Best Fabrics for Outdoor Cushions

Outdoor furniture will be exposed to harsh weather conditions, from the blazing sun to pouring rain and frost. This is why it needs to be sturdy and hard wearing. It is not always practical to move cushions indoors when the weather gets rough. But everyone enjoys sitting outside, whether in a large family home, smaller bungalow or Park Homes Gloucester way such as those you can find at  http://www.parkhomelife.com/our-parks/orchard-park/ enjoying the spring and summer weather.

If you are looking to revamp your outdoor seating area read on to discover the best fabrics for outdoor cushions.

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Fabric for outdoor furnishings needs to be waterproof and ideally fade resistant. The inserts for cushions also need to be weather proof and have a suitable cover to keep them safe inside the cushion.

Textilene

Textilene fabric is simply woven polyester that has been treated with a PVC coating. This is often used for outdoor furniture, sun shades and seating thanks to its great fade resistant properties and waterproofing. Textilene is also flame retardant and mould resistant, so this is a great choice for many reasons, including safety.

Canvas

Canvas is a woven fabric that is highly durable. It was often made from hemp in the past but now you can get it made from cotton. Cotton canvas is head wearing while also being cheap to produce. It can also be dyed easily or even painted with fabric paints, so you can make it the perfect colour and pattern for your patio.

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Duck Cloth

This is similar to canvas fabric only duck cloth has a tighter weave so it can feel smoother. This fabric can be bought in different weights to suit the purpose, however duck canvas is less versatile than cotton canvas. This is ideal if you want something sturdy and smooth, but if you want to customise it, you should probably go for cotton canvas. These fabrics would both be ideal for using on a cushion to add padding to a picnic bench.

Vinyl

Vinyl (also called polyvinyl chloride or PVC) is hard wearing and easy to wipe clean. This is highly popular and a widely used plastic today. The only drawback is that vinyl has a ‘plastic’ feel to it, so you might not want to use it in areas that will have direct contact with skin, especially in hotter weather.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene or olefin fibre is a synthetic fibre which is ideal for cushion inserts and covers as it is weather resistant and can withstand sun, rain, heat and mould.