---
title: "Rocking Chair Cushions for Tennessee and Kentucky Porches"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/places/tennessee-kentucky-cushions/"
section: "Across the Map"
author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/"
published: "2026-06-05"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "rocking chair cushions tennessee, rocking chair cushion template, porch rocker cushions with ties, kentucky porch swing cushions, cabin rental cushion covers, ladder-back chair pads"
---

# Rocking chair and porch cushions for Tennessee and Kentucky homes

*Around here a porch without rockers is just a hallway with a roof. Every one of those rockers deserves a pad that fits its curve and stays put.*

> **The quick answer:** Rocking chair cushions for Tennessee and Kentucky porches should be cut from a traced paper template and tied on at the back. Use outdoor fabric on open porches and bring those cushions in before the first hard freeze, choose zippered washable covers with a spare set for cabin rentals, and ask for ties in writing, because they are never added unless requested.

![Navy blue box seat pad tied to a weathered teak dining chair on a garden deck set for lunch beside hydrangeas](https://cushionguide.com/media/dining-chair-cushions/navy-tie-on-seat-pad-teak-dining-chair-garden-deck-1600.webp "A navy box seat pad, tied at the back posts, turns a hard teak dining chair into one you can linger on.")

## Wet summers, real winters and a porch that works through both

This is porch country, and the census backs it up: new homes in the division that takes in Kentucky and Tennessee had the highest porch share in the nation, 81% of 2024 starts.

Nashville gets about 50 in (127 cm) of rain a year, mornings average 84% humidity, and winter brings about 72 days at or below 32°F (0°C).

I learned on my grandmother's porch that a cushion left out in August rain still smells like it in September. So a porch cushion here has two jobs: dry fast after a storm, and come inside before the hard freezes, because water left in foam freezes, thaws and never really dries.

That is why I send porch folks to [outdoor fabric](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/outdoor-acrylic/), cabin folks to [corduroy](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/corduroy/), and kitchen chairs to [checked linen and gingham](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/checked-linen-and-gingham/).

## Farmhouse porches, dogtrot halls and cabin bunk rooms

The houses were built for sitting outside: farmhouses with long porches lined with rockers, dogtrot houses with two log cabins under one roof joined by an open breezeway, Victorian and Craftsman homes in Nashville and Louisville, and log cabins in the Smokies, many of them rentals. The seats follow: [rocking chairs](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/rocking-chair-cushions/), [porch swings](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/porch-swing-cushions/), [ladder-back dining chairs](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/dining-chair-cushions/), fireside benches and bunk rooms.

Rocker seats are curved, and curves are where orders go sideways. A returning buyer wrote to the workshop about a sculpted wooden rocker seat. The workshop walked them through a [paper template](https://cushionguide.com/guides/rocking-chair-cushion-template/), and the craftsmen marked the straight stretches on the photo, asked for two more measurements and made a 3 in (7.5 cm) cushion with matching piping.

Another buyer with a shaped rocker heard no: without the chair in the workshop the fit was too risky, and the workshop would rather say so than ship a guess.

For anything with ties, start with the [chair cushion builder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/chair-cushion-builder/) and our [tie placement notes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-tie-placement-chairs-swings/). How many rockers are lined up on your porch right now, neighbor?

## Porch, parlor and cabin: fabric and build

| Seat | Fabric | Build | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocker on an open porch | Outdoor fabric (UV-resistant, water-repellent polyester) | Traced template, about 3 in (7.5 cm), two ties at the back | A curve needs a template, not a guess |
| Porch swing | Outdoor fabric | 4 in (10 cm) zippered seat, ties on the back edge | Ties hold the cushion to the rail |
| Ladder-back dining chair | Checked linen or gingham | 4 in (10 cm), ties at the back, both side edges measured | Old chairs are rarely square |
| Cabin bunk room | Soft washable weave, piping picked from the wallpaper | Zippered twin XL mattress covers | Covers come off on turnover day |
| Cabin fireside bench | Corduroy or velvet | 4 in (10 cm), set 3 ft (91 cm) from the stove | Warm, with clearance |

Ties and non-slip bases are never added unless requested. Indoor covers machine wash at 86°F (30°C).

## Golden oak chairs, a terrazzo floor and two boxer dogs

A buyer inherited a set of golden oak dining chairs from their parents and wanted them to look right against a new gray terrazzo floor. They chose four 2 in (5 cm) piped cushions in a printed chenille.

They meant to add a matching entry bench, about 38 x 14.5 in (97 x 37 cm). Then two boxer dogs got a vote, and the bench went to rugged outdoor fabric instead. Kids and dogs are the real quality control.

The chair cushions arrived without ties. Nobody had asked for them, so none were sewn on, and the workshop offered to pay half of a local tailor's fee to add them. Now I tell every family: if the chairs need ties, write it on the order.

## The porch calendar

- ✓ Early spring: brush pollen off rockers and swings, set the cushions out and check every tie.
- ✓ After a summer storm: stand cushions on edge and get them dry within 24 to 48 hours; the EPA says materials dried that fast usually do not grow mold.
- ✓ Ice storm in the forecast: bring the porch cushions in the night before.
- ✓ Before the first hard freeze: store outdoor cushions dry, off concrete and out of sealed damp bags.
- ✓ Cabin turnover: wash zippered covers at 86°F (30°C), air dry and swap in the spare set.

> Ties never come standard on a chair pad. Ask for two at the back corners on the order, or the rocker pad ships without them.
>
> — Rosa

> **Tailor's margin:** Trace a curved rocker seat onto paper, mark the widest width and depth on the template, and photograph the template flat beside a tape measure.

## Buyer questions: rockers, ties and curves

**A common question:** How do I measure a curved rocking chair seat for a cushion?

**The workshop's answer:** Make a paper template. Trace the seat, cut the paper out and write the widest width and the front-to-back depth on it. Photograph it flat from directly above with a tape measure in view; there is no need to mail it. The craftsmen confirm the shape with you before you order.

**A common question:** Can you make dining chair pads to my measurements, with ties?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Chair pads are made to measure with ties at the back for the spindles or ladder-back. Send a photo of the chair and a diagram with every edge measured, both sides as well as front and back, plus the quantity and thickness.

**A common question:** Do ties come with a custom cushion, or do I have to ask for them?

**The workshop's answer:** You have to ask. Ties are only added when requested at the time of ordering, and the same goes for a non-slip bottom. Write it in the personalization note, for example 'two corner ties', before the order goes into production.

**A common question:** Is there any curved shape you won't make?

**The workshop's answer:** Mild curves are fine, but nothing curved is promised until the craftsmen review a measured drawing and photos. A round bay with too strong a curve and a rocker pad that had to fit a shaped seat exactly have both been declined. A full template has turned a borderline S-curve bench into a yes.

## More porch and cabin questions

### Do porch cushions in Tennessee and Kentucky need to come inside for winter?

Yes, on open porches. Lexington averages about 93 days a year at or below 32°F (0°C) and Nashville about 72, and water left in foam freezes and thaws. Store them dry until spring.

### Is indoor fabric fine on a covered front porch in a humid summer?

Only on a fully enclosed, dry porch. A roof keeps most rain off, but humidity, pollen and wind-blown storms still reach the seat. On an open or screened porch, use the outdoor line: UV-resistant, water-repellent polyester.

### What should a cabin rental owner order for cushion covers?

Zippered covers that come off and wash at 86°F (30°C), plus a spare set for turnover days. Order every piece of a set at the same time, so they all come from one dye lot and match.

### How should a porch swing cushion be tied on?

With ties on the back edge knotted around the back rail or spindles, or four corner ties knotted under the seat. Say how many ties and where when you order, because an untied swing cushion tends to slide as the swing moves.

## Related at the atelier

- [Rocking chair cushions, traced from the seat itself](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/rocking-chair-cushions/): The recommended way to order a rocking chair cushion is to trace the seat onto paper, cut it out, write the widest width and the front-to-back depth on it, and photograph it flat from above beside a…
- [How to make a rocking chair cushion template that fits the seat](https://cushionguide.com/guides/rocking-chair-cushion-template/): To fit a rocking chair cushion to a curved seat, trace the seat onto paper, cut it out, write the widest width and front-to-back depth on it, and photograph it flat from above beside a tape measure.
- [Cushions for Carolina and Georgia porches](https://cushionguide.com/places/carolinas-georgia-cushions/): Porch swing cushions in the Carolinas and Georgia should be cut in outdoor-rated, water-repellent fabric with zippered covers and ties at the back corners so they never slide.
- [Rocking Chair Cushion Set in Dusty Rose for a White Porch](https://cushionguide.com/readings/dusty-rose-rocking-chair-cushion-set-porch/): A rocking chair cushion set should be two tie-on pieces: a boxed seat that sits inside the arms and a separate back pad tied at the posts, so neither slides while the chair rocks.
- [Rocking Chair Cushion Set for a Glider: Seat, Back, Ottoman](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-glider-rocker-cushion-set-matching-ottoman/): A rocking chair cushion set for long sitting needs a full-height back cushion tied at the top rail, a box seat thicker than the back, and a matching ottoman cushion.
- [Replacement cushions for a nursery glider, piece by piece](https://cushionguide.com/guides/glider-rocker-replacement-cushions/): To replace glider rocker cushions, measure each piece on its own: the seat's front width, back width and depth; a T-seat's letters so A + B + B = C; the back's top width, bottom width and height…
- [Cushion tie placement for chairs, porch swings and benches](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-tie-placement-chairs-swings/)

*Porch light's on — Rosa*

---

Written by Rosa Delgado (https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/places/tennessee-kentucky-cushions/