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The Cutting Table · a common question

Are your outdoor cushions waterproof or just water-resistant?

Also asked as:Is the fabric water-repellent or waterproof?Is it waterproof? We get a lot of rain.

Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. Here's which one your outdoor cushion signs.

Answered by

The Weather Man of Casco Bay · · Updated

The quick answer

Outdoor cushions are made from a dedicated water-repellent outdoor fabric that handles rain showers and spills well, but it is water-resistant rather than a sealed, coated material. Outdoor seats and backs get outdoor-suitable inserts, and the range has its own color chart, sent on request. Store the cushions indoors during long off-season stretches, as with any outdoor textile.

Cream and rust pinstripe porch swing cushion on a white wooden swing with black chains, lantern and fern on a porchSave
A thick pinstripe pad on a white porch swing, framed by black chains and a lantern; the stripe is quiet enough for a traditional porch.

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Key facts

  • Outdoor cushions use a separate water-repellent fabric range with its own color chart, sent on request.
  • The outdoor fabric is water-resistant: it handles rain showers and spills, but it isn't sealed or coated.
  • Seams are standard-stitched, not sealed.
  • Outdoor seats and backs get outdoor-suitable inserts.
  • The outdoor fabric also works for tufted floor cushions and pallet-bench cushions in any custom size.
  • One test cushion can be ordered first; one trial took about 5 days of production and 3-4 days of delivery.
  • Store outdoor cushions indoors during long off-season periods.

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Sun, rain, salt. Say which of them your cushion will meet, and the workshop will plan around it. — 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 cushions use a separate water-repellent fabric range with its own color chart…
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

What the outdoor fabric will and won't do

The word waterproof gets used loosely in this trade, the workshop's own replies included. The outdoor range is described as waterproof and as water-repellent, and the most careful answer calls it what it is: water-resistant. Rain showers and spills, it handles well.

What it isn't is a sealed, coated shell, and the seams are standard-stitched, not sealed. That's the honest version, friend. The water-repellent versus waterproof Pattern explains the difference, and the water-repellent entry gives the short form.

Outdoor range next to the indoor charts

QuestionOutdoor rangeStandard indoor fabric
Handles rain showersYesNo, not waterproof
Handles spillsYesA water-repellent indoor chart exists for spill-prone rooms
Sealed or coatedNoNo
InsertsOutdoor-suitableStandard high-density foam
Left out all winterNo, store indoors off-seasonNo

Before a big patio order

  • Ask for the outdoor color chart; it's sent on request.
  • Order one cushion first to test the fit, and ask for its make and delivery times in writing.
  • Where cushions get properly wet, by a pool or fire pit, pick a plain, non-tufted cushion.
  • Plan a dry spot for the off-season with the outdoor cushion care Pattern.
  • Browse outdoor cushions and porch swing cushions for shapes.

Where the outdoor cloth goes

The same fabric covers regular outdoor cushions, tufted floor cushions and pallet-bench cushions, in any custom size. Tufting is the weak spot: water finds its way in through the tufts even with outdoor fabric, so keep tufted pieces for spots that only see a shower.

Where do your cushions spend the night when it rains?

Outdoor cushion fabric that handles rain showers is water-resistant, not sealed; the seams are stitched, so store the cushions indoors off-season.

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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Are the outdoor fabrics waterproof or just water-repellent?

    The workshop's answer

    They're water-resistant: they handle rain showers and spills well. For long off-season periods the shop still recommends storing the cushions indoors, as with any outdoor textile.

  2. A common question

    Are the outdoor cushions waterproof, and is there anything for messy kids indoors?

    The workshop's answer

    The outdoor fabrics are made for outdoor use and are water-repellent, which makes them durable against the elements. For families with messy kids, there are also premium indoor fabric charts that are water-resistant and easy to wipe clean.

  3. A common question

    Will the inserts and fabric suit outdoor seats and backs?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Outdoor seats and backs get outdoor-suitable inserts, and the cover is the outdoor water-repellent fabric.

  4. A common question

    Do you make outdoor waterproof cushions?

    The workshop's answer

    Outdoor cushions, yes; waterproof, no. There's a separate water-repellent outdoor fabric chart to pick colors from. For a patio project, one cushion can be ordered first to test the fit; one trial took about 5 days of production and 3-4 days of delivery.

  5. A common question

    Do you offer waterproof or spill-proof fabric for floor cushions?

    The workshop's answer

    Not waterproof, but water-repellent: the separate outdoor range has its own colors, sent on request, and it can be used for tufted floor cushions or pallet-bench cushions.

Questions buyers ask next

Are the seams sealed on outdoor cushions?

No. The seams are standard-stitched, not sealed, which is one reason the fabric is described as water-resistant rather than waterproof. Plan for showers and spills, not for cushions sitting in standing water.

Can outdoor cushions stay outside all winter?

Not uncovered. They handle sun and rain showers, but the foam isn't quick-dry and there's no mesh drainage bottom as standard, so a covered porch or indoor storage over winter keeps them in shape.

Can a tufted cushion be made in outdoor fabric?

Yes, but tufting lets water inside even with outdoor fabric. By a pool or fire pit, where cushions really get wet, choose a non-tufted, foam-filled outdoor cushion instead.