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Green and cream striped outdoor seat and back cushions on a wooden pallet sofa among herb pots at golden hourSave

A Reading by CallumOutdoor & Water-Repellent Cushions

Outdoor cushions for a pallet sofa, and five mistakes this photo avoids

Stacked pallets make a sofa in an afternoon. The cushions decide whether anybody sits on it twice.

A deep seat cushion and two back cushions in a fresh green stripe turn stacked pallets into a comfortable garden sofa.

Read by

The Weather Man of Casco BayPublished Updated 4 min read

The quick answer

An outdoor bench cushion for a pallet sofa should be a thick box cushion sized to the actual pallet top, sitting flush with the front edge, with two back cushions rather than one. Use outdoor acrylic, which is UV-resistant and water-repellent, add grip or ties so it stays put, and bring the cushions in for the off-season.

What the photo gets right on a stack of pallets

A thin pad on raw pallets is the most common mistake, and this photo doesn't make it.

On gravel among herb pots at sundown, the seat cushion is deep and thick enough to hide the gaps between the slats and keep a sitter off rough timber. Two back cushions, not one, settle where the upright boards are uneven.

The stripe is green and lime on cream, with a thread of gray. Rosemary and basil in terracotta pots answer the greens. The galvanized watering can picks up the gray. The standard olive tree gives height. The stripe makes it all look planned.

Low sun shows up any sag, and there's none: the seat was sized to the pallet top and sits flush with its front edge. Self piping keeps the box tidy without a new color.

Then the weather, friend. Outdoor acrylic sheds rain and stands up to sun; indoor linen and velvet don't. What does the top of your pallet stack measure, edge to edge?

See outdoor cushions, outdoor acrylic, pallet sofa cushions and water-repellent vs waterproof.

Pinned by Callum

Five pins, from the deep seat to the herb pots at the edge of the gravel.

Pinned: Green and cream striped outdoor seat and back cushions on a wooden pallet sofa among herb pots at golden hour
  1. Deep seat cushion

    Thick enough to hide slat gaps and keep the sitter off rough timber.

  2. Left back cushion

    Two backs instead of one flex against the uneven pallet upright.

  3. Pallet base

    Raw pallets become a sofa once the cushion is sized to the top.

  4. Watering can

    Galvanised gray repeats the gray thread in the stripe.

  5. Herb pots

    Rosemary and basil echo the green stripes.

  1. Deep seat cushionThick enough to hide slat gaps and keep the sitter off rough timber.
  2. Left back cushionTwo backs instead of one flex against the uneven pallet upright.
  3. Pallet baseRaw pallets become a sofa once the cushion is sized to the top.
  4. Watering canGalvanised gray repeats the gray thread in the stripe.
  5. Herb potsRosemary and basil echo the green stripes.

Five pallet-sofa mistakes, and the fix in the frame

MistakeWhat goes wrongThe fix
A thin pad on raw palletsSlat gaps print through; rough timber finds the sitterA thick box cushion sized to the pallet top
One long back cushionIt bridges the low spot and leaves a gapTwo back cushions that settle separately
Ordering by catalog pallet sizeStacked pallets rarely line up squareMeasure the real top; seat flush with the front edge
Indoor fabric outsideNot made for sun and rainOutdoor acrylic, UV-resistant and water-repellent
Leaving cushions out all winterNo cushion is built to sit through oneBring them in for the off-season and store them dry
A real project

Two deep cushions with grip underneath

A buyer got in touch for two outdoor lounge cushions, 55 x 23 5/8 in (140 x 60 cm) and 7 7/8 in (20 cm) thick. Deep cushions, like the seat in this photo.

They knew what they wanted: bone-colored water-repellent outdoor fabric, double white piping and, in place of hook-and-loop tabs, a beige anti-slip underside, a grippy fabric across the whole bottom panel.

The workshop confirmed every line. Two cords at the seams give a thick box edge more structure, and the anti-slip base keeps a heavy cushion from walking off a smooth frame.

Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. This buyer wanted the contract.

The lesson: Anti-slip bases and double piping can both be specified on deep outdoor cushions.

On the cutting table

SeatingPallet sofa: one deep seat, two back cushions
FabricGreen and lime stripe on cream, outdoor acrylic
PipingSelf, cut from the same stripe
EdgeBox edge on seat and backs
Seat fitSized to the pallet top, flush at the front
GripAnti-slip base for smooth frames; corner ties for slats
WeatherUV-resistant, water-repellent; store indoors off-season
Best forBackyard, patio and gravel-garden DIY seating

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop

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
Green and lime stripe on cream, outdoor acrylic
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self, cut from the same stripe
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

Outdoor questions

  1. A common question

    Can you make replacement covers for my outdoor seat cushions, plus matching back pillows?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Two navy outdoor seat covers at 32 x 32 x 6 in were made without inserts, together with two filled back pillows at 12 x 32 x 6 in. Water-resistant outdoor fabrics are available for both.

  2. A common question

    I'm ordering a big set of outdoor seat cushions and pillows. Is there a better price for the whole lot?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Large sets are quoted at a flat price below the sum of the listings; delivery to a distant address can raise that quote again.

  3. A common question

    Checkout won't take my order because the total is too high. Is there a way through?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. The workshop has split one order into three custom listings of about equal size, each under the limit, and the set went through.

A pallet sofa seat cushion should be thick enough to hide the slat gaps and sit flush with the front edge: measure the pallet top, not the catalog size.

Callum
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Questions buyers ask next

How thick should a pallet sofa seat cushion be?

Thicker than a bench pad. Outdoor benches usually take 3 to 4 in, but raw pallets have slat gaps and rough edges, so a deeper box cushion is kinder; the lounge cushions here were 7 7/8 in (20 cm).

One back cushion or two on a pallet sofa?

Two, on most pallet builds. An upright pallet is rarely flat, and two back cushions settle into it separately, where one long piece would bridge the low spot and leave a gap.

What stops a cushion sliding on pallet boards?

Either a non-slip base, grippy fabric across the whole underside that holds by friction and leaves no residue, or ties sewn into the back corners and knotted around a board. Slatted pallet tops suit ties.

Fair winds — Callum

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