As a homeowner with beautifully designed patio area, looking for weatherproof patio cushions may sit on your priority at some points. Utilizing cushions as functional and decorative feature for your lovely outdoor entertainment area is great choice, but you wouldn’t want to waste your invested money only for them to get fading colors and all moldy when the extreme weather arrives. So, it is definitely worth to set aside some researching time to look for an ideal weatherproof material for the outdoor cushions.
The first thing you need to know when it comes to weather-resistant cushion is that the level of the water and moisture level depends on the fabric material it uses. Small-sized outdoor cushions that are mainly used for decorative purpose typically are made with polyethane or polypropeline fabrics, which are not exactly immune to water but definitely offer some resistance. These materials help the cushion to resist water penetration not entirely, but only to some degree. A lot of outdoor cushions are made with specific foam material that allows water to pass through instead of storing it. This feature helps immensely to make the cushions have better resistance to water and moisture compared to the standard indoor ones.
The next outdoor weatherproof cushions quality to look for is the UV-ray resistance. It is not rare for outdoor bench covers or seat upholstery to be made with sunbrella fabrics that has great tolerance to the damage cause by UV rays. Sunbrella fabric material has a compound of metallic sheen that filters UV light and water through its fibers. This may not make the cushions to be completely immune of water, but at least able to stand against harsh environment.
Another fabric that has less porous attribute to provide waterproof quality is oilcloth. Oilcloth fabric is made of tightly weft line layered with protective coat of linseed oil. While it does offer the benefit of weatherproof patio cushions, it is typically more susceptible to rips due to the stiff and tough characteristic compared to more soft-textured fabrics. Not to mention, this material is much less comfortable to skin.
One trick to make your outdoor cushions remains looking and serving good despite of the weather conditions is to use waterproofing spray as a pre-treatment. It is also recommended to cover the cushions when they are not being used.
Even though most materials of outdoor cushions can only offer weather-resistant quality rather than weatherproof one, they remain to be much tougher than the ones used for indoor cushion. Sure you may need to sacrifice the quality of another aspect such as comfort, but getting weatherproof patio cushions is definitely worth the investment you make to create a stunning and functional patio area.
