover stays on?

With the cover in place, since the buttons are stitched through cover and foam and it can't be machine washed. If easy washing matters most, choose a plain piped cover that comes off.

Why aren't bench cushions tufted as standard?

Standard bench cushions have a flat top with a removable, washable cover. Tufting trades that washability for the buttoned look, so it's made only when you ask, at no extra charge.