The Pattern Room · a side-by-side pattern
Tufted bench cushion or plain? Buttons, looks and washability
A button pulled down through a thick cushion is one of the oldest handsome tricks in my trade. It is also a promise you can't unzip. Here is what tufting gives, what it takes, and how to choose before the needle goes in.
SaveThe quick answer
Choose a tufted bench cushion for a hand-finished, sculpted look, and a plain zippered foam cushion if the cover must come off for washing. French-style tufted cushions are packed with polyester fiber, button-tufted and hand-stitched closed, so they clean in place only. In real quotes the tufted build ran about a third to a half above the same size in plain foam.
What a button does to a cushion
I've been setting tufting buttons since the late sixties, and I still slow down for every one. A tufted bench cushion is a different animal from a plain one. The button is pulled down through the whole body and anchored by a cord, and the fabric gathers into soft dimples all around it.
The French-style tufted cushions aren't built on a foam slab. They are packed tight with siliconized polyester fiber, overfilled on purpose so they stay firm and don't press flat. The edge is a French mattress edge: boxed, wrapped, then pinched by hand stitching above and below the seam so it rolls instead of sagging. Most French floor cushions and backrests finish 4 to 5 in (10 to 12 cm) thick.
Then the cover is stitched closed around all of it, by hand. That seam is where the whole choice lives. A seam is a promise, and this one can't be taken back: there's no zipper, and the cover never comes off. The glossary covers the styles of tufting.
Tufted and plain, side by side
| Hand-tufted, French style | Plain zippered foam | |
|---|---|---|
| Filling | Siliconized polyester fiber, packed tight and overfilled | Firm about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) foam wrapped in polyester fiber |
| Cover | Hand-stitched closed; can't be removed | Zippered, hidden on the underside or back edge; comes off completely |
| Cleaning | In place: damp cloth, mild soap and water | Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on gentle, then air dry |
| Look | Sculpted, dimpled top and a rolled, hand-sewn edge | Flat, tailored top with a crisp piped or plain edge |
| Feel | A softer filling that stays firm because it is overfilled | Firm and even; the practical choice on a timber bench |
| Usual thickness | 4 to 5 in (10 to 12 cm) | 2, 3, 4 or 5 in; 4 in (10 cm) is standard |
| Cost | About a third to a half more in real quotes | The baseline |
| A new cover later | The whole cushion is remade | A new cover over the same foam |
| Outdoors | Water gets in around the buttons | Non-tufted and foam-filled is the outdoor choice |
| Best for | Floor seating, a formal bench, a showpiece corner | Kids, pets, dining seats, anywhere spills happen |
Key facts
- French-style tufted cushions have no zipper: they are filled, button-tufted and hand-stitched closed.
- Tufted French cushions have no foam core; they are packed tight with siliconized polyester fiber and overfilled so they stay firm.
- Tufted French floor cushions and backrests are normally 4 to 5 in (10 to 12 cm) thick.
- In real quotes, tufted builds ran about a third to a half above the same size untufted.
- Plain foam cushions have zippered covers that machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle.
Have it made
Measured it? Have Harlan’s workshop make it
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.
Why the handwork costs more
Every step on a tufted cushion is done by hand: the packing, the buttons, the closing seam. The craftsmen decide how many buttons a cushion gets by its size, and spare buttons ship with every tufted order, along with a video on sewing one back.
That labor shows on the quote. In real quotes the tufted version ran about a third to a half above the same size in plain foam: three dining bench cushions, a replacement floor cushion and a 63 x 35 in (160 x 90 cm) floor cushion among them. A tufted daybed mattress with a round bolster took about 10 to 12 business days, making and delivery together. When a tufted set runs over budget, the workshop points to the untufted, foam-filled version, which can be quoted lower.
Two limits worth knowing. Tufting only works when the workshop makes the filling, so a covers-only order can't be tufted. And on a standard bench cushion you can still ask for buttons in the order note; piping can go with them, and the workshop sends a photo of the buttoned design first.
A 109-inch cream corduroy bench
A buyer in the US wanted a long tufted cushion in soft cream corduroy: 21 x 109 x 4 in (53 x 277 x 10 cm). That is a lot of cushion, my friend, better than nine feet of it.
The buyer ordered through the tufted French-mattress listing, picked 20 x 91 in from the size menu, and paid an added charge because the real bench ran about 18 in longer. Nothing unusual in that. Small gaps between the menu and your bench get absorbed; big ones cost extra, and it is better to hear so before cutting than after.
Cream corduroy on a tufted top is a handsome thing. But it is a light, ribbed cloth on a cushion that will never see a washing machine, so it wants a grown-up spot. Order a swatch, look at it by a window in daylight, and decide before the needle goes in.
When plain is the kinder choice
Time and again, a buyer chose tufting and then needed a cover that washes. Same story, different room. One parent was planning a reading nook for small children around a linen tufted floor cushion and asked how to clean it. The honest answer: gently, by hand, in place. The workshop offered the untufted version instead, with a zippered cover that comes off and goes in the machine.
So I tell families plainly. Toddlers, dogs and dining seats want the plain, zippered, foam-filled build, made to the same custom size and color. You give up the buttons and the French edge; you gain a cover that washes at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dries. Buttons also work loose sooner under daily use, heavy fill, pets and children.
Who will sit on yours: guests at Thanksgiving, or a dog every afternoon? See kid-friendly cushion fabric, how to wash cushion covers and the plain builds under bench cushions.
Buttonless tufting and other middle roads
There are roads between the two. A tufted floor cushion can be made without buttons, keeping the hand-sewn edges, which makes it far kinder to lie on. Buyers have slept on the workshop's corduroy and high-density foam cushions as cot pads and floor beds, though comfort is a personal thing.
Tufting without piping is another quiet road. A buyer in the US asked for five matching tufted cushions in a solid dark green-gray, no piping: one for a 15.75 x 59.875 in (40 x 152 cm) bench with two 20 in ties at each corner, and four for curved chairs, 15.5 in (39 cm) at the back and 18.5 in (47 cm) at the front. The workshop asked for a detailed drawing with every curve and tie before it quoted.
And a plain boxed cushion with a good piped edge looks tailored in its own right; compare edges in box edge vs knife edge. For floor seating, see floor cushions, the tufted floor couch set sizes and tufted cushion care.
Common mistakes with tufted cushions
- Choosing buttons for a toddler's nook, a dog's spot or a family dining bench, then needing a cover that washes. Decide between the tufted look and a zip-off cover early; you can't have both.
- Ordering covers only and expecting tufting. Buttons need the workshop's own filling.
- Putting a tufted cushion where rain falls. Water gets in around every button, even in outdoor fabric; by a pool or fire pit, choose a non-tufted, foam-filled cushion.
- Letting a loose button wait. Re-sew it early with strong upholstery thread, before the tuft slackens, and keep the spares.
- Skipping the swatch. The cover can't be changed later, so confirm a spot-cleanable fabric and its color in daylight first.
- Paying an upholsterer before writing to the maker. Spare buttons, a video and button covers in the right color may be all you need.
Tufted cushion buttons run through the whole body, so the cover is sewn shut for good. Choose buttons for the look and a zipper for the wash.
Harlan Pruitt
Buyer questions: buttons, zippers and washing
- A common question
Do your tufted floor cushions have a zipper or a removable cover?
The workshop's answerNo. French tufted cushions are filled, tufted with buttons that pass through the filling, then hand-stitched closed, so the cover can't be opened, removed or changed. The buttons can't be made detachable either; that is a factory feature, and these are fully handmade. For a toddler's reading nook, a dog or young kids, the workshop makes the same size as a plain foam-filled cushion with a zippered removable cover, without the tufting or the French edge.
- A common question
Can I get a tufted bench cushion with a zipper so the cover can be washed?
The workshop's answerNot both at once. Tufted French-style cushions are made without a zipper, while plain boxed, untufted foam cushions have zippered, removable covers, so you choose between the tufted look and a washable cover. A tufted cushion can't be sent a replacement cover later either; the whole cushion has to be remade. Linen and linen-cotton fabrics work either way.
- A common question
If a tufted cushion can't go in the washer, how do I clean it?
The workshop's answerIn place, gently, by hand: wipe the surface with a damp cloth, using mild soap and water for marks. The fabrics are chosen to be practical for homes with kids, and the soft fabric range wipes clean especially easily. If you'd rather machine wash, choose the untufted, foam-filled version with a zippered removable cover.
- A common question
A tufting button came off, or it's the wrong color. How do I fix it?
The workshop's answerSew it back on: every order ships with spare buttons, and the workshop sends a video showing how to thread the connecting string and reattach the button properly. If the buttons don't match the photos, say white instead of dark brown, it can send button covers in the right color.
- A common question
Can you tuft my bench cushion with buttons and add piping as well?
The workshop's answerYes. Standard bench cushions have a flat top, but you can ask for tufting in the personalization box, and the workshop sends a photo of the buttoned design. Piping can go with it, and the craftsmen choose the number of buttons by the cushion's size. Because the buttons are stitched through, a tufted cover isn't removable or washable; a plain piped cover is both.
- A common question
Can I sleep on one of these cushions, like a mattress?
The workshop's answerYes. Many buyers sleep on cushions made from the workshop's corduroy and high-density foam, on a cot or as a floor bed, and are happy with them, though comfort is personal. Tufted floor cushions can also be made without buttons so they're comfortable to lie on, while keeping the hand-sewn edges.
More on tufted and plain builds
Does tufting make a cushion softer or firmer?
Both, in a way. French tufted cushions use a softer polyester fiber filling than foam, but they are deliberately overfilled, so they stay firm and don't press flat. A plain cushion on firm 32-density foam feels more even, and firm foam is the more practical choice on a timber bench.
How thick is a French tufted floor cushion?
Tufted French floor cushions and backrests are normally 4 to 5 in (10 to 12 cm) thick. The velvet floor-seating seat runs about 6 in, deep-base floor cushions about 12 in (30 cm), and in-between depths are made at a higher cost.
What sizes can a tufted floor cushion be made in?
The largest tufted square floor cushion is about 48 x 48 in (122 x 122 cm), and round French floor cushions go up to about 49 in (125 cm) across. A French-style set includes a seat, a backrest the same length and two round armrest bolsters.
Is a tufted cushion all right on a covered porch?
Tufted shapes can be made in the outdoor fabrics, but tufting lets water inside through the dips around each button. Under a closed roof where rain doesn't reach, that matters less. By a pool or fire pit, choose a non-tufted, foam-filled outdoor cushion.
Can I tuft a cover I already have?
No. Tufting is only possible when the workshop makes the filling, because the buttons are sewn through the packed body and the cover is closed by hand around it. Covers-only and empty zippered covers can't be tufted, and a zippered version is always made without buttons.
