CushionGuide
Get a quote

The Cutting Table · a question, worked through

Can a tufted cushion be made for outdoor use?

It can be sewn. Whether it should live outside depends on where the rain lands.

Answered by

The Weather Man of Casco Bay ·

Pinned by Callum

The quick answer

A tufted cushion can be made in outdoor fabric, but the tufting lets water inside even when the fabric is outdoor-grade. By a pool, a fire pit or anywhere that gets wet, choose a non-tufted, foam-filled cushion in outdoor fabric; zippered outdoor versions are made without tufting. Tufted outdoor pieces suit covered, drier spots.

Get a quote for a floor cushion

Key facts

  • Tufted shapes can be made in outdoor fabric.
  • A tufted cushion lets water inside even in outdoor fabric.
  • For wet spots, the advice is a non-tufted, foam-filled cushion in outdoor fabric.
  • Zippered outdoor versions are made without tufting.
  • Water-repellent outdoor fabrics are offered for cushions left out in all weather.
  • The outdoor fabric range includes darker greens.

Have it made

Have Callum’s workshop cut this for you

Short list: size, sun hours, how fast it has to dry. The workshop goes through it with you. — 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
Tufted shapes can be made in outdoor fabric.
Foam
For wet spots, the advice is a non-tufted, foam-filled cushion in outdoor fabric.
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

“Can you make the tufted one for outside?”

Yes. The same tufted shapes are sewn in the outdoor fabric range, which has its own color chart and runs to darker greens, and in the water-repellent outdoor fabrics. The tufted floor cushion with a handle has been quoted in outdoor fabric at 24 x 48 in (61 x 122 cm) and 24 x 52 in (61 x 132 cm).

So the question isn't the fabric. It's the spot where the cushion will spend its summer.

“It's going by the pool and the fire pit”

Then think again, friend. Rain doesn't negotiate, and neither does a cannonball splash. The fabric can be outdoor-grade and a tufted cushion still lets water inside.

For wet spots the workshop recommends a non-tufted, foam-filled cushion in outdoor fabric, such as outdoor acrylic. Zippered outdoor cushions are made without tufting anyway, and fire pit bench cushions follow the same rule. Where does the water land on your patio when a storm blows through?

Where the cushion lives, and what to order

SpotBest choiceWhy
Covered porch or dry cornerTufted shape in outdoor fabricLittle water reaches it
Pool deck, fire pit, open patioNon-tufted, foam-filled, outdoor fabricTufting lets water inside
Out in all weatherWater-repellent outdoor fabricOffered for cushions left out
You want a removable coverZippered outdoor versionMade without tufting

Outdoor fabric doesn't make a tufted cushion rainproof: tufting still lets water inside, so tufted pieces belong in covered, drier spots.

Callum Reid
Share on X (opens a new window)

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Can I keep a tufted cushion out by the pool and the fire pit?

    The workshop's answer

    A tufted cushion will let water inside even with outdoor fabric. A non-tufted, foam-filled cushion in outdoor fabric is fine for outdoor use.

  2. A common question

    Do you have outdoor fabric, and can the same tufted style be made for outside?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. There's a separate outdoor fabric range with its own color chart, including darker greens, and the same shape is made in it. For cushions left out in all weather, water-repellent outdoor fabrics are offered.

  3. A common question

    Can the tufted cushion with the handle be made in outdoor fabric?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. It has been quoted in outdoor fabric at 24 x 48 in and at 24 x 52 in.

  4. A common question

    Are the outdoor cushions waterproof, or only water resistant?

    The workshop's answer

    They're made from a dedicated water-repellent outdoor fabric range that handles showers and spills well, with outdoor-suitable inserts. It's water-resistant rather than sealed, so store the cushions indoors in the off-season.

Questions buyers ask next

Does waterproof fabric solve the tufting problem?

Not for wet spots. Water-repellent outdoor fabric is offered for cushions left out in all weather, but the workshop's advice for a pool deck or fire pit stays the same: a non-tufted, foam-filled cushion, because tufting lets water inside.

Can an outdoor tufted cushion have a zipper?

No. Tufted cushions are sewn closed around their filling, and zippered outdoor versions are made without tufting. If you want a cover you can take off and wash, choose the plain foam-filled outdoor cushion.

What should I do with outdoor cushions in winter?

Bring them in. The outdoor fabric is water-resistant rather than sealed, so the workshop's advice is to store cushions indoors during the off-season, tufted or not.